Morex Optimo

Armed with an arsenal of pop hooks and poetic charm, Morex Optimo has been relentlessly interrogating the possibilities of what punk, new wave and anthemic pop can be. Hailing from the NYC art-rock scene, they are best known for their weird and jagged mix of guitars, beats, and soaring vocals harmonies . With a nod to Fugazi, Gang of Four and the glitter of Bowie, Morex Optimo conjures tales of sacred places, reaching for the divine, and tumbling down from outer space.

With two critically acclaimed recordings under their belt, and several tours of Europe, Morex Optimo is embracing the audience it loves best: one that dances with its head and its heart. Morex Optimo's live concerts are impulsive explosions of cerebral and gutsy rock and roll and a refreshingly sincere earnestness.

In just a few years, Morex Optimo have produced an insanely ambitious body of work. 2004's amphetamine-paced Beast of Reflection, produced by Martin Bisi (Brian Eno, Sonic Youth, Dresden Dolls) found Morex Optimo taking indie rock and punk to extremes by searing through the genre's penchant for irony with a direct and impassioned sincerity, and by organically introducing elements of tension and abstraction throughout its 12 highly original tracks.

If Beast of Reflection saw Morex Optimo exploring the possibilities offered by the recording studio, on 3 Songs they took fuller advantage of that environment. With producer Jay Braun (Band of Susans, The Negatones, Kapow, Mooney Suzuki) twirling the knobs, the band moved into an expansive, textured set of songs with a more pronounced melodic orientation.

Morex Optimo is currently writing a new collection of material to be recorded in the fall with producer Mike Skinner at the helm. In the meantime you can catch them on tour in Europe and in the northeast USA.

Pierre de Gaillande [bass, vocals]: is a composer and multi-instrumentalist born in Paris, France who has worked with such memorable arists as Vic Chesnutt, C. Gibbs, The T. Griffin Coraline, and Melomane. He also makes soundtracks for movies.
Jan Haux [drums, vocals]: Originally from Germany, Jan plays pretty much every instrument needed for a rock band. Besides playing drums in Morex Optimo, Jan plays in a bunch of bands with Swiss people in them, including Room, Greatest Hits, and Aroma.
Kerry Kennedy [guitar, vocals]: Kerry Kennedy will start dancing at the drop of a hat, just 'cause she likes to dance. She moved to NYC in 2001 to play in Greg Garing's bluegrass band. She is a founding member of Blue Sparks; has played and or recorded with Cyndi Lauper, Angela McCluskey, Lenny Kaye, and Overlord; and can also be caught on occasion working on a new album that no one is allowed to hear.
Kristofer Widholm (vocals, guitar): Kristofer Widholm has been writing songs since age 6, when he first started walking his dog. His previous musical adventures include being Roger Daltry for Christoph Draeger's The Who? project at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Lyons, multiple acclaimed appearances at The Loser's Lounge, NYC, and his solo recordings and tours under the name Pharmacy and Gardens.