End of the road
Tulsa songwriter, John Mooreland, finishes a landmark year with two Oklahoma shows.
John Moreland was trying not to fall off a mountain.
On a 10-hour drive through the Norwegian wilderness earlier this year, the Tulsa singer-songwriter, 32, was relying on a one-lane road to make it to another concert in support of his boldest, brightest record to date. “Big Bad Luv” landed May 5 via 4AD, and he made it to that show and dozens more.
Moreland thought he was somewhere in Maryland when he spoke with me on his way to a Grand Ole Opry appearance he’d subsequently follow up with opening set for John Prine the following night. He joked he was fuzzy on exactly what day it was. It’s been a busy, trying year, although it’s nothing he hasn’t seen after several years making a living as a touring musician.
Moreland’s 2017 switched into high gear after agreeing to join Iron & Wine for several weeks on the road along with multiple invitations to perform in Europe, including a guest spot on the coveted “Jools Holland” show. He’s also been profiled by the New Yorker and GQ called Moreland the “new face of folk rock.”
“The thing that was crazy about it was I had a full year of touring crammed into several months,” Moreland
told The Oklahoman. “‘Big Bad Luv’ didn’t come out until May. Before that, we weren’t really doing anything.”
Traveling thousands of miles quickly charged that relaxed atmosphere. Keeping up with Iron & Wine’s no walk in the park. Their tourmates traveled at night in a comfortable bus while Moreland and Co. woke up extra early to drive and catch up thefollowing morning.
“Peoplewere hitting us up to say, ‘When you’re in this city, we should hang,’ “Moreland said. “We seriouslydidn’t have a minute to spare. We’re driving, we’re at the show or we’re sleeping. Those were the only things we did all day.”
Moreland’s closing his busiest year ever with a pair of homecoming shows, and I caught up with him to see just how much (or how little) his life has changed after his van’s odometergot some rest.
Here’s a few highlights from our chat.
Q: You shared a few of your favorite 2017 albums recently. Can you tell me what stuck out about Kendrick Lamar’s “DAMN”?
John Moreland: We’ve listened to it in the van a lot .... It’s super woke and enlightened while at the same time it’s tough, too. It has a no bulls—-vibe that I really like.
Q: You just wrapped touring with Iron & Wine, and they struck me as a fitting tour partner. Did any of those
shows stick out to you?
Moreland: A lot of those shows were really good. I think the last one in New York City a couple nights ago at The Town Hall was maybe the best one because it was a cool, old historic theater. The sound was really perfect. Ending the tour with them in New York was triumphant . ... Even though we still have a few more things left, it felt like we reached the mountaintop.
Q: You were on the road so frequently this year. What did you do to kill time between shows?
Moreland: Sometimes I read. I go through phases where I read a couple books really fast, and then I won’t read anything for two months after that. This tour, I downloaded the GarageBand app on my phone. I was trying to play with loops, get song ideas, make beats or whatever. We mostly just listen to music and talk s—-. For me, writing is a very solitary thing. You just don’t get muchalone time while on a tour. I’ve been trying to make myself do it more, and I’ve written a couple things on the road.
Q: You’re playing more shows in a lot of illustrious venues. Does playing live feel any different?
Moreland: It definitely feels different because I’m playing with John Calvin Abney. I got so tired of playing solo shows that it was really a breath of fresh air.Performing with another human is awesome. I don’t think he’s ever played the same song the same way twice. It’s cool to listen to what he’s going to do, and he makes it exciting every time.
I think we balance each other out. When I played solo, I used to have the tendency to be super serious. I wanted everyone to be quiet. He just has fun. His personality really comes through his playing. He lifts me up, but I keep him floating into outer space. I think it’s a good formula.
Q: Will your upcoming shows in Tulsa and Oklahoma City be the two of you?
Moreland: We’ll have arhythmsection. It’ll be me with John Calvin,Aaron Boehler playing bass andPaddy Ryan playing drums. We’lldo a duo part of the set with me and Calvin but these will be full-band,
rock ‘n’ roll shows.
I think it’s going to feel really, really good. I said that Iron& Wine show in New York felt triumphant, but I think these are going to be 10 times as much. We’re going to do these shows, and I’ll go to Little Rock to see some friends. Ithink that whole weekend is going to be my unofficial Christmas party. During our break, I’m going to try to write, record some demos and really not do much else.
Q: You’ve received praise from popular songwriters like Jason Isbell and Miranda Lambert. When you meet these people, do you ever get star-struck?
Moreland: The only time I’ve been a little star-struck was meeting Steve Earle, and when I met Tchad Blake. Blake isn’t super famous, but for recording nerds he’s a big deal. That was really exciting. I met with him and talked him into mixing my record.
Q: John Prine strikes me as another fitting personality for you to accompany. Do you see yourself as being a lifer similar to him?
Moreland: As far as songwriting, I want to keep making new music forever. I don’t feel like John Prine. I feel like Tom Petty or something. I used to play solo all the time, and this year we’ve been performing mostly duo stuff. It takes a more folky, singer-songwriter angle, but in my head I’m playing rock ‘n’ roll music. So, yes and no.
Q: I remember reading that
you consider Tom Petty to be the soundtrack to your life. What’d you listen to when he passed earlier this year?
Moreland: I was playing a show in Kansas City that night, and we put on Tom Petty as the house music. We also turned on the house music way before doors opened. I don’t remember what the first song was, but it was his entire catalog on shuffle for six hours.
Q: Your wife, Pearl, tours with you and designs a lot of your merchandise. What’s it like collaborating with her?
Moreland: I feel like her aesthetic really matches mine. She’ll show me stuff out of nowhere, and I’m like, “Holy s—- that’s awesome.” Sometimes, I’ll have an idea, but she’s much more technically inclined than I am. She’s able to make it come to life in a way that I couldn’t. It rules. I’m always worried that I’m being annoying with my suggestions. She puts up with me. She also wants me to tell you that I’m a better designer than she is. But that’s not true.
Q: Speaking of artwork, I really liked the “Big Bad Luv” neon sign y’all designed for the record. Where does that live?
Moreland: It’s in our garage. It’s mounted on this backing that’s fragile. When we ordered it, we didn’t realize how big it was. It’s 4 feet by 4 feet . ... Maybe we’ll be able hang it at one of these upcoming shows.