Mourning After returns at First Night

With breaking in a new drummer and carving fresh songs, the fellas in Spokane rock band Mourning After weren’t expecting to book another gig until February.

“We have been writing a lot of new material since (new drummer Aaron Mitson) joined in September and we wanted to wait until we’re playing well enough to come out and say ‘We’re back’,” said Mourning After guitarist Drew Baker.

The transition went smoother than Baker hoped as Mourning After returns tonight for its first high-profile show with Mitson at First Night Spokane.

Mourning After – Baker, Mitson, singer/guitarist Ben Ham and bassist Bill Powers – headlines the Eleventh Hour concert starting at 7 p.m. at the Spokane Transit Authority Plaza Parking Garage (street level entrance on Wall St.). Also on the bill are local rock favorites Level 8, Mylestone, Uduhn, Footshod, Melefluent, and 10 Minutes Down.

Since Mitson entered Mourning After the familiar upbeat rock has taken to boiling metal overtones doused with sing-along choruses.

“We all grew up on hard music and we want to write songs that have a little more guitar but can still appeal to anyone; where the choruses get stuck in your head,” Baker said.

Also, the songwriting is bolder since Ham reclaimed co-guitar duties in the interim.

“Having two guitars allows us to do so much more,” Baker said. “Before I had to do the writing keeping in mind that I had to play this stuff live so I couldn’t get too crazy. Now we can loosen up a bit.”

Baker said MA is making a push to build a following in the local bar scene while maintaining its already strong all-ages presence.

Mourning After has been a fixture in the all-ages alley since releasing it’s first album, 2001’s “Six Weeks Away.” The only remaining members from that lineup are Baker and Ham.

The roster mutated and stabilized through the unreleased “The Wake Up EP” demo (see the video single for “Six Weeks Away” at www.mourningmusic.com), and this year’s full-length “Waiting For Our Lives To End.”

“We were weeding out members that couldn’t cut it early on so we won’t have to do it later down the road,” Baker said