Live and sweaty at The Halfmoon Putney, London on 2/08/2009.

Video courtesy of khousemedia.com

By means of an update the trip contained:
- Catching up with great friends.
- A few gigs with the greatest band a man could dream for. Great players even better people. Big love to Dan, Matt, Willie, Nicki and Ed.
- Hanging at my old local, Cafe Fredo.
- Swine flu taking down the drummer/manager/force of nature and his family. So nasty.
- Working on my whiskey appreciation.
- Telling the crowd at New Wine B that it would be a shame if some of them would drown in their tents.
- Regretting that last comment a little. Only a little though.
- Some new work done by Valerie Vargas.
- Playing more electric guitar on the gigs. Strat into a Blues Junior turned up very loud. Simple joys.
- Plenty of time and space to think and get some clarity on life and the universe and all that.
- Average flights with Thai Airways.
- Visiting Denmark Street but not buying anything. Good effort.
- Great late night chats with Mr Weeks. Although he called me a lightweight when I went to bed before The Commitments finished.
- Meeting all the new Weeks babies, Mr Amos and Miss Della. So Beautiful.
- My old friend Ben coming to The Halfmoon Putney gig with his little lady and a great camera setup. We should have footage up here shortly.
- Getting home and being so thankful to be back with my girls.

It really was a great little trip. Had a blast. Maybe again next year?

Music video for Other Side from the album I Think We Both Know (Listen / Download). Filmed on the Tube out to Richmond Park at sparrow’s fart (thats why I look demented), and at the recording of the album at Rush House, Northamptonshire.

Video edited by my buddy Ben at K House Media.

“A musical Wizard from Aus releases a stunning debut album

The current economic crisis that is blighting the music industry means that artists like Kris Morris and albums like I Think We Both Know are now pre-destined to relative failure. Without Kris getting the backing of a decent record label you will probably never get to hear this stunning album and that’s a damn shame.  I Think We Both Know opens with the sublime So Beautiful; a song that Radio 2 would have played to death 12 months ago and still should. Title song is a plaintive cry from one lover to another at the jagged edge of a doomed relationship. Kris Morris uses his edgy voice to great effect on this and It’s OK, with both songs crackling with suppressed anger and infatuation.

Kris Morris has honed his talent and paid the proverbial dues over the years by moving from his native Australia to London and playing every pub and club South of Birmingham. The album ends with another two marvelous heartbreakers – I Still Believe and Closer To You, but thankfully by now Kris has re-discovered love and tells his new lover that he wants to ‘risk getting hurt/ replace tension with tenderness/replace anger with gentleness.’ James Blunt, Ray Lamontagne and Ryan Adams must all wish that they could have written songs as great as these.

My only regret with  I Think We Both Know is that it is only available as a download. Gone are the days when a release like this would be trumpeted from the rooftops with full colour advertising; a gatefold sleeve, 32 date UK tour and Kris appearing on every TV programme from Later with Jools Holland to Loose Women. On the upside, not only is it relatively cheap to download the tracks from his website and iTunes; but you can also get a FREE album of demos too. How can you resist?”
****
Maverick Magazine

Hi Nicki, how are you?
I’m fine thanks!

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, until I was 13. I moved to
Northampton after that and stayed there until my 20’s.

Where do you live know?
In London. Brentford…apparently famous for Brentford Nylons? Tights? I don’t own any!

What have you been up to musically?
I have just started recording my third album! I’m working with two great producers in Glasgow. Hoping it will be ready early summer! Woo hoooo!

If someone doesn’t know your stuff where should they start?
er…you can get it on iTunes…Colour Scheme and Feeder Lane are the first two albums. You can hear my stuff on my website and myspace too!

Who inspires you?
Hmmm. Many people! A lady called Shawn Colvin is my inspiration musically. She’s amazing and when I met her I told her I loved her ‘in a psycho way!’ How embarrassing!

Favourite album?
A Few Small Repairs (Shawn Colvin)

Favourite movie?
The Goonies

Your best party trick?
Er…I usually wet myself when I laugh! Is that a party trick?

You contributed some stunning vocals on Kris’s album. How did you get involved with the project?
I met Kris at New Wine festival last year and really liked his music! And he’s a top bloke hey! [km: awww shucks] So when he asked if I’d do some singing for him I was really pleased. Also he was working with Matt Weeks so I new it was going to be a good thing!

What were your impressions when you got to the session and heard the songs for the first time?
I loved them! I was actually really surprised at the style of the songs and the production. I totally love that raw, earthy Damien Rice
thing that Kris’s stuff has got going on! Don’t know what I thought it would be like…but it was really my kind of stuff.

What are your plans for the year?
I’m concentrating on getting this album finished and out to folk! It’s been 5 years coming so is well over due. Then I’m planning lots of gigging over the summer, and have a massive tour with the wonderful J John in September and October. I’m so excited as we’ll be visiting venues all over the UK.  Can I also say that I want a dog this year, but don’t think I’ll get one…but if anyone has a dog that I can borrow I’d be grateful! Thanks!

You can hear Nicki’s fantastic voice on my album I Think We Both Know.

Lasse, how are you?
Great thanks, got off a gig late last night into early morning rehearsals, but I’m feeling great!

Where did you grow up?
In a small town called Kerava, about 30 km from the capital of Finland Helsinki. Nice neighbourhood to spend your childhood in. Everything is close and you can get around easily with a bike.

Where do you live now?
In Helsinki. Nice neighbourhood to be a musician. Everything is close and you can get around with a car.

What have you been up to musically?
I’ve been preparing music for my own instrumental album, and for my bands album. Also gigs around town live and and in studio.

You contributed some stunning lapsteel parts on Kris’s album. I understand you got involved at the last minute. How did you get involved with the project?
Dan called me up and asked to stop by at the studio. I heard the tracks that were done at the hunting lodge and I was very inspired.

What were your impressions of Kris’ music when you heard the songs for the first time?
Great singer, great lyrics, great vibe.

Can you tell us a little more about the lapsteel you used on the album?
It’s a Soundtrade lap steel, handmade by a luthier called Petri Kallio.  It has a one piece mahogany body and a solid tailpiece. It has a P-90 pickup in  the bridge.

What tuning do you use on the lapsteel? And did you use any effects?
I use several tunings, but on this record it was mostly B-D-E-G-B-D from bottom to top. I think I had a volume pedal and a boss digital delay into a vox ac-30.

Can you tell us a little more about your gear? What guitars, amps, effects help you make the sounds you need to create for all your projects?
I use several guitars – Teles, Strats, Les Pauls, Firebirds into different amps. Lately I’ve been recording a lot through a Mesa Boogie Roadster combo. I think the most important tools for a guitarist pedal wise are different overdrive  and fuzzboxes. I just found a nice Marshall Shredmaster which seems to work for a lot of stuff. A good pedal. Also you need different reverbs and delays.

What’s the dream guitar thats not yet in your collection?
I’d say that right now I´m looking for a 60´s semi-hollowbody Gretsch.

Who inspires you?
Anyone who makes great music or art in general. Guitar players that come to mind could be Daniel Lanois, Jimi Hendrix, Pat Metheny, Brent Mason, Randy Rhoads, Ali Farka Toure, Bob Marley and Bill Frisell.

Favourite album?
Miles: Kind of Blue, Lanois: Belladonna, Coltrane: Crescent, Ozzy: Tribute to Randy, Hendrix: Are you Experienced, Beck: Sea Changes, Dulce Ponte: O primeiro Canto and tons more.

Favourite movie?
The last Woody Allen movies Matchpoint and Cassandra’s dream. Still haven’t seen the Vicky etc

Your best party trick?
Good drinks to everyone.

What are your plans for the year? Where can we see you in action?
You’re welcome to see me in clubs around Helsinki or on some Jazz festivals in Europe with Oddarrang.

If someone doesn’t know your stuff where should they start?
You can start with some Myspace sites of my bands and go on with these links to Dailymotion and Youtube:
www.myspace.com/thebmmusic
www.myspace.com/oddarrang
www.myspace.com/pentagontheband

This is me playing some acoustic. You´ll know the song.

And this is me with my more art-like ensemble Oddarrang. Take a deep breath and have a look.

Your long awaited debut album is due to hit the shelves in April. Tell us more about it?
Recording the album was a really special process. My label at quite short notice decided that we needed to do the album and so it was quite a rush to finish up the songs and find a place to record.

We wanted to steer clear of a big studio to save money and just have a space we could let it all hang out a little. Low pressure – high inspiration. They mentioned a place they used to stay as kids – an old Victorian hunting lodge in Northamptonshire.

I made a call to the owner and told her that I’d look to book the place for a week to do some writing. It was kind of true – but the mental image she may have had of us sitting around with acoustic guitars was a bit pared back from the reality.

We drove up with three cars jammed packed full of recording gear and instruments.

The place was beautiful – in the middle of nowhere, secluded, old, cool, chilled. We scoped it out – there were about ten rooms so we figured out where we should setup the main studio hub and then we setup the drum kit in the stairwell, and guitars, bass, organ and so on in different rooms.

It enabled us all to have a little space to make noise but also to play off each other. Each day we’d wake up really early, have a coffee and then start talking about the songs we’d work on that day.

It was an amazing week – we really captured the heart and soul of the songs. It was pretty exhausting and I sang myself to a standstill relying on the numbing powers of fiery ginger beer to keep my voice going through the week. We got all ten tracks down and only had some extra “icing on the cake” stuff to overdub when we got home.

It came together beautifully – it sounds amazing, at times tender and at other times quite huge, and the songs really tell a story about the journey I’ve been on for the past few years. I’ve invested a lot of heart in it – as have so many people that have made their own heartfelt contributions to it.

Do you have a favourite track on the album?
I really like The Sun – it’s a bit of a departure from the more acoustic stuff I’ve done in the past. I also drifted away from doing a narrative style song – it’s a very simple, repetitive lyric and the emotion is carried by the instrumentation and arrangement. It’s a real “put your headphones on and soak it up” type song.

How do you go about writing your lyrics?
I generally get an angle on a song– a turn of phrase or a chord change I think has something in it. Once I think I have something good on the go I stick with it and try and roll with the inspiration.
I’m not one for jotting notes down and coming back to it. I’m too impatient. I don’t write all the time – I generally have patches where I am really productive and get a lot of material together.

Who are the bands/people that inspire you?
Anyone that plays from the heart and delivers their music with passion. I love Bob Dylan, Lucinda Williams, Ray Lamontagne – people that are serious about the crafting of their songs but then get up and sing them like they still mean it.

Where is your favourite place to perform in London?
The Bedford in Balham. Lovely atmosphere, an appreciative crowd, friendly staff. A real treat.

Do you find the London music scene is hotter than the Aussie scene?
I’m not really sure as I’ve really only performed in London. I’ve lived in London for a long time and it was here that I really found my feet (or voice) musically. I’ve seen some knockout performers playing around London at random little open mics. There’s an amazing wealth of talent here. But then I think the Australian roots scene is probably the most exciting in the world – there’s some fantastic artists emerging. The best part of the London scene for me has been that I’m a long way from home and I’ve had a chance to really figure myself out. I’ve been able to bust out of my shell and rediscover what I’m about.

Who is your champ of the year?
Bon Iver. His album For Emma, Forever Ago was superb.

Chump of the year?
Bankers.

So what are your goals for the future?
Keep making music and enjoying life with my little family. I’d like the album to find its way into the iPods and hearts of people that will appreciate it – and to get out and play some great shows. I am less about world domination and more about the slow burn of doing stuff I love and seeing where it heads.

Readers will be surprised to learn that…
The only main meal I eat each day is dinner and I like sleeping in my jeans
Nothing tastes better than…Kraft Peanut Butter (Smooth)
I wasn’t a particularly good…Rugby League player – actually I wasn’t one at all.
People ask me what it is like to…Live the dream
My worst habit is…Being a smart arse to folks at my shows. I can’t help myself.

“How can I help?” I hear you ask? Tweet and ask people to retweet. Facebook your fingers off. Casually tell people how your life has been changed by the album while you’re waiting for the bus. Let people know that its free right now and they’d be dang stupid if they don’t get their greasy mitts on it. If you really feel like it you could  donate what you would usually spend on an album. Write comments here on my site letting the world know what you think about it. Go to the digital music store sites, find the album and be the first to write a review on the album. If you love it please share it.

* Your email address is safe with me. You’ll only hear from me with spectacular earth shattering news and I’ll never share your information with anyone. My Data Protection Officer, Billy the Cat, is a tyrant when it comes to this stuff.

Listen to I Think We Both Know:

Oblivious – Listening and Electric Guitaring
You can see Willie here listening to me putting down some electric guitar licks (deluxe edition) from down in the electric guitar den of broken chops.

Listen to Oblivious: