Brian Ward's Page

Profile Information

I am an:: Indie Artist

Artist's or Band's Name: only in the mornings

City & State: Columbus, Ohio

Country: USA

Music Genre(s):: indie/folk, Singer-songwriter, slowcore, dreampop, sadcore

Bio:: Dreamily weaving haunting melodies, only in the mornings builds touching and melancholic songs of an atmospheric, indie/folk manner. Following musical residences in Chicago’s live scene and Eastern Maine, only in the mornings finds himself having returned home: Columbus, Ohio: a scene where he first honed his skills. Upon his first release, Hubert, “This Reality” (UK’s most-listened to indie-music podcast) described, “That kind of breathless audio bubble, the moment of sound that surrounds and comforts and lasts for so very long, was recently created for me by an atmospheric source. Only In The Mornings eased its way in to my ears in a stealthy, breathless style that held me captive and made me want to wrap myself up in its sound.”

Writing and recording for one year in the scenic and removed Eastern Maine, only in the mornings releases his 2nd album: Haunted by the Scent of Unseen Roses. Having traversed several years of both personal and music experiences, this 2nd effort spans existential meanderings; it grows, not louder, but in musical and lyrical maturity. Unraveling the kinship of blessedness and pain, only in the mornings continues to utilize the potency of a sparse and intimate ambiance.

The essence of only in the mornings (and the new album) resides in the floating voice of Brian Ward, with its airy altitude and tenderness. The songwriting dovetails with these lofty and gossamer vocals, as it blends ethereal, fragile landscapes of acoustic and steel, reverb-drenched electrics, and the eerie colors of pianos and strings. As is his trademark, though, only in the mornings abstains from layer upon layer of epic orchestration, instead calling upon the power and frailty of an intimate musical setting. Such a sound surfaces as a touching and melodic experience to the listener.

While the first album, Hubert, was released in 2009, only in the mornings’ origins arise from a life teeming with music and meaningful experiences. Growing up within the dense cornfields and farms of small-town Ohio fueled the imagery and sound of the Midwest Brian aims to convey. Cover bands dotted high school, as songwriting remained in bits and pieces, elusive and mysterious. Remaining in Ohio, Brian relocated some hours away to Columbus and attended Capital University. Offering collaboration with like-minded musicians, the college years expanded into some songwriting, some covers, some gigs, and witnessed Brian gradually but increasingly departing a full band format, opting for more intimate songs, settings, and sounds; this trend would continue. Following the relinquishment of playing covers for anything beyond expanding a live show, he entered the locally-successful duo Angels Look Down, spinning indie/folk tales, with a marked pop flavor and colored by the piano sounds of Doug Smith. Aiming to engage a larger scene, Brian’s relocation to Chicago initiated his first solo endeavor: only in the mornings, which remains his chief musical vehicle. Now having returned home to Columbus – following a one year sabbatical in Eastern Maine to write and record Haunted by the Scent… – songwriting continues passionately and with more ever-increasing purpose. Brian's heart has always been evident through his solo songwriting, and it continues to flourish. Although residing in the city for many years now, the imagery is always to a simple beauty apparent through the quiet of the untouched countryside: A fragile intensity that allows escape.