{"id":5416,"date":"2018-08-24T20:00:43","date_gmt":"2018-08-24T20:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/?p=5416"},"modified":"2018-09-03T11:03:12","modified_gmt":"2018-09-03T11:03:12","slug":"john-moreland-t-hardy-morris-heights-theater-houston-tx-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2018\/08\/24\/john-moreland-t-hardy-morris-heights-theater-houston-tx-review\/","title":{"rendered":"John Moreland \/ T. Hardy Morris- Heights Theater- Houston, TX – Review"},"content":{"rendered":"

Written by James Killen<\/p>\n

The Heights Theater is still one of my favorite Houston venues for sound and selection of talent flowing through town. Friday night, one of the latest wave of poignant Oklahoma songwriters, John Moreland, occupied that stage. The last time that I saw him was in 2013 at the Ashford Pub in West Houston for a muscular dystrophy benefit with probably fewer than 50 people passing through the venue during the evening. I remember that his songs and presentation were rivetingly real. It was good to see that he filled up this venue for this tour.<\/p>\n

\"140\"<\/a> Opening the evening\u2019s show was a young songwriter by the name of T Hardy Morris. He had a unique style that was someplace between indy rock and straight ahead country, kind of like Hank Williams with a Kurt Cobain tweak. They opened up sans percussion on \u201cCheating Life and Living Death\u201d with pedal steel and a strategically distorted lead guitar. The drummer then came up for \u201cThe Night Everything Changed\u201d, \u201cOK Corral\u201d, and an ode to teenage angst, \u201cAudition Tapes\u201d. Morris and his bass player sang with some well blended harmonies on \u201cI\u2019d Just as soon Stay Home\u201d, \u201cI Blame Me on You\u201d and \u201cNY\u201d while the lead guitar waned psychedelic. This gentleman quite obviously could write a lyric or two and he has 3 discs out to date. He is well worth checking out.<\/p>\n

John Moreland took the stage accompanied by a talented guitarist and pianist named John Calvin Abney and broke immediately into \u201cSallisaw Blue\u201d from Big Bad Luv. I was immediately impressed with Moreland\u2019s strong voice and confident chords as he moved on to \u201cOld Wounds\u201d, \u201cOh, Julia\u201d, and \u201cYou Were the Lie I Chose to Believe\u201d. The stark honesty of John\u2019s lyrics will freeze you in your tracks.<\/p>\n

There were no long talks between songs as the songs said it all. He continued on with \u201cHeart\u2019s Too Heavy\u201d and Abney switched to keyboards for \u201cGospel\u201d. Moreland reached back to 2011\u2019s \u201cEarthbound\u201d (no longer in print) for \u201cAvalon\u201d about life in a small town. Abney really kicked out a nice piano solo on \u201cIt Don\u2019t Suit Me Like Before\u201d and another for \u201cYou Don\u2019t Care Enough for Me to Cry\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"362\"<\/a>The lyrics kept piercing me through the chest like darts to the heart with \u201cBlacklist\u201d, the harmonica rich \u201cLove is Not an Answer\u201d, \u201cSad Baptist Rain\u201d with Abney\u2019s Telecaster solo, \u201c3:59AM\u201d and the emptiness of nostalgia personified in \u201cAmerican Flags in Black and White\u201d. Every song rang true, finishing his set with \u201cNobody Gives a Damn about Songs Anymore.\u201d, \u201cGod\u2019s Medicine\u201d, \u201cCherokee\u201d and \u201cI Need You to Tell Me Who I Am\u201d. The encore was \u201cBreak My Heart Sweetly\u201d sung with naked emotion displayed for all to feel.<\/p>\n

It was another fine evening at the Heights Theater. Both artists brought powerful lyrics to their performances served up with tasty instrumental chops. There was a no nonsense style to John Moreland\u2019s performance that speaks to his ability to depict life\u2019s situations in all of the complexity of feelings that rest just below the surface of what appears to be simple existence. I currently own all of Moreland\u2019s recordings and anxiously await his next one. Treat yourself to some John Moreland. You won\u2019t be disappointed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by James Killen The Heights Theater is still one of my favorite Houston venues for sound and selection of talent flowing through town. Friday night, one of the latest wave of poignant Oklahoma songwriters, John Moreland, occupied that stage. The last time that I saw him was in 2013 at the Ashford Pub in… <\/p>\n

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