Lisa, Matt Morrish, and Nici

The Short Cut with Matt Morrish

At the conclusion of English Beat’s early 2015, 30-date tour (see my English Beat post), I was lucky enough to chat with Saxophonist Matt Morrish, a truly cool dude who is living a fantastic adventure.

Matt, who was influenced by his family with classical, ’80s, funk, soul, and jazz, spent time playing sax in California, New Orleans, and Cuba before joining The English Beat. Also a teacher of music, Matt has been the saxophonist in the band for the past five years.

Matt admits that traveling on a tour bus across the country is “the height of living” and is “as good as you think it is.” (OK, I’m jealous now!) Even though touring can be tiring at times and the tour bus offers some tight quarters, Matt has a fantastic comradery with his bandmates. The fun the band has on stage is evident, and they know how appreciative their fans are.

I thoroughly enjoyed my conversation with Matt because he’s very positive, well-spoken, and passionate about his career. The importance and inspiration that I received from Matt’s story is that:
• Life is a journey
• Take some chances because you never know where you’ll end up or who you’ll meet
• Seeming snafus could prove serendipitous, and
• Don’t be afraid to approach people, as they could end up becoming life-altering connections!

Plus, I’ve been introduced to a whole slew of new music.

To learn more about my chat with Matt and to hear Matt’s own recommended playlist, keep scrolling to check out The Journey with Matt Morrish!

The Journey with Matt Morrish

How did you get started as a musician?
I had two older brothers who were both big music fans. And my parents were really into music and amazingly supportive. My middle brother, Baird, had very eclectic tastes, and he was listening to things like Culture Club, Billy Idol, and The English Beat (that’s how I heard about The English Beat!). My older brother, Todd, was listening to Tower of Power, The Commodores, and Earth, Wind, and Fire. So, I had these great bookends: one really eclectic modern music, and the other really funky, R&B, soul, and jazz music. Plus, my parents were really into classical music and Hawaiian slack-key guitar music. So, there were a whole range of sounds going on, but my brothers were definitely my earliest influences.

Do you play other instruments besides the sax?
I play all the saxophones, the clarinet, some keys, and I’m always interested in trying to pick up a different instrument.

How did you get involved with The English Beat?
In junior high school, the irony is that it was my favorite band. Absolutely. To the point where I drew a little picture of Saxa [original sax player in the band] on my binder. He was a big hero of mine back in the day. I started playing in fourth grade, so by the time I got to junior high school, I started to play more, and I met a bunch of people who were into the same music. English Beat was easily at the top of the list; we were huge fans.

Time passed, and then a few years ago, I was renting rehearsal space in Oakland. There were about eight of us taking turns using this studio. I had heard that one of the guys (who I didn’t know) had been the keyboard player for The English Beat. I got in touch with him and got to know him. A little while later, Dave [Wakeling] was looking for a horn player, and my buddy passed along my information on MySpace, of all places.

How long ago was this?
Five years

Were you a member of any other bands?
I lived in New Orleans for a long time, from ’92 to 2000, so I played down there, and then moved back to the Bay Area. In 2000, I started teaching privately, but also playing with my own groups… made a record in Cuba.

Wait, what was that?! (Note: excitement!)
Havana, Cuba. Yeah, I’ve been there a couple of times. The second time I went there, I recorded in the famous EGREM studios, where they did the whole Buena Vista thing. [The Buena Vista Social Club was a 1940s club in Havana, and later an album and Academy Award–nominated movie.]

Why Cuba?
I was a super huge fan of the music, and this is part of my story… of how I wound up there. I was living in New Orleans and planned a trip to Cuba with a friend of mine. But, I lost my passport a couple of days before the trip and had to delay the trip by a day or two. Just by good fortune, I happened to be in the airport in Cancun when the whole Buena Vista Social Club band was there. Somehow, they had lost my Visa, and it was total mayhem. I saw Juan De Marcos, recognized him right away, so I went up and talked to him. He ended up helping me out and getting me on his flight and flew us out just past Havana. I went and had the time of my life and then kept in touch with him. When he would come to the Bay area, I would check him out. I got to play with Juan and the Afro-Cuban All Stars at Zellerbach in Berkeley. So, Juan helped set up the session for me in Cuba. I made the record with Juan and all those guys in Havana.

I made the record down there in the early 2000s, and I did a Broadway show, Ain’t Misbehavin’, for a long time in the San Jose area. I was in the orchestra, backing the singers, playing sax and clarinet. I think it was about a two-month run at the San Jose Repertory Theatre. Getting to play those Fats Waller tunes every day was wonderful. The singers really made the band a part of the show. As soon as the gig came to an end, I got the call to join Dave.

How do you get inspired to go on stage and perform?
I really love the guys in the band. We just have fun. Dave has a knack for picking fantastic guys, really wonderful dudes. We all enjoy hanging out with each other, and I think that comes across. [Note: Matt is correct. It does!] We have fun, we laugh, bull shit, we don’t take it too seriously. So, that’s a big part of it, but also the fans are just un-fucking-believable. They are just over-the-top fantastic. Wonderful. That’s probably the best part of the gig. They are just so insanely appreciative of everything… thanking us for coming to their town. Pretty unreal.

How do you feel when you are on stage?
I love it. We have a great time. It’s fun. That’s the bottom line, and that’s the way it should be.

Do you write music?
Yes, I have plenty of my own music floating around. **

What inspires you to write music?
It’s hard to have a set routine. Being on the road all the time, it’s easier for me that when I have an idea in my head, I make a little voice memo in my phone. Eventually, I have all of these sounds and bits, sometimes I’m mixing and matching, and sometimes a song comes out from start to finish. So, it could be any number of different approaches. Some guys can sit down and say, from 9 – 12, I’m going to write music. I don’t really have that luxury, being on the road this much. But, I think it would be fantastic, honestly!

Speaking of being on the road, you are on a tour bus, right?
Yes

And, you’re traveling all over the country?
Yes

For me, being on a tour bus, going across the country would be a dream-come-true adventure. How do you feel about that?
Oh, yes. It is. It’s the height of living for me. 🙂 It’s as good as you think it is! It’s essentially a studio apartment for eight people, so it’s tight quarters. Sure, you get tired of being on the bus, but there couldn’t possibly be any better way to travel the country. Flying just doesn’t compare. The main thing is, you can lie down. And not having to drive, it’s pretty unbelievably fantastic.

So, you’ve been able to see the entire country?
Yes, many times. As well as the UK, Australia, and New Zealand.

How many cities were on this last tour?
There were roughly 30 dates. We finished on May 29, and now we’re doing local California dates for a few weeks.

When will you tour again?
Starting around July 10, we’ll go out for a few weeks.

When will the new album be released?
Supposed to be September. It’s sounding real good, lots of progress. There are some really great sounding tunes.

Speaking of personal adventure, what do you do in between tours for fun?
Well… I don’t need too much fun. I’ve had more fun than any one person is ever entitled to, I think. 🙂 So, when I’m not on the road, I’m at home. I teach. I have private students, and then I’m a contractor with a couple of schools.

Matt Morrish’s Personal Playlist
Want to get a gist for the sound that Matt likes? And, do you want to hear some new tunes for your own music journey? (Why is new music important, again?) Check out the following 20 rockin’ tunes that Matt compiled just for AdventureMusicLife and for you!

1. Properties of Propaganda by Fishbone
2. RV by Faith No More
3. Love Dog by TV on the Radio
4. Ride by Lana Del Ray
5. Jerry Was A Race Car Driver by Primus
6. Grace by Me’Shell Ndegeocello
7. Walk Away by English Beat
8. Without a Song by Sonny Rollins
9. Houses Are Like Faces by Kurt Kotheimer
10. All I See by Michael Coleman
11. By Myself by Mike Moreno
12. Bonus Round by John Ellis
13. Fig Tree by Bunny Wailer (on the album Blackheart Man)
14. Caution by Bob Marley
15. Roller Skates by Steel Pulse
16. #1 Grandma Having Fun by #1 Grandma **
17. Don’t Say Nuthin’ by The Roots
18. Brass in Pocket by The Pretenders
19. Soul Vaccination by Tower of Power
20. Tightrope by Janelle Monae

** Matt says to email for some of his and #1 Grandma music. Ooh! Sounds intriguing! Let me know if you would like to hear more!

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