David Morrison

Plays well with others: Talented duo is bringing music to the people any which way they can
By ADAM LAMAR
Contributing writer

For most Nacogdoches musicians, strapping on the old axe and busting out a few cover tunes at either Bullfrogs of Banita Creek Hall is all that is required for local fame and fortune.

That wasn't enough for a couple of local transplants who decided to follow in the footsteps of Oliver Twist and say, "I want more." For Jeromy Barber and David Morrison, it has gone "All Kinds of Wrong."
(enlarge photo)
Jeromy Barber and David Morrison and a joystick.

This bearded, Bob Dylanesque pair has not only graced almost every stage in Nacogdoches, but they recently dazzled audiences in both New York and Boston.

"We forgot our CD's," Morrison said. "We probably could have sold a dozen, but no, we went to the big city to promote a product that was sitting in my apartment in Nacogdoches. A lot of people asked about the Web site, though, so hopefully some of those will order CDs online."

Other than the non-existent CDs, the shows were a decent success.

"We had small groups of loyal fans in both cities who whooped and hollered and sang along," Morrison said. "It definitely helped to have friends in both places. We were housed and fed and shown around town. The Internet was very good to us. All the people who came to see us, though they mostly were from our extended social circle, knew about us and our music through the Web. I'm more convinced than ever that Web presence is everything these days."

Getting 'touring' gigs is a feat indeed, even for such masters of the malarkey as Barber and Morrison.

"We both had played in New York and had friends there, but since Jeromy had already gone up and played the Knitting Factory before in July, it was easier to get the next gig," Morrison said.

"We tried to book a little tour, Morrison continued. "We wanted to play Ashville, North Carolina and Charlotte, South Carolina, and what we found out was that it's really insanely difficult to book your own tour. Because everybody has a CD and a Web site now, club booking people are so inundated at this point with everybody who wants to play that they just send you automated emails that say, 'We get 100 submissions a day. Please respond in 6-8 weeks.' Fortunately I have friends in Boston, and so having the New York gig enabled us to kind of leverage Boston. I was able to say, 'Hey we're playing at the Knitting Factory because Jeromy knows everybody.' So we're played at a place in little place in Boston called All Asia."

So how exactly did a couple of guys from the oldest (and far from the largest) town in Texas rise to the stardom not only locally but nationally (at least in three states)? First, the pair recorded their own CD in Morrison's apartment, which Barber keeps referring to, as 'Vaginoog Studios: Not Dave's Apartment.' The next step was to begin their assault on the media with some promotional videos.

"One is a silly little movie of us arguing over a songwriting session, and one is the promo for 'All Kinds of Wrong,'" Morrison said. "We brought a lot of friends in and tried to make it a sort of a parody of a marketing video, press kit kind of thing. They're getting pretty good play on youtube.com so we figure that's the way to go."

Morrison and Barber have found that the Web has become one of the local musician's greatest tools.

"Basically what we do is a little weird, and there's not enough people in the greater Nacogdoches /Lufkin metropolitan music market to really springboard us to great fame," Morrison said. "So we decided to make more little movies and put them on the Web site. Eventually we hope to make the Web site interactive, where people can post their responses. We're not there yet, but people will be able to post their own video responses to our video blogs. We're trying to get everyone we know on our links page.

"As for the video blogs themselves, I've done one about missing my ex-roommate's cat. I want to do Dave's record reviews, and eventually turn that into a thing where people can send me their CDs, and I'll review them in a video blog."

The two have also recently wrapped production on their first music video.

"We've been working with David Kimling on shooting a video for 'Probably Ain't Gonna Work Out' at Morning Glory Yoga Studio," Barber said. "We just thought it would be funny to do a video where we're doing the music for a yoga class. So Amy Sanford wrangled some of her students, we shot some stuff and it was fun."

"A lot of what we do is droll humor, and what's funny about the idea is that the song is very cynical and the kind of song you'd sing if you were very drunk and feeling a bit absurd," added Morrison. "It's the worst possible music to do yoga to. We'll put it on youtube.com, it'll get lots of hits, we'll get an agent and then we'll get lots of fans."

In addition to planning their world tour, these traveling troubadours w - The Buzz

"All Kinds of Wrong" is all kinds of right

by Adam Lamar
Entertainment Editor
September 11, 2006

Brilliance comes in many forms. Einstein's theory of relativity, Michelangelo's David, even "Snakes on a Plane," to name a few. This month, however, it comes to us in the form of a bearded duo known as Jeromy Barber and David Morrison.

Although both musicians have played separately everywhere from New York City to the heart of Austin, Texas, they are now assimilated locals and have activated their wonder twin powers to make the most of their time here.

Recorded over the spring of this year in Morrison's own home studio, their Nacogdoches debut, "All Kinds Of Wrong", is chocked full of the mythical stuff that has helped the pair rise to the top of the local acoustic underground. From witty, poignant lyrics to ethereal, fantasy guitar work the two troubadours have put on their big-boy britches and laid it all out on the table.

"Not Get Up"? is a simple two-and-a-half-minute ode to not seeing the benefit of going to class on a given morning. "Today" gives the listener a lackadaisical glimpse into Barber's world of relational wonderment. A real aural treat is found in "Not A Sailor Song". Clever wordplay mixed with the jubilant gypsy sound make this track an A #1 winner. "Probably Ain't Going To Work Out" lends itself to once again show off Barber's humorous slant on relationships. "Gone To The Dogs"? brings us back to Morrison's Tim Burton-esque Western musical style.

I've listened to this record over and over, and I still can't tell you what "Ringlord Debbie" is about, but it's a fun listen none the less. The only cover on the record, "Heavy Industry", is a religo-political commentary penned by fellow artist Alex Storer. My favorite track on the record by far is "The Frog Suit."? It's been adored live for months, but now Morrison's magical lament to Super Mario can be heard by all. The music speaks for itself on the instrumental "My Fondest Regrets." It's For You, Would You Like Me More, and Simply Complicated take us back to less fantastical, but equally interesting world of relational commentary with "Would You Like Me More" being his most upbeat, crowd pleasers on the record.

Morrison has been overheard on many a late night saying that if you want your town to have a cool scene, you really have to make one for yourself. With their new CD, their frequent appearances at Rita's Thursday night extravaganzas and the promotional film they shot along with other local musicians in support of their new record, this scruffy pair of lovable miscreants is well on its way to doing just that.

To purchase the album or to view the film, go to www.myspace.com/davidmorrisonmusic, or www.myspace.com/jeromymusic.

alamar@thepinelog.com

(http://www.thepinelog.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2006/09/11/4504a255b5a28?in_archive=1) - The Pine Log