Brady Bunch (excluding the Johnny Bravo episode), Three Stooges (and the Island of Rum Boogie), Gilligan's Island, The Banana Splits... is this supposed to mean musical influences? Uhhh... Herb Alpert's "Whipped Cream and Other Delights," Queen's "Night At the Opera" (though you'd never know it from the music), Tom Waits' "Closing Time" (when Tom could not only write, but still sing a tune, back in the 70s), Paul Simon's "Still Crazy After All These Years" (or maybe just his appearance on Saturday Night Live in a Chicken Suit)... Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Barbra Streisand, Christopher Cross, Rupert Holmes (yes, the "Pina Colada" song)... hey, where's the edit button?
I guess every morning that we get to open our eyes is an influence. Here are a few others: Jim Wentworth and the Crew. Sunday Brunch (after Saturday Night) at Molly's with ML and the Big O. Tequila and Hot Knives at Hermanos Mexican Restaurant in Concord, NH.
But mostly, my friends, it's guitars and living rooms. Here's to the song... and to all who continue to sing it!
Texas-born, New Hampshire bred. Heartfelt and Freewheeling. Improv comedy meets acoustic soul. “When I was five, my mother turned to me during a bridge game and asked if I’d like to take piano lessons. I was already in a band, with my brother, where we’d fake sing along with Beatles' records, and I wondered why I needed to actually learn to play when faking it was so much fun.” He studied the piano for several years, took up the trumpet in his teens, and settled on the acoustic guitar in his 20s. “Strangely enough, it was the Blues Brothers that really turned me on to the possibilities of performing. I still love a good horn section. From there I discovered blues artists like Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson, Howlin’ Wolf. Once I picked up the acoustic guitar, it led me to entertainers like Taj Mahal, Loudon Wainwright and Mojo Nixon, singer-songwriters whose energy and passion could never be captured on a record. These were live performers.”
As any who have seen Mike Morris perform know, it is his live show that sets him apart from other singer-songwriters. His guitar playing has drawn comparisons to Michael Hedges, the radical innovator whose multiple tunings and funky larger-than-life sound elevated the acoustic guitar to a new level. His singing, called both “powerful” and “intimate,” has been likened to Peter Gabriel and Dave Matthews. Says Morris: “Those are kind words, perhaps too kind. I think my music is the sum of everything and everyone I’ve ever heard. I can only hope I’ve added something of my self into the mix.”
Comparisons aside, perhaps it is his sense of humor and improvisational skills that make Mike Morris a true original. “I’d like every night to be something new. I’d like people to go home feeling better than when they walked in. If we can share a song and a laugh towards that end, I’m a happy man. If I fall on my face in the process, at least we all fall together. I’ve tried everything from children’s theater and dinner shows to rock operas and summer stock. I even played guitar in a penguin’s suit, which is hard with flippers. In the end I always came back to one man, one guitar. It’s all about communicating. About passion. About something we can all share. The white noise of life can be pretty overwhelming sometimes, and I like to think music, especially live music, can transcend our differences and bring us all closer together, if only for one evening, one song, or one moment.”
Great gig at the Driftwood Cafe Mike. Now, I've seen you play a lot, but I've never seen you kick out that level of guitar pyrotechnics before. Sheeeee-oooot!!!
Love you music! We all should remember to "let a little color in..." Whoa, need to be up for work in four hours, time for bed...have a great night/day! You Rock!
Damn, but you kicked butt in Colorado. 3,000 people in the rain groovin' to California...tried to warn ya. Great show Mike. You made a boadload of fans.
MIKE! Congrats on the showcase!!! That's SO FUCKIN AMAZING! Competition to get in that thing is fierce. You should be so proud! Looking forward to seeing you again finally :)
It looks like a second trip to Colorado is the ticket for you! SWEET! Congrats on RMFF Showcase!! I WILL get to see you this time. Cheers and cold beers await.
Looks like you have some fun shows coming up; hope to see you at one or two. I miss the music! (And you too, of couse!)
I wish I could say that George is home, but no, he isn't. He did just move closer to home and is now at Northeast Rehab in Salem, NH. Too much to write here, I'll fill you in when I see you. Hope it's soon.
Hey! Nice to hear some new stuff!! It's GREAT! Hope you are going to save a copy of the new CD for old friends! Hope to see/ hear you soon. Hugs, Laura
