The New, New Face – Interview with Rob Morrow Band

How do you usually write the lyrics of your songs?

Carlos (Calvo) and I jam out the music parts based on musical ideas, riffs or beats either of us are thinking about. And usually once we get a groove going, I’ll vocalize gibberish over that and record onto a phone. Then I take that and spend some time writing the lyrics. Once I feel I have something, I go back to Carlos and we shape it into the final song.

Is there a link/a theme between all the songs of your forthcoming release?

Love, sex and finding our way in this world.

Are you ever scared of revealing aspects of your personal experience to strangers through your music?

I’ve been an artist a long time and I have a need to convert my own experience into art. That said, I might camouflage some things to protect me or others…

What has your journey in the music industry been like up to now?

More as a fan and listener. I’ve only been writing music for about 10 years, but it has consumed me in that time.

What was the soundtrack to your childhood?

A lot of Motown.

What was the first record you ever bought?

Probably the Jackson 5.

What is your favorite song (not written by you) lyrically speaking?

Hard to reduce to one, but the Eagles ‘Wasted Time’ is high up on the list.

What inspired “The New, New Face”?

My wife, Debbon, was telling me about an article she read about what is going on with plastic surgery and face lifts. It used to be the ‘new face’, which is the classic pulled back, taught skin look. Now it’s become the ‘new, new face’, which is the big lips, filler and botox thing. I liked the phrase and it ended up in my song notebook.

And “Good As Dead”?

I had just seen the doc “Muscle Shoals” and Carlos and I were talking about swampy low down grooves. That got us going with the music. At the same time, I was reading a book ‘The Untethered Soul’ by Michael A. Singer. He had the phrase “I’m not the voices in my head, I’m the one who hears them”. That started me toward a spiritual theme and the lyric, “I know wants and needs won’t give me what I seek. And I know that pleasures last just as long as they can peak. And I know that who I am ain’t the voices in my head”.

Do you remember the day you wrote “Tyranny of Beauty”? What’s the song about?

I love beauty and sometimes feel captive to it. I had written down ‘Tyranny of Beauty’ in my song notebook. And I usually scroll through it when I’m searching for ideas. This jumped out at me.

What is the best show you ever played?

The “Eyes to the Skies” festival outside of Chicago last summer. We played a 90 minute set for about 5000 people. It was mostly originals with a few fun covers thrown in. The venue was a beautiful outdoor natural amphitheater and we went on at sunset. We had a blast. When we held that audience for 90 minutes, I knew we could play anywhere.

What are your plans for 2018?

We are launching a crowd funder with Pledge Music to finish our first LP. Very psyched about that. Lots of fun stuff for pledgers. I’m ready to bring my fan base over to my music. It’s time.