Before Western New York native Gurf Morlix played a very well received, very well attended show at the Sportsmen's Tavern September 25, he agreed to take part in this column's "5 Questions With ..." feature. Here is an update over the singer, songwriter, guitar slinger and producer who can truly be called a troubadour.
KJH :Now that you've toured with the "Duct Tape Messiah" film and released and toured with "Blaze Foley's 113th Wet Dream," do you feel any different toward Blaze or his music? Has the response continued to be good?
GM: Nothing has changed. The songs remain great, and I still miss Blaze all the time. I feel good that a few more people are aware of him now.
KJH: Have you been writing and/or recording any new music, and if so, how is it going?
GM: My next album is finished, and will be out in March of 2013. It doesn't have a title yet, but I need to come up with something soon. I got the body count down to two, on this album, and I'm pretty proud of that.
KJH: Has working with Blaze's music so much affected your approach to writing or performing?
GM: Well I had to learn how to fingerpick to play his songs. I was always afraid to try it, but my friend Ray Bonneville gave me a little lesson, and I realized I could do it. Now it seems like second nature. When I am working on a song, I always ask myself what Blaze would do in this writing situation.
KJH: You also were interviewed for and appeared in "Troubadour Blues" (an excellent documentary film on singer/songwriters by Tom Weber). Is this part of being a troubadour and/or a commitment to get out the word about this music any way you can?
GM: Yes/yes. We drive for a living, and have the added benefit of being able to play songs on stage for others to hopefully enjoy. We're all out there winning fans a few at a time.
KJH: Any other new projects (producing, etc.) coming up for you?
GM: We are going to tour Sweden in a few weeks - me and the Blaze Foley documentary. The director of the doc, Kevin Triplett, will be going over with me. No production projects in the immediate future, but I know some opportunity will present itself.
KJH: Have you been writing and/or recording any new music, and if so, how is it going?
GM: My next album is finished, and will be out in March of 2013. It doesn't have a title yet, but I need to come up with something soon. I got the body count down to two, on this album, and I'm pretty proud of that.
KJH: Has working with Blaze's music so much affected your approach to writing or performing?
GM: Well I had to learn how to fingerpick to play his songs. I was always afraid to try it, but my friend Ray Bonneville gave me a little lesson, and I realized I could do it. Now it seems like second nature. When I am working on a song, I always ask myself what Blaze would do in this writing situation.
KJH: You also were interviewed for and appeared in "Troubadour Blues" (an excellent documentary film on singer/songwriters by Tom Weber). Is this part of being a troubadour and/or a commitment to get out the word about this music any way you can?
GM: Yes/yes. We drive for a living, and have the added benefit of being able to play songs on stage for others to hopefully enjoy. We're all out there winning fans a few at a time.
KJH: Any other new projects (producing, etc.) coming up for you?
GM: We are going to tour Sweden in a few weeks - me and the Blaze Foley documentary. The director of the doc, Kevin Triplett, will be going over with me. No production projects in the immediate future, but I know some opportunity will present itself.
For more information on Gurf's music and touring, check www.gurfmorlix.com.
