Bend over and kick yourself really hard. The folks who were there will appreciate this interview with Jen and Jeff.

(link...)

Now make sure you come to the RB Morris Trio show this Friday!

And he graciously takes the time to answer them.

RB and his trio will play for us Friday. Here's the info. There's plenty of room at this point so come on and bring friends and let's give RB the support he deserves.

Me...You've worked with Lucinda Williams, Al Kooper, John Prine and a bunch of great musicians over your career. The last time you were at Market Street you had just come back from opening for John Prine. We didn't get to talk about that much at the time, so now I want to pin you down about what it's like to work with a man most of us hold just short of deification?

RB...It's a great honor, of course. And, it may sound obvious to say this but, it's a great musical experience. Prine, his band, his road crew, are all about the music and bringing a great musical show. It always makes you want to rise to the occasion and give a little extra. I could recount a lot of wonderful memories from playing shows with John, it's been a musical and professional blessing. Although it was probably quite predictable that I would butt heads with music biz types and be a tough case to plug into that world, I've been very lucky to perform and record with some of the great artists, songwriters and musicians, of the last few generations. I count that as a feather in the troubador's hat that I'm proud to wear.

Here's the video of RB and John Prine

Me.. You are holding your daughter on the cover of your "Rich Mountain Bound" cd. How does being a dad fit in to your musical career?

RB...Having the blessing of children just enriches one's life, gives you undeniable knowledge and hopefully wisdom from which to draw upon. If you think of Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young, Tom Waits, they all had children. We shouldn't forget that rocknroll is still a relatively new art form, and that the biz, as well as much of the public, view it as a kid's game. But Beethoven didn't start playing a whole different kind of music when he got older, and rockers won't either. Rock came out of gospel and blues and folk, all of which have traditions of older players. Those who have lived longer and have more life experiences, certainly including children, have to step up and lay their art down and keep expanding the tradition.

Me... You are a playwright, actor, poet and a singer songwriter. That seems hard to fit in with having been a logger and building your own cabin on a mountain top. One day when your daughter asks you what you do what will you tell her?

RB...I'll tell her 'Whatever needs done'. I've always just followed my muse, which for many years sent me out into the high and wide, and away from anything close to the music biz. I was always writing songs and poems but also building experience and hopefully gathering knowledge in general. I think I could spend few lifetimes just trying to write about what I've seen and lived already. And sometimes it just naturally takes the shape of different forms of writing and creative expression.

Me... As a solo artist you've given us two great shows already at Market Street. This time you're bringing the fine musicians, Daniel Kimbro and Greg Horne, who make up the RB Morris Trio. How is it different playing as one of three?

RB...It's just a fuller expression of the songs, fleshing them out with more ambiance of what the song's about. Sometimes a solo performer delivering his own song is the strongest presentation and representation of a song. Something of that can be lost by adding instruments and production, but not necessarily. I try to keep all that in mind and bring extra musical dimensions without losing the singular and personal expression of the song.

Me... Since we saw you last you've been playing with a swing band and a blues band. Is rap next? I'm joking, but you have such a versatile voice it seems like there isn't any musical genre you can't fit in to. Is it just part of the challenge or are you bored and want something new?

RB...We were all raised with all these musical genres, they are really a part of us, and all the genres overlap as well in their creative attributes. The fact that writing and performing cross over those lines isn't new or unusual. I think the biz and circumstances in general keep it from happening more often, those who have an interest in keeping things separate and labeled. For me and most songwriters and musicians I know, it's natural and no big deal to write and perform in a variety of the great American genres of music. I will say, I was very pleased to sit in and perform with a big swing band, not just because I could have a 'Sinatra' moment, but because they were working up and arranging my songs for a big band sound. So I was still performing my work, and just fortunate enough to hear the songs arranged and played with that classic big band sound.

Me... Will we see and hear any new songs Friday?

RB...Yes, a few new ones, and some old ones you haven't heard, and some you have heard that will sound different with Greg and Daniel joining in.

Me.. Anything else?

RB...Well, I have a new book of poems almost ready for publication. I may throw a couple of those in the mix.

Me...That would be excellent. See you Friday.