OurStage

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Article - Jan. 8, 2008 Four to the fore Area bands look to build on their success in '08 and maybe get a shot at the big time By PRESTON JONES Star-Telegram Staff Writer Telegraph Canyon HAL SAMPLES Telegraph Canyon Maren Morris With a shiny new set of months at their disposal, lots of area musicians are gearing up for what might be a productive new year. Whether it's continuing momentum generated in 2007 or implementing plans concocted over a couple of years, North Texas artists are primed and ready to make an impact. These four acts cover a range of genres -- from folksy country to cerebral rock -- and if you ask around, all of them have an excellent feeling about 2008. Maren Morris Who: The 17-year-old singer/songwriter released her sophomore effort, All That It Takes, in late 2007, leaving her free to spend this year touring in support of the new tunes. Arlington native Morris is not only preparing to hit the road and bring her earnest, wise-beyond-her-years music to the masses, but also to graduate high school (she's currently home-schooled) and, as she says, "enter the world as an adult." Upcoming: Morris and her band are slated to spend a chunk of time in Austin, performing at South by Southwest showcases this March, but will need passports this summer -- the group members are packing their bags for St Agreve, France, where Morris says they're booked to perform at the annual Equiblues Festival in August. In her words: The response, thus far, to All That It Takes has been "good," Morris says. "We're all very proud of it. It's very personal for me and I think a lot of people are gonna like this album because it has so many different genres on it." While she's focused on getting the word out about her latest long-player, Morris admits that she's already tinkering with ideas for the next record. "We're still caught up in promoting it and getting it to people, but I'm definitely writing new material for the next album -- it never stops, I don't think you ever get a break," Morris says. "It's just coming naturally."Morris and her band will perform live at Fort Worth's the Moon on Jan. 18. Web site: www.marenmorris.com Preston Jones is the Star-Telegram pop music critic, 817-390-7713 pjones@star-telegram.com

Genre-blending singer-songwriter Maren Morris readies for the release of her sophomore album, All That It Takes. By JIMMY FOWLER files\2007-09-12\music.jpg Comfortably middle-of-the-road: singer-songwriter Maren Morris What do you do when you’re a 17-year-old young woman, you haven’t graduated high school yet, and your talent is compared to that of Norah Jones and Lee Ann Rimes? According to Maren Morris, the singer-songwriter with abilities beyond her years, you deliberately put those comparisons out of your mind. “There’s nothing more I can do than I’m already doing,” said Morris, who’s been performing in clubs, festivals, and contests in the North Texas area and beyond since she was 10. Jones and Rimes are “amazing,” she said. “But I’m not them. I can’t let myself feel the pressure to become [like them].” A smart decision but one that’s easier to declare than to live out, especially since so many adults, including her father and business manager Scott Morris, are betting that young Maren will follow in the footsteps of other youthful, attractive, and inordinately talented female musicians from this part of the world. The plan: Get lots of local and regional exposure, bag a major label deal, and then bypass the moronic American Idol meat-grinder to establish an enduring reputation among music-buyers and concertgoers. A native of Grand Prairie who recently pulled out of Arlington’s Bowie High School to earn her degree via a state home-schooling program, Morris is well aware that she’s being watched. But she’s not skerred. Her soft, high voice surprises the listener with its rhythmic sophistication, its ability to bend and break notes, and its sheer adaptability to country, roots-rock, and blues stylings. On her new album, All That It Takes, due out this week, she transcends the fancy-formal countrypolitan sound of her 2006 debut Walk On to touch on many genres while remaining firmly in the middle of the country-rock road. She sounds simultaneously confident and stranded, in a weird, commercially conscious limbo. When she speaks, Morris, not surprisingly, sounds as if she’s still trying to wrap her head around the possibilities before her. “My heart will always be in country music,” she said. “I love musicians like Patti Griffin who’re great singers and great songwriters. To me, songwriting is the ultimate art form, even more than singing. But if you can do both, that’s a real artist: expressing your own words in your own voice.” Morris may hold singer-songwriters in high esteem, but she also appreciates artists who aren’t afraid to sing other people’s stuff, like Bonnie Raitt and that iconic, blues-fired volcano from Port Arthur, Janis Joplin. In fact, every time Morris writes a new tune, she hands it to her lead guitarist and co-producer Taylor Tatsch for inspection and advice. In her live sets, she also often includes a smoky version of Albert King’s “Stormy Monday.” So does Morris ever want to cut loose from her studio work’s gentle, folksy-funky rhythms and blast out an album’s worth of pure Texas blues? “I’ve never thought about doing a [pure] blues album, but that’s interesting,” she said. “Part of me is afraid, I guess. I mean, you can’t just walk through [a musical genre like] the blues. You have to live it. I am only 17 years old,” she said, with a chuckle. Still, Morris is a veteran, of the studio, the club scene, and even the road. Last summer she played several events in and around London, all paid for by the publisher of Britain’s Americana-lovin’ rag Maverick. Her trip also included being interviewed on BBC Radio. She is currently in the middle of a radio-promo tour across Texas and Oklahoma in support of All That It Takes, chatting and performing a song or two live with her acoustic guitar in broadcast studios. The new album has been picked up for international distribution by Fort Worth’s Smith Music Group, a label based in the Stockyards that specializes in so-called “Red Dirt” artists like Stony LaRue and Cross Canadian Ragweed. “I was surprised [about the Smith Music deal], because I’m not really part of the ‘Red Dirt’ scene,” she said. “But I have grown up around that music. When I’m writing a song, I don’t think, ‘Is this country or blues or rock?’ I just write it, and then I sing it the way I think it’s supposed to sound.”

Fort Worth Star-Telegram Write-Up Category: News and Politics At 17, this singer has what it takes By Preston Jones Star-Telegram Staff Writer Singer/songwriter Maren Morris is a great big star -- the world just doesn't know it yet. The 17-year-old Arlington resident's second record, All That It Takes, hitting stores Oct. 23, is unnerving in its maturity and captivating in its range -- an exceptional showcase for an evocative-beyond-its-years voice. Jazz, pop, country and even a bit of gospel fervor filter through these 13 tracks, produced by Morris and her lead guitarist, Taylor Tatsch. It's one of the best local albums I've heard this year. Catch Morris, along with her four-piece band, opening for Mingo Fishtrap at McDavid Studio (301 E. Fifth St., Fort Worth) at 8 p.m. Friday. Morris and Mingo Fishtrap are performing as part of a new concert series sponsored by the Texas Music Project; Friday's gig will help raise money for the Bowie High School music department, where Maren studied. Tickets are $25. Call 817-212-4280 for information. Morris will also perform at the Moon (2911 W. Berry St., Fort Worth) on Oct. 19.