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A
REIO HARTLEY
heading South and relocating from Connecticut a few
years back. Ken Will Morton has established himself as
one of the more distinctive singer-songwriter voices that Athens
has to offer.
Morton started out fronting the punk/ pop band Wondertust,
eventually moving on to a more rootsy project called The
Indicators, which landed him the lead guitar spot for former
Guadalcanal Diary frontman Murray Attaway. Though his stint in
Attaway's band Che Redeemers was brief, it provided Morton with
enough experience and road case-dragging know-how to go it
alone.
Morton's first venture, In Rock n' Roll’sHands. was basic
singer-songwriter territory, with Morton holding most of the reins
himself. Featuring an eclectic array of musicians, including Athens
pedal steeler John Neff and drummer Brann Dailor of Atlanta metal
heavyweight act Mastodon, King of Coming Around, released this
week on Fundamental Records, marks a step up for Morton as it
encapsulates the bluesy, comfortable version of rock and roll that
he's wanted to craft all along.
Flagpole recently caught up with Morton to discuss the new
album and his band The Wholly Ghosts.
Flagpole: It seems as though you've gone from playing n com
pletely different type of music than when you first started out with
Wondertust. Is that a fair assumption?
Ken Will Morton: No, not really. It's actually been just me
with different players. Back in Wonderlust, I was playing with
some punk rocker guys that wanted to do harder stuff, but I still
do some songs in my acoustic set from those days. Nobody really
notices the difference. It's like doing a Hank Williams song with
a folk band or a punk band, the song still pays its way. I guess,
previously. I've played with guys that played a little more aggres
sively, but it didn't really affect my songwriting that much.
FP: It's weird, but it looks like one of the best ways for singer-
songwriters to set themselves apart these days is to have a highly
competent band behind them.
KWM: Right, right. I pride myself on my guitar playing, too. I
like to stretch out on the guitar, playing solos and stuff. I was a
guitar player before I started becoming interested in songwriting,
so I guess, right now as singer and lead guitarist for the Wholly
Ghosts, it's like coming full circle for me as a musician.
FP: Did you take anything away from your stint as Hurray
Attaway's guitarist that can be applied to your current gig?
KWM: Yeah. I was playing with a band called the Indicators at
the time, so we just took some of those members and played with
Murray. He was real straightforward. If he didn't like what you were
doing, then you definitely heard about it. Shit, though, he worked
for Jackson Browne, so he was a real pro by then. At first I was
like, “Fuck this guy, he's a has-been," but I listened to him and
ended up learning a lot in the process, so I'm really thankful for
that experience. Priceless.
FP: Did you find it easier to go in and make the second record
under your own name?
KWM: Well, I'm proud of the songs that ended up on In Rock
n' Roll's Hands, but it was done under a much more labored and
drawn-out process. King of Coming Around was, too, a little bit,
but I had more artistic say this go-round. The first record, I was
kind of a guinea pig for the guy who had the studio, doing it for
free. So I couldn't get too uppity there or he'd have said, “Get the
hell out!"
We're already recording some new stuff in my basement at the
house, and it's actually turning out better than anything I've ever
done. We're not on the clock this time, which is a major comfort.
FP: Tell me a little bit about who the Wholly Ghosts are.
KWM: Well, Brandon Hicks is our drummer and he's an Athens
native. That's weird, since I'm from New England and both the guys
in the band are born-and-bred Athens townies. So I'm pretty proud
of my two-thirds townie band. Our bassist is Jason Bradberry, who
really fills out the sound. We're playing the CD release show with
one of my favorite bands. Five Eight. They're a trio, too. and so
inspiring. When you see them play, it's like they're gonna die the
next day, they're hitting it so hard.
FP: So tell me how the drummer from Mastodon ended up on an
Athens singer-songwriter record.
KWM: We went to Rob Gal's Snack-n-Shack studio, which is now
defunct, and I didn't have a drummer. Rob assured me that he had
a guy that would do the session, so it ended up being the drum
mer from Mastodon, (which] is now an internationally successful
metal act. He walks in, 6'4“, covered in tattoos, and plays my little
sensitive singer-songwriter tunes. He did a great job.
It's just kind of funny. I've seen people with Mastodon shirts
on at my shows, so HI be like, "Hey, you like Mastodon? Their
drummer's on my record." So they'll reply, "Then it must be really
rockin!” and I have to say, "Nope, sorry. Not really."
Michael Andrews’
\
WHO: Ken Will Morton & the Wholly Ghosts. Five Eight
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