NOTE: All photos are copyright of Howard Shiau Photography 2025
After releasing three EP’s over the past eight years, Long Island based pop singer/songwriter Morgan Saint (aka Morgan Gildersleeve) finally released her debut album “Out of the Blue” last month. Having moved back to her hometown in Mattituck, New York after getting her degree at the Parsons School of Design, she lives with her wife, Carley Ridersleeve (also a singer/songwriter), and found the town where she grew up to be the perfect setting for her to. write, play, record, and produce the whole debut album.
As with her previous EPs, the lyrics are very personal and, while you can say that with much of indie pop these days, her music just seems to hit me in the right spot. A big difference though between this album and her previous music is that it no longer sounds like she’s trying to be Billie Eilish. The accent sounds different and some of the musical flourishes that you can associate with an Ailish song are gone. This is for the good. And I’m not sure if it’s her expressive vocals or the subject matter (which can be interpreted in many ways) but it’s a wonderful album. She celebrated the release of the album by playing a one-off show at the Moroccan Lounge in Los Angeles and we were there to take it all in.
I hadn’t heard. of either of the first two openers so I was surprised when Chloe Chaidez, whom I’d previously seen with her band Kitten in NYC, walked onto the stage. Turns out she’s playing drums for local artist Vania. It was quite an interesting performance with a guy on his hands and knees creating a makeshift table for the mixer while dance tracks played in the background. Chaidez’s drums were the only “live” part of the set but both they and the crowd had a lot of fun.
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Next up was pop/dance act Stupid Hobby. I couldn’t find much information online except for one site that refers to Stupid Hobby as they/them, their name is Maria, and they released an EP “This isn’t About You” in 2023 and two additional singles in 2024. Their vibe was playful but I believe they lip-synced the show, which always takes something away for me, especially in such an intimate setting.
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Morgan Saint hit the stage wearing an oversized Los Angeles jersey (although not for any team that I recognize). She kicked off her set with the title track from her latest record “Out of the Blue”. She then performed “Just Friends” from her 2017 debut EP “17 Hero”! The packed smoky venue was the perfect backdrop for her music and the crowd bounced and sang along to many songs, even though the album was released just last month. All in all, her set comprised of most of the songs from her recent record, three from her debut EP, and one from her 2018 album “ALIEN”. Only downside again was her singing to a track which you could easily tell when she pointed the microphone towards the crowd. But that is pop music these days but it’s still nice to KNOW that you’re hearing a live vocal. That being said, I do know what I like and that would be her album. I look forward to a full tour to support the record so perhaps I’ll catch her again on another night.
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