Kendra Morris {Interview}

 Sultry, seductive and soulful Kendra Morris packs a punch. She is a New York based singer/songwriter who has been on the grind, creating captivating tunes. GroundSounds had the chance to chop it up with Kendra, check out the interview below!

First of all thanks for taking time to talk to us here at GroundSounds, how are you doing?

I’m good! I’ve just been working from home for like the past 5 hours tonight, but I feel good.

Now you just got off of tour not too long ago. Where did you go and how was the tour?

I did actually a solo tour with my friend Julia Haltigan, and I didn’t bring my band. We went all through the south, we did Nashville, Knoxville, Alabama, Atlanta, New Orleans, Florida, and it was awesome. I took the tour as a challenge…that’s how I work best I think, by giving myself little challenges. I’ve always played guitar, and recently I got really rusty at it because I don’t usually play guitar with my band, but I started out writing music on guitar. So when this tour came up, I was like alright, “If I do this tour I have to practice.” I’m glad I did it, cause now I feel sooo much better, back on my instrument, ready for writing again.  

Now you grew up in Florida, but moved to NYC as a member of an all girl band?

[Giggles] Yes. I grew up in St. Petersburg, FL and I always was in other people’s bands, and finally I was just like “Enough is enough,” I need to do this for me. I want to be an artist, ya know? So I decided I would just put together a band, and I’ll do it with girls. We could barely play our instruments but we still took shows. I think that’s been the way that I’ve always done things, and its gotten me into trouble, but it’s gotten me much further in the long run. I’ve always just been someone just that always was putting stuff out there. I knew being in that band was going to get me playing guitar, get me writing, get me starting to learn the business and putting myself out there. That band was the catalyst that brought me to New York

Now I heard once you got to New York and started doing your solo thing, you would go to shows with your guitar, a boombox, and you…and that was your setup, that was your show?

TOTALLY! I wish I could show you. It’s buried in my closet right now. It’s a SHARP GF777. I found it at a flea market. I was like “This is the best day ever! This is gonna be great for parties,” because I lived in this big loft in Bushwick. And I was staring at it, and saw the microphone jack. And I grabbed my guitar and plugged it in, and it sounded amazing! It was the dirtiest sound. I would lug it to every single show. That boombox came with me everywhere.

How did you come up with the title Banshee for your album? 

I’ve always been curious about banshees. There was this Disney movie when I was a little kid called Darby O’gill and The Little People, and there was this banshee in the movie. You would see her shadow and she would come screeching, and I remember seeing that as a little kid. There is such an incredible story behind them…they are these wailing, screaming harbingers of death. It sort of pertains to what I hope I can do on stage, like you know, casting spells with your voice.

Who are your biggest musical influences?

Marvin Gaye is a huge influence vocally. I love where his voice goes and the moods that he brings to the music. Beach Boys, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Roberta Flack. I listen to so much music, and I’m constantly changing my influences…Tina Turner. I love old Ike and Tina, that stuff is sooo good. Lately I’ve been listening to a lot of La Lupe…she called herself “Sex, Fire, and Voodoo.”

Now as with any form of art, and especially with music, people always feel the need to compare artists to set a context in describing someone’s music. I imagine you must get compared to certain artists…say Amy Winehouse, maybe Adele…how do you deal with those comparisons?

Both those ladies are/were super talented so I can’t complain about the comparisons. We both share a lot of common influences as well, and that can come out in our music. However, I know the more someone peels back the layers of who I am as an artist they see that I stand on my own.

You did a cover of a Pink Floyd song that is in a new movie trailer?

We did a cover of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” and it recently got licensed to be the main trailer song for the new Colin Farell movie, Dead Man Down. I went to go see Django Unchained on Christmas, and the trailer played right before it and I was sitting there with my dad and I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to stand up and scream “That’s me!!!” but I knew people throw their popcorn at me. So I just high-fived my dad. 

And you have a new covers album coming out soon right?

I think the rough date is the end of May? It’s called Mockingbird.   

Can you give us an exclusive and tell us some of the tracks that’s gonna be on it?

Umm…I don’t know if I’m ready to tell you what’s gonna be on there. I have to leave mystery…I can give you hints though. One of the songs is a Wu-Tang sample.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I see myself doing what I’m doing now…Creating and performing but on a much much larger scale. Inspire, be inspired, reinspire. More albums, each carefully knit from the things that inspire me in everyday life and handed to someone else for something that makes them feel good. 

If you were on a deserted island and could only bring 3 albums, what 3 would they be?

I often blank out.. Especially with these kinds of questions.. It’s like I get stage fright! 

Marvin Gaye What’s Going On, Beach Boys Pet Sounds, Pink Floyd Dark Side Of The Moon… Man.. What a rough question for a girl that changes favorite songs like she changes underwear…Haha xx

Photo Credit: Janette Beckman/ Eric White