The Kings Fool

Morgan Evans

2007 has been the busiest and most successful year of young Morgan Evans career. The lead singer guitarist of local punk pop rockers Solver (formerly Extortion) has made it BIG in the world of country music after taking out the 2006 Telstra Road to Tamworth competition. His new songwriting cohort, former Supersonic guitarist and lead vocalist, Mark Wells, is in this years final vying for his opportunity to follow in Morgs footsteps.

Wicksy sat down with the duo find out about their new songwriting direction and the single they co-wrote which is being released through Sony music September 8th.

“I have always thought that a good song is a good song, and that the arrangement sort of follows and sort of colours it”, starts Mark when i comment upon the maturity of their combined contemporary sound. “If you’ve got a good chorus and a good verse and it moves you, then your half way there. The lyrics can obviously be put into a genre and the arrangement can, but really its about the song and that’s the thing that gets people”.

Mark Wells

“Definitely and you see a lot of that in music at the moment with people like Ryan Adams (who the boys go to see perform in Sydney later that evening, and an artist whose material Mark performed in his Road to Tamworth Heat) who do rock, but is it rock or is it country but is it folk but is it … just good music”, concurs a considered Morgan. “And then there’s people like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band that have been singing this stuff for years. People like Tom Petty who are rock but appeal to everyone, and then there are people like Bon Jovi who just decided to do a country album, which is awesome.

“I’ve been into country music since i was a kid and there are not that many outlets for it here in this country which was kind of unfortunate up until now, when this competition came along i thought why the hell not I’ll get up and give it a go. I had been doing a few solo gigs anyway and ended up doing really well and getting into the final and playing a song I wrote with this guy, and was lucky enough to win that, which took me all over the place this year which has been cool”.

Part of the Morgan’s prize pack included recording time in Nashville and L.A and the release of a single through Sony.

“So, the single, the big question, the catalyst for our conversation, give us the details…”

“It’s called Big Skies”, announces Morgan, “do you want to tell the story”, he says to Mark proddingly.

“I was actually in hospital at the time for various reasons and they are not the most inspiring places at times, and we had always wanted to write a big song. It was kind of a way of writing a song about getting out of a confined space and enjoying life to its fullest potential”, Mark animatedly explains.

“I think we done alright too” says Morgs adamantly and modestly. “It certainly makes me feel that way”

It sounds Big” he cheekily harps drawing laughter from the lot of us.

The chances of moving to America are longterm plans, but they are realistic considering that on his trip to Nashville, Morgan got to open the main arena on the closing night of the Country Music Awards Festival to over 35,000 people.

“This is something that just doesn’t happen to anyone, you were picked for obvious reasons they obviously thought that you were capable of doing it, so you know, these are things that have to be weighted, you have to be ready for it. How at home were you up there? Were you ready”?

“Yeah i was actually” he confidently replies with true humility. “I played those two songs which i had written with Mark and they were about that kind of thing”.

“Yes i believe the phrase was ‘let’s write a stadium song’” chortles Mark.

“We wrote a stadium song and i got to play it in a stadium not long after, I think i remember telling the crowd that. I’ve seen video footage of the performance and i had the biggest goofiest grin plastered on my face the whole time, it was great. And you know, i would never rule out the option of moving there, i would love to do it at some stage in my life, it’s just a matter of when and how and in what capacity.

Big Skies will be launched through Sony Sept 8th with the lauch party on the 29th of September at the Queen’s Wharf Brewery Newcastle from 6.30 out on the wharf. Special guest appearances may include Marisa Saroca, Adam Miller and more

www.myspace.com/morgev

www.myspace.com/markwells1

Tags: Mark Wells, Morgan Evans, Solver, Telstra Road to Tamworth