Gurf Morlix is an enigma. He is a major player. He can rock as hard as his lyrics pose questions. He is a roots MVP, having worked with a most impressive collective of artists through the years: Patty Griffin, Robert Earl Keen, Tom Russell, Warren Zevon, Lucinda Williams, Guy Clark, Ray Wylie Hubbard, just to name a few. In 2009 he produced albums by BettySoo, Slaid Cleaves, Romi Mayes, and porterdavis. Here are his credits from last year: Produced, engineered, mixed, mastered, played various instruments, including lap steel on Buddy and Julie Miller's Written in Chalk CD. 2010 is bringing more shows, more production, and I am sure, more surprises to be unveiled.
Morlix was acknowledged by the Americana Music Association as Instrumentalist of the Year in 2009 during the Americana Honors and Award ceremony at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. In pure Gurf style, he was not in attendance. I texted him only to find out it was to a land line. He is old school. So much so, that I hear the echoes in his lyrics of all those great brooding noir detective novels, you know, the ones where it is so clear the thought process, and you are screaming (on the inside) "No no no, don't do it!" I don't know why he chooses to explore the soft white underbelly, because he doesn't come off as dark when you talk to him, but for whatever reason, he deals well in dread. "One More Second" was on last year's CD Last Exit To Happytown, rendered here from our Threadgill's sessions in March.
-- Jessie Scott
