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Travis Morrison | |
|---|---|
 Morrison performing withThe Dismemberment Plan at theBlack Cat in Washington, D.C., on January 21, 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1972-12-16)December 16, 1972 (age 52) |
| Genres | Indie rock |
| Occupations |
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| Instruments |
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| Years active | 1993–2009, 2011–present |
| Labels | |
| Website | travismorrison.com |
Travis Morrison (born December 16, 1972) is an American musician and web developer from theNorthern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., United States. He is best known as leader of indie-rock bandThe Dismemberment Plan and as a solo artist.
After picking up various instruments around age 12, Morrison stuck with guitar and began forming bands throughout his high school days atLake Braddock Secondary School inFairfax County, Virginia. He was on Lake Braddock's English Team and claimed to be "pathetically happy" upon defeating the english team ofThomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology one year.[1]
After "getting out of Fairfax" he attendedThe College of William and Mary inWilliamsburg, Virginia for three years before dropping out to pursue a band. He worked at the campus radio stationWCWM, which he claimed was "worth tuition right there." At WCWM he became well versed in many types of music, "fromJohn Coltrane to Germanart rock." He continues to have wide-ranging musical taste to this very day, having claimed to enjoy everything fromBritney Spears,Gladys Knight,XTC,Fugazi,Ludacris andGo-go. He finds additional inspiration in the music ofHarry Nilsson, which he often listens to before a concert.[2]
In 1993, Morrison formedThe Dismemberment Plan with old Lake Braddock friends. Despite his mother's initial reluctance, the band practiced in bassist Eric Axelson's basement frequently and began playing shows. By 1995 they released their debut album! on D.C. basedDeSoto Records. After original drummer Steve Cummings left the band, he was replaced by Joe Easley and the band's lineup would remain that way throughout their existence. Morrison was the guitarist and vocalist for The Plan from their formation in 1993 to their final show at the9:30 Club in D.C in 2003. The band released four LPs and two EPs and gained a large following for their energetic live show, mostly due to Morrison's "booty-shaking" moves onstage.[original research?] Their final two studio albumsEmergency & I andChange were some of the most revered rock albums in the late-90s and early-2000s.[citation needed] Despite this, the band continued to work freelance jobs on the side to support themselves, Morrison taking up various computer and graphic design jobs.
In 2004, Morrison moved toSeattle, Washington, and began working closely in the studio with bothBen Gibbard andChris Walla ofDeath Cab for Cutie, a frequent tourmate of The Plan. Morrison then began doing a nationwide tour of a solo show with just him and an acoustic guitar. The shows consisted of him doing mostly covers of songs varying a wide variety of genres (from Spoon toFiddler on the Roof and beyond). He also began playing some songs he was working on for a solo album. Around this time, he posted up mp3s of songs he was working on for his solo album as well as a cover of Ludacris's "What's Your Fantasy" which was listed as a "must download" inEntertainment Weekly.
In the summer of 2004, Morrison had moved back to the D.C. area and in September 2004 he released his first solo album,Travistan, throughBarsuk Records. The album was co-produced byChris Walla.
In September 2004 Morrison assembled a band to play his solo songs live. Consisting of Brandon Kalber (bass, keyboards), Saadat Awan (drums), David Brown (percussion), Kristen Forbes (keyboards and backup vocals) and Morrison on vocals and keyboards. At first the band's live show consisted of three synths, percussion and drums but Morrison stated "none of us could play keyboards very well, so it was kind of hard after a while."Over time, Forbes left the band, the band introduced guitar & bass to their live sound and the band would begin touring asTravis Morrison Hellfighters. Travis and the Hellfighters continued to tour for the album and demoed new songs together. By the summer of 2005, the band had come into their own and were playing shows of entirely new material, only playing the occasionalTravistan song. Travis and the Hellfighters have finished a new album, titledAll Y'all, that was released on August 21, 2007,[3] and is currently streaming on Travis' website[4] and was produced by Travis's former bandmate, Jason Cadell.[5] The album was mixed byJoel Hamilton.
The final Hellfighters lineup (as of 2009) was:
In the summer of 2009, Morrison's official website was updated to state that he has retired from making music, and that there will be no more shows, records or bands. WhenThe Dismemberment Plan reunited for shows in early 2011, Morrison said of the 'retirement', "I think I just didn’t have any plans for any solo music, and I just think I thought it sounded funny to say I was retiring ... I mean, it seems more fun than to say, 'I have no plans.'" In March 2011, he toldGlide Magazine that Time Travel plans on making an album.[6] In May 2012, D.C. labelBad Friend Records released a 7" of previously unheard material[7] the Travis Morrison Hellfighters recorded before breaking up.
As of mid-2012, Morrison lives in theNew York City area, works as acomputer programmer (formerly atThe Washington Post and thenHuffington Post), and is married to journalist and podcaster Katherine Goldstein.[2]
Morrison's other singing outlet has been regular participation in anEpiscopal Church choir.[2]
Morrison is notable for being very vocal about the culture of the Washington, D.C. area. Morrison has always insisted on touring with fellow D.C. acts, both with The Plan and solo. Despite releasingTravistan onBarsuk Records, he remains supportive of D.C.-basedDeSoto Records. In his lyrics he makes mention to the area (see below), the liner notes toChange feature photos taken around Washington, D.C., notably of The Uptown Theatre. The logo forTravistan resembles the flag of theDistrict of Columbia. He's a very active fan of Washington area sports, mainly theWashington Wizards. He placed a link on his website to an online petition to change the name of theWashington Nationals to theWashington Grays in honor ofthe old D.C.Negro leagues team. Both with The Plan and solo he frequently played and continues to play shows at D.C. live venue staplesBlack Cat,Fort Reno and the9:30 Club. He has kicked around the idea of doing a tour of the outlying suburbs of D.C since he once lived inLorton, Virginia, and knows how difficult it can be to get downtown for a show.
Recently around D.C. he has also done volunteer work with We Are Family D.C., a non-profit organization and returned to his William & Mary days by DJing withWMUC at theUniversity of Maryland, College Park. He has also sung in several D.C. area church choirs, including a recent season with theNational Cathedral.[citation needed]
In 2005 through most of 2007 Morrison lived in theCapitol Hill neighborhood of Washington, DC with his girlfriend and worked for the website ofThe Washington Post, heading their advertising programming and production department.
Morrison frequently refers to D.C. area locations and themes in his songs. References include:
