About

The band...

BIRDSONG AT MORNING (the name comes from a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson, by way of Alex Comfort) is an acoustic music ensemble featuring the warm, intimate vocals and finely honed songwriting of Alan Williams. Alan helped to craft the powerful sound of his former band, Knots and Crosses in the early 1990s before embarking on a career as a recording engineer/producer, and later as an academic, earning his PhD in ethnomusicology. In the process, he has been musically reborn as a vocalist, guitarist and songwriter reflecting the influence of musicians such as Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley, David Sylvian and Elliott Smith.

Williams says, "When I was younger, I thought that a powerful musical performance required a lot of volume. But as I've gotten older and been exposed to a wider variety of music from around the world, I've discovered the power of intimacy. The music we create is delicate without being fragile. It's a music I could never have made in my 20s. It's not afraid to be romantic."

Alan is joined by his long-time sweetheart, Darleen Wilson on guitar and vocals, and his musical partner since his late teens, Greg Porter on bass and vocals. Darleen's work as a record producer is central to the careers of a number of singer-songwriters including Bill Morrissey, Patty Larkin, Catie Curtis, and Cry, Cry, Cry. In addition to performing with Knots and Crosses, Greg was a founding member of Talking to Animals, and has played with a number of musicians including Patty Griffin, Aimee Mann, Merrie Amsterburg, and Martin Sexton.

Photo: Bob Hannan

BIRDSONG AT MORNING grew out of friendly gatherings in Alan and Darleen's living room in the winter of 2006. The participants all shared one common bond – that of adults who had put music aside to pursue other career and family goals. As rust began to fall from their fingers, and tight throats became more elastic, they rediscovered the joy in making music. For Alan, that joy unleashed a flood of new songs. Alan, Greg, and Darleen began crafting a musical sound to fit the material, and gradually ideas coalesced into a body of work.

Taking advantage of their expertise in recording, the group initiated a series of sessions in their own studio, and then set out for Avatar Studios in New York to record their old friend Ben Wittman on drums. The Avatar sessions were so fruitful, that the band decided to release a series of CDs, with each CD built around a single mood or theme. The first in the series, Bound, evokes the sudden leap and fated destination of restless journeys as well as the deeply rooted bond between friends and lovers. The second release, Heavens, tenders songs of questing and questioning, all framed within astronomical metaphors. The third release is due out in March.

Recreating the scope of the recordings from their most delicate to their most powerful, the band's flexible approach to recording extends to live shows, ranging from Alan's solo performances, to the core trio conjuring the ambience of their living room roots, to drums and percussion augmenting the group for a more energetic take on the music, to the expanded ensemble that includes a string quartet. Each performance offers the opportunity to experience the songs in a different way, and BIRDSONG AT MORNING takes full advantage of the infinite possibilities.

Come join them in the continual act of discovery.