Here I stand out on the edge
Of where I’m meant to be
I’m clinging to that ledge

And I know I’m bleeding through
I’m tearing at the seams
I’m tearing into you

And I see when I look back
At the path I walk
What is it I lack?

‘Cause I’ve done all that I could
Yet here I am again
At the splitting of the wood

Recorded at Cowboy Cowabunga Studios, 2023
Production, Engineering, Mixing, Synth - Mark Anderson
Mastering - Timothy Stollenwerk at Stereophonic Mastering
Words, Music, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Synth - John Runnels
Electric Guitar - Paul DeHaven
Flugelhorn - Aaron Strumpel

Splitting of the Wood

Splitting Of The Wood

Your decision is running wild
Every chance you took will be reconciled
And in the memories that remain
All our scars will heal, time will fade the pain

And your hands, white as snow
Will direct us where to go
Hold your breath, take it slow,
As we reap what we have sown

In the shadows that we cast
All our doubts and fears lay to rest at last
It makes no difference what we said
As our path was built on the lives we led

And your hands, white as snow
Will direct us where to go
Hold your breath, take it slow,
As we reap what we have sown

Hold your breath, take it slow
As we reap what we sow
Make amends before we go


Recorded at Shovel Studios, 2023 
Production, Engineering, Mixing, Synth, Percussion - Aaron Strumpel
Mastering - David Wilton at Coalesce Audio
Words, Music, Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Piano, Synth - John Runnels
Vocals - Kia Ranney
Vocals - Michael Runnels

Reap and Sow

Reap And Sow

Have you ever been too hard on yourself after making a mistake? Maybe even the same mistake over and over again?

It can sometimes be difficult to give yourself some grace, but perhaps it's easier when we realize that it's our first time doing this life thing. We're just figuring it out as we go along... we're just Learning How.

Lyrics:
You've been waiting since the day they called
Over all this time
All the letters in the mailbox
They traveled all those miles

After all this time
You still believe it's there
Those concentric lines
They circle in the air

Don't be turning around, no
You will find your way out
You're just learning how

All the messages you never left
And all the words unsaid
All the times they said they’d make it out
But you’re alone instead

After all this time
You still believe it's there
Those concentric lines
They circle in the air

Don't be turning around, no
You will find your way out
You're just learning how

They will leave and you’ll be fine
You will see, it just takes time
They will leave and you’ll be fine
You will see, it just takes time


Credits:
Recorded at Slash O Studio in Arvada, 2023
Produced, Engineered, and Mixed by Eric Dawson Tate
Mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music
Words and Music by John Runnels and Megan Ellsworth
Vocals by John Runnels and Megan Ellsworth
Acoustic Guitar by John Runnels
Electric Guitar, Synth by Eric Dawson Tate
Piano, Synth, Keyboards, Bass Drum by Mike Lang
String Arrangement by Chris Jusell
Violin by Chris Jusell
Viola by Rhianna Fairchild
Cello by Evan Shelton
Upright Bass by John Grigsby

Learning How

The Debut EP from Morning Bear. Available for free download at morningbear.bandcamp.com

Celeste

Morning Bear

Despise

Well, I could end my life tonight
But I won’t
It’s not that I got something to live for
‘Cause I don’t

A simple understanding of a complicated drunk
Another empty bottle, I am sinking, I am sunk
Among the ashes of ambition lay the dirty scum
What I have become

And if I finally understood
The truth
How long before it’s just dissolved in some 80 proof?
I carry on because my mother always told me to
(but) I just want something to show for it when I am through

A simple understanding of a complicated drunk
Another empty bottle, I am sinking, I am sunk
Among the ashes of ambition lay the dirty scum
What I have become

What does the world owe me
Or do I owe the world?
How do I keep on dreaming?
Is there some deeper meaning?
How am I supposed to figure it out?

Well I could end my life tonight
But I won’t

A Simple Understanding

Denver band Morning Bear's sophomore release, produced by Pat Meese (Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, The Centennial)

Traveling

Growing Up

Denver band Morning Bear's sophomore release, produced by Pat Meese (Nathaniel Rateliff and the Night Sweats, The Centennial)

This stream is intended for press, venues, and industry. Take Flight set for public release on Friday, September 25th at Lion's Lair in Denver.

Take Flight

Continuing in their tradition of orchestral arrangement and three part harmonies, Morning Bear's "You're Right" is a cinematic, emotional piece touching on the themes of stubbornness in the face of certain failure, and accepting when you are wrong.

Morning Bear is an orchestral indie folk project based in Denver, Colorado. The nom de guerre of singer/songwriter John Runnels, the project formed in March of 2014 when Runnels quit his job as an engineer and took a one-way flight to Sevilla, Spain. Runnels spent six and a half months traveling Europe with just a guitar and a backpack, playing on the streets for change. Morning Bear’s music features songs written during these travels, taking listeners on a candid and emotional journey through battles with self-doubt, the challenges of risk taking, and of growing up.

Characterized by highly dynamic compositions, Morning Bear’s music is a synthesis of the calm and delicate stylings of artists like Bon Iver and Jose Gonzalez with the complexity and depth of the Fleet Foxes and Sufjan Stevens. Featuring soaring vocals and atypical arrangements including cello, violin, piano and more, Morning Bear provides a textured landscape behind pop-influenced hooks. 

Words and Music Copyright 2017 by John Runnels
Produced, Mixed, and Engineered by Joe Richmond in Denver
Mastered by David Glasser at Airshow Mastering in Boulder

Vocals and Guitar by John Runnels
Drums, Bass, Mellotron by Joe Richmond
Cello by Evan Shelton
Violin by Talia Vlieger

You're Right

Playing orchestral Indie Folk characterized by highly dynamic compositions, Morning Bear is a synthesis of the calm and delicate stylings of artists like Bon Iver and Nick Drake with the complexity and depth of the Fleet Foxes and Sufjan Stevens. Featuring soaring vocals and atypical arrangements, Morning Bear's music provides a textured landscape behind pop-influenced hooks.

Morning Bear

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