17: Fresh Wind Session No. 18: Collin Morlock

FRESH WIND SESSION No. 18

Collin Morlock

Recording Dates: 27 June 2023

KNCE 93.5 FM Premiere: 2 July 2023

Substack Premiere: 12 September 2024

One of the selfish reasons that I enjoy recording radio sessions with artists in Taos is that it fills my life with well-recorded, stripped-down versions of great new songs. In the time that I’ve been doing Fresh Wind sessions, they have become one of my main avenues for hearing new music. I often find myself listening to a session on repeat in the time between when I record it and when it airs on KNCE 93.5FM. And, some of the sessions truly stick around as part of my listening world long after that. Collin Morlock’s session was one of those. I listened to it so many times in the months after it aired that, when he and I played a show together this past summer on one of his sojourns back to Taos from Northern Wyoming (where he is currently living), I found myself feeling a little starstruck.

There are so many different kinds of songwriters. Some are confessional, others are storytellers. Some are seeking to write hooks, while others plumb the depths of human mystery. Collin Morlock’s songs tend to tell fragmented stories about emotional journeys. I first met Morlock at one of the Taos Songwriters Guild song circles, and was immediately struck by the pathos in his music. When I first heard his songs, I had the sense that he was the kind of songwriter who writes their songs quickly in the midst of hot and fresh experiences - but, I couldn’t have been more wrong. I quickly discovered that he was someone who works hard at the crafting process, often taking months to finish a set of lyrics before they accurately convey the oblique and often tragic story he’s set out to tell.

Morlock first picked up a guitar at the age of 15, and as an English Major at the University of Idaho he wrote a thesis exploring the songwriting world of Tom Waits. A deep exploration into the songwriting world of Leonard Cohen followed, as did stints in New Orleans and Nashville. He moved to Taos in September of 2021 after meeting a woman on Tinder while swiping from a ranch in Wyoming. Though the relationship didn’t quite work out, Morlock’s stint in Taos was fruitful for his songwriting practice. All of the songs he plays in this session were written during his time living here, and many of them were begun in the midst of the relationship that fell apart. As he told me during our Fresh Wind Interview:

“A lot of songs I’ve noticed start out non-autobiographical, and then through the life process and playing these songs, I can see parallels to them in my own life. I almost always predict what’s going to happen.”

Of the six songs that Morlock performs during his Fresh Wind session, four are on the acoustic guitar (“Hand To Hold”, “Broken Down In Cheyenne”, “Maybe I’ll Just Go A-Roaming”, and “Cry Baby Cry”) and two are on the electric (“Looking For The Spirit” and “Right Here”). They’re all gems, and vary greatly in style and tone. “Cry Baby Cry”, essentially a song about breakup sex, might be the darkest, and “Maybe I’ll Just Go A-Roaming” is the most comical. But even underneath that song’s humorous chorus there’s an undercurrent of deep sorrow. The songs opening lyrics read:

“The money dried up a long time ago

I spent every cent to my name

And it seems like the world is telling me now

There’s something that I need to tame

And there’s nothing keeping me here in this town

So what am I still here for?

I’m scared, but I know when it’s time to let go

And it’s time to go looking for more

So, maybe I’ll just go a-roaming

Get married or hit by a train

Or maybe go back to Wyoming

And find somebody to blame”

Since leaving Taos in the summer of 2023, Morlock has been based in Northern Wyoming and making his way into the Central Montana music scene. When preparing this missive, I reached out to him to ask where he was at right now musically, a year and change after this recording session (which you can also purchase on his Bandcamp page or listen to on streaming services). His response was humorous, self-deprecating, and also instructive:

“I believe the core of my songwriting is heavily informed by Tin Pan Alley, Classic Country, and songwriters from the 70's. But, I'm always experimenting, trying and incorporating new things - so, those aren't always exactly how I sound. Right now, I'm in the early stages of a record that's a general departure from what I've done before. Much less acoustic, more rhythmic, more "digital" sounds, etc. It's something I'll probably never try to play live - I just want to make it. An easier way of saying it is perhaps that I'm a musical chameleon who presents as an Americana songwriter or, maybe Post-Genre Americana songwriter, composer and producer. 

I usually tell people I sit at the intersection of Tom Waits, Chris Isaak and Marty Robbins because they get the general sense quickly from that description. But, that's more to describe what I sound like on stage with a guitar. Perhaps you could describe it better than me, but those are my takes.”

For those hearing the music of Collin Morlock for the first time, you’re in for a treat!