Brian Morgan shares his album,
Toronto, ON’s Brian Morgan unveiled his album Curve of the Earth in December 2022.
The seven-song release was recorded in Chongqing (People’s Republic of China) and Toronto and reflects a year spent in China as an English teacher at the Sichuan Foreign Language Institute (1987-88).
Listen to Curve of the Earth below and learn more about Brian Morgan via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I am a fiddler, bassist, and guitar player. My musical experiences have included stints in a tuxedo-clad lounge lizard quartet, a road-weary duo ill-named Mac’n’Tosh, a retro rock band called Bage Gao Bizi (Eight High Noses), which performed regularly in Chongqing (1988), as well as the Motorgrass band, Jughead, legendary matinee idols of the 90’s with 3 CDs and major festival performances to their credit. Throughout, I have been writing original songs and performing them when permitted (or not).
Have music will travel: I have performed in London, Minneapolis, and the Banff School of Fine Arts as a violist with the Regina Intercollegiate Orchestra. Other memorable gigs: An impromptu violin concert for a military convoy near Gulu, Uganda. Busking on the Marienplatz and gigs at the Grünes Eck in Munich. A two-month club gig in Iraklion, Crete. Private dinner performance for Ahmet Ertegun and guests at the TMT Resort in Bodrum, Turkey. Ten days at the By the Sea Festival with Jughead in Saint John. La Bamba in Lahore. Trio Aplicada opening the Brazilian Association of Applied Linguistics conference in Campo Grande, Brazil. A Banda Walkyrete in São Paulo. Lots of small-town bars in Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Ontario.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
Curve of the Earth is a seven-song album released in December 2022. Recorded in Chongqing (People’s Republic of China) and in Toronto, my “new” album is a reflection of a year spent in China as an English teacher at the Sichuan Foreign Language Institute (1987-88). The album includes Chinese instruments such as a dizi (bamboo flute) and erhu (two-stringed violin) and a live performance of the traditional folk song Jasmine. Historical events such as the Cultural Revolution (Paint You with My Tears) and the life/death of Dr. Norman Bethune (Bethune) are thematically featured alongside personal accounts of intercultural (mis)communication. Curve of the Earth is distributed by CD Baby and is streaming on Spotify, Amazon Music, YouTube, and other music services (see https://brianmorgan.hearnow.com). Album credits, media coverage, a music video filmed in Chongqing, and my music bio are all available at https://brianmorganmusic.ca
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
I’ve had a long parallel career as an academic (university professor, author, editor) in the areas of applied linguistics and critical literacies. I’m particularly inspired by ideas related to language and social justice concerns. I also have an undergraduate degree in ethnomusicology and find myself drawn toward the tonalities and rhythms of world music in my songwriting.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
I have an upcoming show at the Cloak and Dagger Pub in Toronto (394 College St) with Wayne Neon on Sunday, April 23rd (6-9 pm). I will be playing at the Open Tuning Festival on June 10th. I also have regular monthly gigs with the 4th Thursday Band at Grossman’s Tavern and Gordon’s Acoustic Living Room (3rd Sunday) at the Free Times Café. I’m also frequently participating in Jamzac (Saturday afternoons) and Dr. B’s open mic (1st Sat) at the Free Times Café.
What’s your goal for 2023?
More recording. I’d like to have a new album finished by the end of the year or early 2024. I also look forward to more live performances of my original songs and opportunities to accompany other songwriters in their performing and recording projects.
Connect with Brian Morgan:
Website