We're gypsies & rock stars...and its so much fun

Excerpt from  http://www.thewheelsstillinspin.com/2007/09/midpoint-musi-3.html

The Gregory Morris Group - The Industrial Jazz Group provided unique entertainment by driving up Main Street in a minivan while performing. And Ferdinand Fox put one some great tunes outside of their venue before and after their set. But The Gregory Morris Group seemed to own the street stage. For the fourth consecutive year, the band was named an alternate for the festival. And for the fourth consecutive year, they found out they were a showcase band with very limited time to promote their show. This year, they played on Main Street on Thursday and Friday nights. They settled in to the alley between The Exchange and Speakeasy and played acoustic versions of their jam happy music. It caught the attention of festival passersby and helped to create a lively atmosphere.

..

 

Is that sillohuetted tree line jagged through an ice warped window pane truly the toothy sardonic maw of a sleeping giant sucumbed to the ferocious freeze of Decembers early bitter sunset cast in coldest purple hue?

Closterphobia you brittle bastard, watch as I find refuge in the stars!

 

 

 

 

This week's victim: Gregory Morris Now current. fresh and still sort of smoking... http://cincymusic.com/columns/vv.php 1. How long have you been playing music? Not long enough. 20 years and counting. 2. What instruments do you play? Guitars, violin, mandolin, and a smattering of sitar, cumbus and shakuhachi... 3. What instruments do you wish you played? Piano, saxaphone, bass, hurdy gurdy, Tyco Drums and turntables and of course, Qin. 4. What was your first musical memory? Falling asleep to my great uncel Marcello's accordion in the summer hills of Northern Italy... 5. What was your first album you bought? Parliament - don't remember which one. 6. What was your first concert? I'm going to go with the gypsy flamenco in the Spanish caves of Granada; in terms of pop music, probably The Who. 8. What song do you wish you wrote? Summertime (Gershwin that is). 9. If this were a confessional, what would you confess? I swiped two Queen Victoria coins from the 4th grade school play in Northern England - I was playing Blind Pew in Treasure Island, and I was just "getting into character..." bloody pirates! 10. If you could be any superhero, who would it be? Samurai Jack - the psychedelic, time travelling shinto swordsman! 11. What are your favorite movies, books, TV shows, and Website? Movies: Rob Roy, The Godfather, The Princess Bride, Ghostdog, Latchko Drom, Live at Pompeii, Harold and Kumar go to White Castle Books: A River Sutra (G.Mheta,) Cosmic Trigger (R.A. Wilson) Dream Tigers (J. Borges,) A People's History of the United States (H.Zinn) The Dark is Rising (S.Cooper,) Invisible Cities (I.Calvino) Zen in the Martial Arts (J.Hyams) TV: Sopranos, Samurai Jack, The West Wing, Dr. Who, Chappelle Show..our TV has been broken for many months now so... Website: http://www.wunderground.com, cincymusic.com 12. If you could erase one band from musical history, who would it be? Hmm, do I target bands that annoy me, or do I target bands who compete for marketshare - I can't handle that kind of power! 13. What album do you own that would ruin your indie credibility? Ain't nuthin there to ruin, but perhaps System of a Down? 14. What is the weirdest reaction you ever got from a fan? I had a young couple come up to me after a gig and proudly declare that they gave birth to their newborn to one of my songs - I was of course, most honoured! 15. What is your pre-gig ritual? Often a shot with my bandmates and a toast to Gallo Pinto e Lupa Bianca! Also of course, various ninja breathing excercises and a nubile maiden wrapped in a nori roll. 16. What should a crowd expect at a GMG show? We are an emotional band who really enjoys playing together so we like to let the music carry us - sometimes this is brilliant, sometimes reckless, but always honest. And people like to dance to it. 17. What venue in the Cincinnati area is your favorite to perform? Northside Tavern by a hair, but we are blessed with several venues and each room has it's own energy and resident spirits to appease. 18. What is the one thing you would change about the local scene? More integration of white, black, hispanic and other music scenes. 19. Name a few of your favorite non-Cincinnati bands. Django Rheinhart, Jao Gilberto, System of a Down, Nana Vasconcelas, The Incredible String Band, Bob Dylan, Amiee Mann, The Grateful Dead, Saul Williams, Bob Marley, Laurie Anderson, The Bevvis Frond 20. Name a few of your favorite Cincinnati Bands. Gaiananda, Moonlight Graham, Foxy McCoy, Lens Lounge, Izwhat, Harmony Gillette, Rob Fetters, The Walker Project, The Ropers, Blue Karma, Crooked Rook, Angie Arnold. Website: http://www.gregorysmusic.com/ Next Show: Saturday, August 13th at Northside Tavern

The Gregory Morris Group : Sez Go Carbon Neutral! : www.futureforests.com GMG on the RADIO - Live City Licks Cincinnati's premier late night showcase of local original music. WAIF 88.3FM Late night - Listen to the stream! Saturday 6/4 (Sunday 6/5) from Midnight until 2am GMG Sonicbids EPK Purchase : Houses in the Sky @ CD Baby I'll probably stick my nose up at some point to say hi to Mom too. :) -L

From Cincinnati's "City Beat" - May 25th, 2004 "The Sky" Drops The Gregory Morris Group releases its new CD, Houses in the Sky, Saturday at the York Street Café in Newport. The release party also features performances from P.J. Harrington and Foxy McCoy. It is nothing short of sheer joy to hear an artist's new CD and then become a hardcore fan after one listen. Houses in the Sky made a hardcore GMG fan out of me. Sensual. Evocative. Emotionally and lyrically eloquent. A treat for the ears and a feast for the rest of your senses. The Greg Morris Group is Jay Ensminger (sax, piano, flute, vocals), Michael Sadoff (bass, banjo, vocals), Katherine Monnig (percussion) and Morris himself on guitars/violin/mandolin/vocals. Houses was a long time in the making -- recorded from September 2004 to March of this year -- and the long haul to completion really paid off, as the production is pristine, but far from sterile. The songs are a potluck dinner of jazzy international dishes served up by gypsies passing for servants in the big house. And that's truly what the GMG plays -- roving gypsy music with a Rock edge. The songs range from the Latin groove of "Baylight Lullabye" and the ingenious Celtic Jazz flute/Rock guitar combo of "Long Road Home" to the Parisian vibe of "Josephine" and everything in between. Morris is not so much a songwriter (although he's that too ... and a damn fine one) as he is a troubadour, and his raw-edged tenor suits his picturesque tales perfectly. It's music played expertly, but with passion and fire. Do yourself a big favor and live in Houses in the Sky for a while. For more on the group, go to www.gregorysmusic.com. (Dale Johnson)

The CD is finally available! Listen to sections from most of the tracks at CDBaby Or visit ShakeIt Records and find it in the local music section. For reviews and a few complete tracks visit Garageband.com.

I'm still recovering from the studio sessions this weekend and I wasn't technically working. Weary but excited The Group spent a good 22 hours recording over the weekend. Poor Jay was getting claustrophobic in the box with his saxamophone. They've put down the basic intrumental parts. I was amazed at the detail that comes out of the music when there aren't a bunch of drunks wandering around. Okay okay, when there aren't a bunch of drunks wandering around in the same room is probably more accurate. They continuously amazes me with their music and hearing the raw studio product has solidified my love for them even more. I spent a lot of time out on the couch listening and shot a few photos. I'll post then once I get them developed. Touch ups and vocals are next weekend and probably the addition of violin and sitar on a few tracks. I sat in and listened to them go through each track and when the cd is complete it will be beyond fabulous! Guitar, Bass, Drums, Sax, Mandolin, Sitar, Violin, Flute, Keys, Congos... they are quite mad for playing this Saturday at the Courtyard. I hope they hide all the combustibles! -yawf

Yay, the first recent press for me to use... The Greg Morris Group is featured in the locals only section of this weeks issue of City Beat. Locals Only: Acoustic alchemy http://www.citybeat.com/2004-07-14/musiclocalsonly.shtml I still can't for the life of me figure out how we got to ride in that Fleetwood limo, vintage.

As is no doubt true for many writers, many of my songs are an intersection of numerous events and experiences both personal and fictional. For style this song derives it's melody and progression from the documentary film "Buena Vista Social Club" - a film about the Cuban club musicians of Pre-Castro Cuba - filtered of course, through my geeky, white boy, urban American bohemian sensibilities. I am far from culturally authentic and having had no schooling in music, tend to be pretty haphazard in my influences. I have always had a strong affinity for things Latin however. The lyric comes from the story of pirates Calico Jack Rackham and his shipmate mistresses Anne Bonney and Mary Reardon. I first encountered the story in a children's book, and then proceeded to do some research into the story. Some sources claim that Anne became pregnant by Calico Jack and that, for her safety, he dropped her off in Cuba to bear the child. Perhaps during her time there, Calico Jack was captured and hung; in any event he eventually met his fate at the end of a rope. I wrote this song from the perspective of both Anne and her unborn child, standing at waters edge in Havana, Cuba, both during the pregnancy and perhaps many years after. LYRICS: Mr. Calico Jack He was the king of disorder They say his life was short But the rope was shorter Now the salt sea breezes, she whispers lullabies to me Havana smiles tonight, by the bay lights My bonnie Anne Marie She loved to take her chances She took a couple of Jacks And now her belly dances Havana... Never gonna let them bring me down Never gonna break me Never gonna let them take me in Some would say that they can second guess All of my secrets Better luck dealing in the Devils den Upon the Vanity They really rocked the boat While they could not swim They sure could float Havana... Very Mary the Mad She got the balls of iron She like to smack them down Before she fires them Havana... Never gonna... And I can only say In my own defense I'd do it all again If given half the chance