Ditch your upcoming New Year’s resolutions for the only one that matters this season — supporting Salt Lake City’s local music scene. Come check out the Kilby Court stage on Wednesday, January 15 for a night of genre-melding performances featuring guitars, cellos and harmonicas from co-headliners John Elwood Morgan and Fur Foxen, along with opener The Snarlin’ Yarns. SLUG Magazine’s Localized showcase is sponsored by Riso-Geist. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. and music starts at 8:00. Get tickets here.
At first glance, John Elwood Morgan appears particularly familiar with the undercurrents of folk. With his denim-clad poise, harmonica holder attached to his button-up, large acoustic guitar case and appreciation of the American Southwest and Utah’s landscapes, Morgan is an homage to the greater blend of the Americana, blues and country genres.
Morgan credits the experience of creating New Skies as his biggest musical success to date. Photo: Emily Sorensen
Raised on the sounds of Rush and musical theater, Morgan cites music as a cornerstone of his family’s heritage. Having been taught the harmonica by his granddad and picking up the guitar at age 12, Morgan soon moved into writing moody, teenage sap songs by 14. Morgan wasn’t introduced to folk sounds until he received his first CD — a live John Denver concert. Morgan also credits older artists such as Cat Stevens and James Taylor as inspiration. However, he says, “I find more recently that what inspires me most are the smaller artists who are doing things similar to what I’m trying to do.”
Morgan takes the most inspiration from smaller artists in his same genre. Photo: Emily Sorensen.
“Everywhere you move, there’s a new story to tell, right?”
One specific artist, Caleb Christopher Edwards, helped Morgan create his EP New Skies — released at the end of November. Morgan connected with Edwards through social media, and Edwards eventually contributed to the EP as a producer, singer and mandolin player. “I just said, ‘Hey, how would you feel about recording some mandolin for me on a song?’ Which ended up being the single that I just put out called ‘Linger,’” says Morgan.
Morgan flew to Nashville in June where he met Edwards and other musicians to record New Skies in a single day. “The bones of the songs we recorded were totally live. I owe a lot of that EP to the folks that played on it,” he says. Morgan notes that preserving the authentic sound is essential. He recalls hearing specific lyrics or unintentional pauses that call back to memories of recording. “I really love that organic feel of just sitting right here and playing a song together, you know? That’s kind of the sound I feel like represents myself most … a really organic live sound,” he says.
Morgan considers moving with his family from Utah to South Carolina (then later back to Logan, UT) as a central experience that helped cement his sound. He says, “A lot of the songs on the EP, they kind of explore different aspects of what makes the word ‘home’ meaningful to people. Everywhere you move, there’s a new story to tell, right?”
Specifically, he recalls beginning to write the chords for the song “New Sky” during his last night in Logan and continuing the track on the road, ending with a final product in South Carolina. “It’s one of the more meaningful songs for me because it’s about change and how it’s not always comfortable and not always very fun, but it’s almost always what’s best for us,” he says. Morgan explores other themes of planting roots, not feeling like you belong and being present for fleeting moments in the other tracks.
“If you had to define what folk music is, it’s telling stories in musical form.”
Morgan credits the experience of creating New Skies as his biggest musical success to date. From making a friend in Edwards to supporting other musicians to releasing his music on streaming, he says, “Being able to hear my songs in a way that’s like, it’s still me, it’s still what you would hear if I were to play the songs for you right now, but the collaboration with other people really brought out a different character in the songs.”
Though New Skies is brief, each of the four songs are a testament to storytelling. Listening to Morgan ardently explain the specific locations, memories and sentiments tied to the sounds punctuates the central intent of folk. He says, “If you had to define what folk music is, it’s telling stories in musical form. They’re kind of small stories, right? But the hope is that they’ll resonate with people; that people will be able to hear my stories and hear their own story echoed in it as well.” Check out Morgan’s Instagram @johnelwoodmorgan for new releases and updates.
