Album Notes

The Divided's songwriter and singer, Brendon Morrill, describes his work as, "beautiful songs about ugly things." If that's the case, then the band has taken some seriously ugly subjects and made them swim with the swans. The Portland-based quartet plays razor sharp, sometimes dreamy, often gritty, but always melodic rock and roll.

The band gets its name from the differences between the members' musical styles. Taking a nod from everything from Jeff Buckley to PJ Harvey, the band crafts tight, edgy, fervent rock and pop. If you took Jeff Buckley and had Kristin Hersh write him some songs and then got XTC as a backing band, you'd have an idea of the unique sound The Divided creates.

The band formed as a trio in 2001 after Martti Hill (drums) caught one of the few solo acoustic gigs that Brendon Morrill (vocals/guitar) did at a now-defunct Italian restaurant. As the sound grew, the lineup changed, with the addition of Greg Foster on bass and Lexi Stern on guitar. In 2003 the band recorded its debut CD, "Blueprint for Happiness".

The Divided have had the good fortune to play with many of their favorite local and national acts, including: Imperial Teen, Empty Set, Gravity and Henry, Pansy Division, Tea for Julie, The Bratz, The Hidden Cameras, and Auf der Maur. The Divided were recently featured on Portland, Oregon-based alternative radio station 94.7 FM, and participated in the highly acclaimed Portland music festival PDX-Pop Now! 2004. They are currently playing live gigs around the Pacific Northwest and working on their eagerly awaited follow-up recording, due out in the spring of 2005.