photo by Alison Schmidt
WHAT IS THIS DRUM AND VOICE RECORD?
From DRAG CITY's one-sheet:
"TO THE BREATHING WORLD is, as the title implies, a debut album, as well as a letter of love to the world at large and small. Sober of voice, ecstatic in heart and mind, Neal Morgan has broken through, and coming through the polyphony of voices and blur of arms and legs and sticks and cymbals is the sound of a manifesto. . .â€
TO THE BREATHING WORLD is a drum and voice record, composed entirely of my own drumming and singing, made in between tours playing with Joanna Newsom in support of Ys beginning in early 2007.
This is a special debut album for me. After two decades drumming and singing in support roles and learning other instruments with which I had no sacred bond thinking I had to do so in order to make my own music, I found that all I needed was just the drums and my voice. The result is that, for the first time, I’ve found something to call my own.
WHY LISTEN IN HEADPHONES? From DRAG CITY's one-sheet: "The sound of TO THE BREATHING WORLD is spread visually, with a mental compass arcing from ear to ear. The relationships of the sounds to the song, and the impulse of where exactly was best to put them, is represented in the final mix – a mix achieved in the cans, with pans being just as important to the song as the lyrics and the playing. This makes the arrangement."
SHORT BIO:
Neal Morgan is a drummer and vocalist living in Portland, Oregon. His music consists entirely of drumming and singing. His first solo album, To The Breathing World, will be self-released in October 20, 2009 with distribution by Drag City. In addition to writing and performing original material, he accompanies Joanna Newsom and other fellow musicians from Nevada City, CA.
