You can go out any night of the week here and find world class music being played live at almost every coffee house, bar, club and venue. I’ve also been enjoying the process of finding my sound, and having it be completely different from everyone else’s is something that really drives me @MorgansRoadBand
Live Interview
Episode #402 http://tobtr.com/9661099
GETTING TO KNOW BEN WOODRUFF SONGWRITER OF MORGAN’S ROAD
by Jacqueline Jax host of A.V.A Live Radio
You can go out any night of the week here and find world class music
being played live at almost every coffee house, bar, club and venue. I’ve also been enjoying the process of finding my sound, and having it be completely different from everyone else’s is something that really drives me. I knew when I moved here that I would be inspired, but what pleasantly surprised me was how much I opened up as a songwriter. It has been an incredible journey in this short time.
I am fairly certain that I am correct in saying that this is
by far the hardest industry to work in. I’ve been doing this for 15 years professionally, and I can say that there are many times when I feel like I barely know a thing about how the music business truly works. And even over the last couple of years, I have been amazed more than once as to how every time I think I got this figured out, something else pops up that changes ones entire view of how this animal works. One example is how streaming has replaced digital downloads and CD sales almost completely in the last 2 years. For Olde Cumberland, we are contemplating not even putting our music onto compact discs at all; however we decided as a band that we will be releasing this album on vinyl and could not be more excited about doing so.
Given all of the change within the industry,
it is comforting to know that one aspect has remained the same and that it really is all about relationships. If you want to make inroads, it is essential it is to work with a team of great people. There is no way that one can do it all on their own. When it comes down to it, it is really all about the relationships you make along the way that make such a huge difference. There is kinship and a brotherhood in music, and I have made some of my best friends through writing and/or playing music; and I am really grateful for that.
If I could sit down with one person for 5 mins and pick their brain,
it would be Sam Phillips. This guy single handedly help create Rock and Roll. He groomed Elvis, Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis even Howlin’ Wolf, and so many more. He knew good music, when he heard it and he pushed his artists to step out of their comfort zones. Who he was reminds me that I very much want to do the same.
I’m always looking to push myself a little further outside of my comfort zones.
And this is what I want to convey to fans of music everywhere. There are so many indie artists who are create new, fresh, exciting, meaningful and catchy music every day, and we don’t sound at all like the contemporary music that may as well be flavorless bubblegum. The big engines in the business that fill so much airtime on commercial radio today think they have found the secret formula where every song sounds like the song the was played before and after it no matter the genre: country, pop, indie, coffeehouse, etc. If Sam Phillips were around today, he’d push back on this, and I’m confident in saying that he would be encouraged and excited about music that is coming out that wasn’t written and produced by same two middle-aged, Swedish men who have their hand in nearly every hit song from Taylor Swift to Maroon Five and beyond.
It was intentionally meant to be a bit unclear
as a way for the viewer to connect with and interpret in their own way.
Better Than
The video begins with a man (played by me) walking to meet his wife
and son (played by actors) along the same familiar roads they walked on together and often stopped to pick flowers. You then see me walking through a field of sunflowers and where upon I reach my final destination, the camera then steadies itself on the graves of the wife and son.
Support Artist:
https://play.spotify.com/artist/2qcRc82niO17loXru14OGl?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open
https://itunes.apple.com/artist/morgans-road/id920538599
However, the inspiration for the song came from a deeply personal experience
that was entirely different. I wrote Better Than not long after my grandfather’s passing. As I was growing up, we never really had a great relationship, there was a generation gap and a communication gap that we always struggled to bridge, and was truly never easy. But, after he passed away I realized how petty so many of our arguments were; and how easy it should always be to say I love you to another. It made me realize that it really isn’t that hard to choose to be kind and understanding no matter what differences of opinion we had, and to just always work at being a better person. So don’t waste another day, holding back how much your loved ones mean to you: tell them, cause you never know when it may be too late.
We’re really excited about the our new album.
Titled Olde Cumberland. Its’ sound is a big departure from our 1st album, Topics of Love, in style and vibe. I’m excited about the range on this album. Specifically, the songs that I have been writing for the past year are more narrative in tone, they each tell their own story, have a more textured and mature resonance that reflect where I am at. So it is a deeper body of work in that way. Yet, there are also be some playful elements and a couple of fun tunes that are reminiscent of Topics of Love.
I’ve been living in Nashville for almost a year now.
I love everything about this city. Similar to how writers tend to all flock to New York, just being in a city like New York or in my case, just living in Nashville, makes me want to be a better musician and songwriter, by the sheer fact that I am surrounded by so much talent here.
Social Media Links:
Website: http://morgansroad.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MorgansRoadBand
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MorgansRoad/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgansroadband/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/morgans-road/
Reverbnation: https://www.reverbnation.com/morgansroad/songs
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/MorgansRoadBand
Pledgemusic: http://www.pledgemusic.com/artists/morgansroad