Quick Q and A with Mike Morris
 by Kathy S-B  ·  16 December 2009

Mike Morris is one of the most unique musicians we've had the joy of experiencing lately. We got to see Mike perform at a recent BACHA (Boston Area Coffeehouse Association) showcase and were astounded by his high energy, great warmth and incredible talent. Cruise on over to Mike’s website and listen to some of his tunes! And, while you're at it, here's a video of Mike singing the song that won him the Rose Garden Coffeehouse Song Writing contest in 2007.

Your style has been called “progressive.” What’s your definition of that?

I’d say my style is progressive, but firmly rooted in tradition. It’s not much more than three chord blues, with a twist. Maybe a half nelson. The term “progressive” is probably as generic and as overused as “Americana.” In my little mind, I think of progressive as thinking outside the proverbial box. For me, that means dabbling in alternate tunings, banging on the guitar to get that percussive thing going, and keeping the energy flowing. Always looking forward, because even though the past informs the present . . . it’s gone.

What other artists would you say are made of the same cloth, so to speak? (Not that you can be compared to anyone!)

I love comparisons. I’m a sucker for solo performers with guitars. I think Mike Doughty is brilliant. I like Willy Porter, Peter Mulvey, Patti Larkin, Nanci Griffith, Amos Lee. I’m a fan of Dave Matthews, and always will be. One of my all-time favorites is Tom Waits, though he’s got more cool in one finger than I’ve got in my entire body. His “Closing Time” record is shockingly good. And the best live performance I’ve seen in the last couple of years was The Swell Season, with The Frames as a backing band. I think Glenn Hansard has got it all. I don’t know if I share anything with these folks, other than the demented desire to do this thing we do, solo, in front of an audience. In our desperate desire to be accepted. Or maybe just to liven up a room. If I could sing like Martin Sexton, play guitar like Willy Porter and write groovy songs like Mike Doughty. . . I’d still be me.

You use the guitar as a true percussion instrument. Did that style come naturally to you or did you “study” others’ styles?

Banging on the guitar came pretty naturally to me. The guitar was a percussion instrument before it became a solo instrument. I learned pretty late in life, in my twenties, so I would just sort of bang on the box as I was learning the chords, smoking and drinking and having a ball. I still bang on the box, but I’ve left the smoke and drink behind. When I heard Michael Hedges, though, everything changed. That guy blew away everyone’s idea of what an acoustic guitar could do. Once I heard that . . . well, it wasn’t so much “studying” a style as listening. And picking my jaw up off the floor.

You’re known for composing songs on the spot — with only audience member’s ideas as the germ. How did you happen to start trying this out on stage? It seems a bit risky!

One of my “mottos to live by” is: when in doubt, make it up. I’m not sure where that came from, but it’s pretty close to that other great rallying call: fake it ‘til you make it. When I was first learning to play guitar, I got together with a group of guys pretty regularly, and we would make up songs all night long. It was nonsense, and utterly brilliant fun. We recorded it onto cassette tape with a cheap microphone through my buddy, Jim’s, stereo. I still remember my first song, called “The Watch on the Wall.” Jim lived in a second floor apartment, across from the NH State Prison, and instead of a clock, he had this tiny watch hanging on the wall. One night he started banging on his guitar, and asked if anyone felt like singing . . . we didn’t know many songs in common, so we just made them up. It just sort of morphed over the years. Anything I can do to get folks involved, I do. It’s like controlled heckling. I take a few suggestions from the audience, try to get a groove going, and see where it goes. I guess it’s a little risky, like a rope walker with no net, without the broken bones when I fall. Sometimes it crashes and burns. I’m sure there are other folks doing it, but the only other guy I’ve seen make up songs that way is Willy Porter. He’s a master of the made-up-masterpiece.

One of your press quotes says that you’re a cross between Michael Hedges and Peter Gabriel. What was your reaction to that? Did it make your head spin? That’s some comparison!

I think Bruce Bressack wrote that. I’m grateful for any comparison, and that was a kind one. Perhaps too kind. My voice has been compared to Peter Gabriel a few times, but I don’t really sing that way any more. And when I started messing with tunings, and beating my guitar up, the name Michael Hedges started to get tossed around. I tried to learn a few of Michael Hedges’ tunes, but they were too much for me. I’ve had other interesting comparisons . . . Paul Simon, Dave Matthews and Jason Mraz. All I can say is . . . hmmm. And thank you. I think what I do on stage is a big, funky stew of everything I’ve seen, heard and experienced. After that, I just do my best to get out of the way and let it happen.

Tell us about your latest “adventures in yoga.”

I just became a certified Bikram Yoga Teacher. I’ve started teaching full-time in New Hampshire, after a pretty intense nine-week training program. Kind of like basic training meets yoga camp. Bikram Yoga has been a growing part of my life for the past 15 months or so, and it seemed like the right time to take the next step. I’ve been playing music in bars for the past eight years, and haven’t really been able to leave the bar gigs behind. It’s been a fun ride, but the thrill has sort of worn off. I’m hoping that teaching Bikram Yoga will bring a little balance back to the musical life. It’s all about communicating, in the end. Music teaches us to communicate with sound, through space. Yoga teaches us to communicate with our bodies, through the mind. I don’t think the two are that far apart, really. And if anyone comes to a show and wants to hear me rap out one of the 26 postures or 2 breathing exercises, just shout it out. I doubt I’ll wear the little yoga shorts on stage, though.