Grace Morrison is not only a wildly creative singer-songwriter and musician, but she is also an interesting human. Her new album Saltwater Country is a 15 song musical journey with hints of country, bluegrass, blues, pop, rock and more. Songs including the folky twangy "One Becomes Two" touch upon building confidence and letting go of a toxic relationship. "Gloria" gives vivid imagery of an old fisherman and a New England harbor wrapped up in a timeless and nostalgic bluegrass infused sonic embrace. Then there is the upbeat "Beer in a Teacup", an anthem of embracing your own quirkiness and inner confidence. Grace's ability to create catchy melodies is on full display with this one while the layered instrumentation adds to the song's allure. Saltwater Country is a dynamic album filled with musical intricacies that rewards repeat listens.
We chat with Grace Morrison all about the new music, her unique background, dream collaborators and more!
Congrats Grace on your new album Saltwater Country. How would you describe the new album sonically in three words?
Thank you! Catchy, moody, vibrant.
How does Saltwater Country differ from your previous albums? How has your sound changed or evolved?
I’d say the biggest overall difference is that this is a bit of a concept album. I had written songs to prompts before, but I never wrote an entire album with a through line. The intention at first was just to write a song or two about my hometown, but having that headspace of going back in my mental time machine just lent itself so well to songwriting. There is endless inspiration there. Frankly, I’m still writing hometown-inspired songs.
What did Jon Evans bring to the creative table?
Jon is the best. When I first met him it was kind of an out-of-body experience because he was playing bass at the very first concert I ever went to (Tori Amos and Alanis Morisette). I mean…how do you play it cool in that context?! But we’ve been working together since my first album now, so I’m super comfortable working with him and Matthias Bossi (he has played drums on every album I’ve released except Maybe Modern). I showed up with way too many songs so I told him “please don’t spare my feelings, and only let us move forward with songs that are great and worth our time.” I’m not sure I would have had thick enough skin to ask that in the past. I also really wanted to lean into my 90’s singer-songwriter influences and I mean….he was there. He played that music with Tori and Sarah McLachlan so there was nobody better to guide that. I think my favorite moment was when Matthias mentioned that “One Becomes Two” reminded him of a roller skating rink-Jon and I spent a good amount of time finding the right synth sound to really lock in the roller skates.
The 15 song collection is an ode to your hometown of Cape Cod and her cranberry growing family. How has your hometown and family shaped you as a person and an artist?
So moment of truth: my hometown is technically not on Cape Cod. It is known as the Gateway to Cape Cod. Or sometimes, Poor Man’s Cape Cod. It’s a town people don’t leave. I mean, my family has roots in Wareham dating back to the 17th century. My dad was so proud of being a hometown boy. My grandfather was THE local tv repairman (he had the first TV in town). I can’t really go anywhere in town without seeing somebody that I know. And I truly love that. I travel so much….coming back to Wareham just feels like a sigh of relief every time I land. It’s a town of mostly blue-collar people who have had to work HARD for what they have so they’re proud of it. Folks show up for each other. AND you can get to the beach in the summer without hours of Cape traffic.
I also kind of framed the story of the town coming into its own with my story of coming into my own. Wareham has a bad reputation to some people. You know people will say “oh you’re from Wareham…..” like it’s the other side of the tracks. But if you can look past that, it is every bit as beautiful as the most affluent Cape Cod town.
Conversely, I’ve been a person so incredibly afraid of everything, lacking in self-confidence, struggling to find my voice. It hasn’t been until this album that I’ve been fully confident of the songs I’m putting out there. But there have been people who have been there for me, loving the music I was making, and listening beyond the rough edges.
That was a long way of saying, I have become myself in this town. I owe everything to my community supporting me. And you should probably come visit ☺
What is your favorite part about New England?
Seafood. History. Changes in season. Legacy. I’m such a complete history nerd, that’s honestly probably my favorite part. You’ve got Plimoth Patuxet (Plimoth Plantation), the Whydah Pirate Museum, the Lizzie Borden House, and you can kayak down the Taunton River which has so much connection to King Philip’s War, it’s everywhere!
Do you have a favorite song on the album and if so, what is it and why?
Yes, for sure. It’s not the same every day though. “One Becomes Two”, “Gloria”, “I Wanna Tell You Something”, and “Smoke Stain” are my favorites. I love a melody that you can feel in your belly. A good chorus to me kinda feels like the apex of a roller coaster. And depending on the day, those songs grab me like that. “Smoke Stain” is probably the darkest song on the record and it’s unlike anything else I’ve recorded. “I Wanna Tell You Something” has the line in it that sums up where I’m at a time in my life that “I’ve learned how to embrace all my features”. “Gloria” is my favorite to sing, and “One Becomes Two” is my favorite to listen to while I drive.
You have toured all around the US. Can you tell our readers a funny or memorable tour story?
One of my favorite New England trips is the Ben and Jerry’s factory in Vermont. You get a tour and tasting and there’s a flavor graveyard…it’s the best. So naturally, when my friend Erin Ash Sullivan and I were on tour driving through Philadelphia I said “we are FINDING the Philadelphia Cream Cheese factory and taking a tour”. Umm….there is no such factory. And I learned on that sad day that the name was chosen during the 19th century because Philadelphia had a great reputation for making food. It originated in New York. The more you know :-p
The funniest was probably the first tour story I have. I was 18. We were in a legit tour bus with absolute rock legends. Joey Molland from Badfinger, Chris Slade from ACDC, Carmine Appice, Paul Shortino from Quiet Riot who incidentally was also in Spinal Tap. The tour promoter didn’t pay the tour bus driver and so the tour bus left us all in the middle of the desert in Nevada and emptied its waste storage as we all stood there wondering what was next. The beginning of a true rock and roll lifestyle for me ☺
If you could collaborate with any person living or dead, who would that be and why?
I’ve already gotten my dream cowrite-Lori McKenna. Where do you go from there?! I think I’d love to write a song with Tom Petty. Nobody does it better.
What's next for Grace Morrison?
I’ve got a few songwriter festivals and tours this summer through the fall. I’m hoping to sell 1k copies of Saltwater Country by the end of the year…..I’m almost halfway there! And I may or may not have already started recording the next project….my pen don’t wanna stop!
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