Music Q&A with Rob Morrison of The Booklights

New York based folk act The Booklights, independently released their debut EP, Into A Ball just last week! Rob Morrison (lead vocals, guitar, mandolin), took some time to answer some questions about the EP, his favorite band to see live, his dream collaboration, and more!

Into A Ball is out now!

Congratulations on the release of your EP! It’s awesome! What does the EP mean to you?
Thank you! The Into a Ball EP encapsulates all the sounds and genres that the Booklights like to dabble in — backwoods folk, pastoral Americana, dark psychedelia, and an almost 1930s style sense of novelty/humor — and rolls them all up, into a ball, if you will. On a personal level, the EP means a lot to me. The Booklights were active in 2014-2015, and had been on indefinite hiatus until the pandemic. We decided to record the EP completely remotely in mid-2020, and it was a really lovely feeling to get the band back together and collaborate again.

What is your favorite song off the EP? What is it about it that makes it your favorite?
Oof, it’s really hard to pick a favorite! I love the Velvet Underground, and I think our cover of “All Tomorrow’s Parties” is really special. It’s a very spacey, droney, almost Celtic take on the song, and the textures we achieved…I feel like I could listen to that song over and over again, which I normally wouldn’t say about my own music. Of the originals, I’m drawn to “My Woman, the Almanac.” It’s a love song that incorporates poetic imagery and manages not to be a mundane story about romance.

What artist/band are you a fan of that would surprise people?
People who know me wouldn’t necessarily be surprised, but I’m a huge fan of Soft Machine and other early 70s jazz rock bands like Hatfield and the North, the National Health, and Nucleus. The Booklights don’t sound anything like those acts. Our music is steeped in Americana, and I could rattle off probably 20 big influences in that genre. But I do love me some Soft Machine. There’s something very exciting to me about the blend of psychedelia and jazz they were able to accomplish. I think Third is one of the greatest records of all time.

Who has been your favorite artist/band to see live?
Radiohead, hands down. They’re one of my biggest influences, and I finally got to see them live (on my birthday) at Madison Square Garden a few years ago. Hearing those songs live, and seeing how the band approached these well-trod tunes was really informative. Thom Yorke is such an uncanny vocalist, but my eyes were mostly glued to Ed O’Brien…I knew he played a lot of textural, ambient stuff in their music, but actually watching him do it live, and seeing how he interacted with his guitar and effects, was so cool.

How old were you when you started playing music? Do you play any other instruments in addition to what you play in The Booklights?
My first instrument was alto saxophone; I started playing in third grade, around the age of 9. In The Booklights, I play mandolin, acoustic guitar, and resonator guitar with a slide (usually in an open tuning). I also play banjo, dobro, Appalachian dulcimer, lap steel guitar, and harmonica.

If you had a chance to collaborate with a musician, dead or alive, who would it be?
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. I’m fascinated by the utter perfection of their songcraft, and their interplay (vocally as well as instrumentally). If they could bottle that magic up, I’d pay any price for it! And to collaborate with them would be beyond my wildest dreams.

What is your favorite thing about making music?
Music has a life of its own; even more so with collaborators. It can’t really be controlled, exactly, but you can sculpt it. And I think that’s an important distinction. With good collaborators who enjoy active listening, you can sculpt music as a group. But too much control kills the music. For me, song ideas come from someplace entirely outside of myself. If your grip is too tight, those ideas won’t come.

What helps you stay positive?
Other people —collaborators! The last year and a half has been a tough time for everyone, and for those of us who struggle with depression, the circumstances were pretty unprecedented. But having other people to talk to, and create with, has certainly helped guide my thoughts in a more positive direction instead of getting stuck in negative thought patterns. Lauren, Benny, and Rachel are all wonderful people (and bandmates), as well as being hilarious, so connecting with them has been super helpful for me.

Any last words or final message for the readers?
To anyone who’s listened to our music, or watched our music video, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. As an artist, I spend so much time on a piece, making sure everything is right, and being so focused on the creative process. And it feels almost terrifying to finally finish it, give up control, and release it into the world. But it’s so gratifying to hear back from folks who’ve connected with our music, and to hear that it’s meant something to them. That makes it all worth it. So keep creating. It can feel very uncertain, and like a lot of work, but you’ll be glad you did it.

Music Q&AJazmin LemusAugust 13, 2021the booklights, music q&a, music