Thursday, May 05, 2005
(We should note: Kimberly is not a brick-waller except by default; this is a cropped casual photo.)
Just before last year's Athfest, Kimberly Morgan and the Ever-Lovin' Band made their debut at Flicker in front a an appreciative audience. I would guess most everyone left quite impressed. What she and her band play is a type of earnest country that hasn't been seen at a national level since to any great degree at least the 70's. Loretta Lynn comparisons started that very night and haven't stopped since.
A coupla' months ago, the band went into Chase Park Transduction Studios to record their debut. And for no good reason, Kimberly offered to tell us a little bit about the project and her life as of late...
1) First off, as briefly as you can, how'd "The Ever-Lovin' Band" come together?
In summer of 2003, I left San Francisco and traveled home to Kentucky with the plans to do a lot of writing. (There were a growing number of friends in SF with interest in the old-school country thing I was doing, and we planned on recording a collection in the Fall in a home studio in the Haight.) I lived on a boat on Lake Cumberland and played music at "The Harbor Restaurant". (I'd play for tips while folks were having dinner.)
It was a beautiful summer and my surroundings served as a great backdrop for musical inspiration considering the hills of Kentucky were where a lot of the old bluegrass and country genre originated. I met Brad in June of that year and we married just 2 and a half month's later. On our wedding day, I met Wendy and Adam Musick!
Wendy and I became instant great friends. She really supported me in the lonely weeks that Brad and the Truckers were on the road. Subsequently, we would spend evenings at their house, drinking, burning fires in the backyard, playing guitars and singing. Pretty soon we started learning each other's songs and styles and decided that we needed to harness the fun we were having in the back yard and put it on a record! Brad and I had always planned to get these songs recorded, so he was very happy that I found some folks as excited about the music as he was.
Wendy and I started practicing and scheduled a show at The Flicker. Adam, of course, was around for most of our shenanigans, and one day sat in on our practice with a banjo I had stashed in the corner. Next thing you know, he was pulling out the pedal steel and the Ever-Lovin' Band was formed. Chuck came to us after our first show. He lived next door to Adam and Wendy and was around for most of the practices, so it all fell into place. Funny how things come together that way. Quite lucky for me. I feel very blessed to be surrounded by such talented friends! I love them very much!
2) You've recorded an album now - what was the experience like on that? Did you like how it turned out?
We had such a great time in the studio. Actually, we are still working on it. It's a labor of love! We did the basic tracks for 14 songs in the three days we could pin Brad down in the studio. Since then, he has been on the road and Wendy, Adam, Chuck and I have been spending sporadic days at Chase Park working on the details. We still have backing vocals and some fiddle parts to add, but we're mostly done.
3) Too bad you had such a horrible producer. (That's not a question, really, but feel free to expound on it...)
David Barbe IS THE BEST. He totally gets what we're doing. I love when I come into the studio and he says, "So, I was listening to .... this morning and what do you think about this?" Almost ALWAYS, it's a great idea and we've had so much fun tinkering with these songs. They're playful, ya know? Fun to dig around in!
4) What's the plans with the record now?
Well, that's a good question. A really good question....
5) Are y'all gonna play out again anytime soon?
YES! Brad has some time off in the summer and fall, so we are planning some mini-tours during that time. We'll probably focus on the Southeast for now. I'd love to get out to the Northern Pacific Coast too, but that all depends on funding.
6) Are you sick of the Loretta Lynn comparisons yet?
No. I'm flattered. Why would anyone complain about being compared to a Legend. (blushing)
7) What the hell is wrong with Nashville?
Nashville... well, they sure are making a lot of money up there, so I'm not sure anything is "wrong." But maybe, that's just it - money. I AM sure, however, that I haven't liked a lot of the country music that has been popular of late, but someone likes it. They're buying it. Lately, however, there has been an artist push to return to the classics. I like that. I'd like to see more of that.
8) What's your favorite way to waste time at work?
Funny you should ask. I just unofficially "retired" from the Real Estate business. For many reasons, I am leaving the company I helped start a little over a year ago. So actually, I am wasting time today answering these interview questions! HA. Now that music will be my "work" I won't have to invent ways to waste time while doing it!
But.. previously, I listened and worked on building my Yahoo Launchcast radio station. I'm too poor to buy an ipod, so that's the best I can do. ha ha! I also had this thing called a "Splat Tomato" that was a sticky, squishy, water-filled, tomato-like toy. I would throw it at the window, the mirror, the door or whatever, .... watch it squish flat like the tomatoes thrown at Fozzy Bear on The Muppets, then re-take its original shape and drop to the floor. Yep...
9) How would you describe [your bandmate] Adam Musick's accent?
It's Gray-hay-hay-hate, Mayan!
10) What would you like to see happen with you and the band this year?
I just want to get out there and play some shows, man! I miss that. I miss it a lot. That's what it's all about for me.
Thanks, Kimberly! We look forward to y'all playing again as well.
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