Cahalen Morrison

Posted By Cahalen on February 23, 2010

Most of us players should be humbled by Cahalen Morrison, the 24 year-old Seattle-based guitarist, singer, blues and old-timey interpreter, and multi-instrumentalist (six-string fingerstyle, claw-hammer banjo, mandolin, and lap slide guitar for starters). If not humbled, we are curious; how did the former New Mexico resident attain this kind of musical maturity at twenty-four? His biography explains somewhat: Amongst red rocks, dry soil, and clear sky, Cahalen Morrison was reared on Hot Rize, Doc Watson, Norman Blake and Rory Block while running around in a diaper, trying (at times unsuccessfully) not to fall into patches of prickly pear. Now, he’s got the ears for roots music. Hopping effortlessly from fingerpicking to mandolin, clawhammer banjo to lap slide guitar, Cahalen’s writing encompasses everything from punchy political commentaries, to soul warming serenades, branching out into instrumental rags and fiddle tunes, yet still retaining his subtle musical signature.

Though only 24, he is quite well traveled, having toured nonstop for 2 years after his debut 2008 release, Subcontinent. In November of 2009, Cahalen released his second record, a live 16-track album entitled Old-Timey & New-Fangled featuring his father Dave Morrison on guitar and fiddle, Santa Fe fiddler Andy Cameron, and Jenny Fisher on harmony vocals. OT&NF was recorded live on August 14th, at the historic Western Jubilee Warehouse Theater in downtown Colorado Springs. I hear a bit of early Jonathan Edwards in the Morrison’s vocals. He sings confidently, with a warm and deliberate inflection that brings authenticity to his original traditional and old-timey styled ballads. The voice of Jenny Fisher doing harmonies is superb; never taking front stage, but adding beauty to the lyrics and filling the spaces with her soft, textured vocals. The acoustic instruments seem to be amplified at least partly by microphones, giving this live album truly superb traditional vibes. No twang here. The backup musicians do a stellar job of supporting the songs, complimenting the vocals melodies, and leaving them out front so we immerse ourselves in the Morrison’s songwriting and delivery. There are few albums on the blog that I recommend more highly than Morrison’s Old-Timey and New Fangled. Buy your copy now.

-John O’Hara, Call it Folk

Category: Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Tags:

Posted By Cahalen on November 25, 2009

November 23, 2009 – Seattle, WA

Last night was the final show of my release tour for my new live record “Old-Timey & New-Fangled,” at the Green Frog Acoustic Tavern, up in Bellingham, WA, featuring my good friend and the amazing fiddler and harmony singer, Gretchen Caverly (of New Orleans). She was bold enough to brave two months and 10,000 miles in a car with me, so I thank her for that (and you probably should too).

Now I am sitting in my new home, outside of Seattle having some coffee and listening to Eric Dolphy. I will be staying in Washington state for the next few months, playing, writing, resting and hanging out with a certain 2-year old, aside from some quick weekend tours.

The new record has been selling well, and has been appreciated so far, and soon will be hitting the airwaves all across the country, so feel free to call your local public station and request it. And, if you already have it, feel free to review it on www.cdbaby.com/cd/cahalendavidmorrison2 or on iTunes.

OT&NF (along with all my other stuff) is available at CDbaby.com on iTunes and also right over there.———————————————————————>

There are some exciting festivals that I will be taking part in this year, starting with In The Dead of Winter Music Festival in the beautiful city of Halifax, NS in the very fitting month of January. The festival will be followed with a couple gigs in Portland, ME and Cambridge, MA. The others will be posted soon…

Thanks to all who have made this tour so successful. See you on down the road…

Category: Uncategorized | Comments Off
Tags:

Posted By Cahalen on July 2, 2009

Please Pre-Order “Old-Timey & New-Fangled” today, and we will ship it upon its release!! Look through the donation options to help keep independent music alive and well! To inquire about tickets to the live recording, please email me at- cahalen.morrison@gmail.com

Category: Uncategorized | Comments Off
Tags:

Posted By Cahalen on June 17, 2009

hey everybody, although i am taking the summer off from touring, i will be playing shows around northern new mexico. i also have a feature article coming out in the albuquerque journal, so please keep your eye out for that on friday, june 26th in the “venue” section. check the calendar for tour dates near you, as i have a whole fall tour planned, running from new mexico to new orleans, to maine to seattle… soooo… keep your ear to the ground. until next time, adios…

Category: News!! | Comments Off
Tags: tour new mexico colorado press