Lemonade: Local drummer finds his voice with new album

Drummers may very well be the unsung heroes of rock n' roll. Hidden behind a wall of guitarists, bassists and singers, they are the ones driving the band. It's their beats that become the rhythms that get toes to tap and lure listeners to the dance floor. It's not physically easy either. All four limbs are moving separately yet together and depending on the music often times at rapid speed. Then there are those drummers like Levon Helm, Phil Collins, and Dave Grohl where drumming isn't enough, they've got to sing, as well.

For the one-time local musician Neal Morgan, drumming while singing or vice versa comes naturally. Best known as Joanna Newsom's barefoot drummer, Morgan recently released his debut album “To the Breathing World” on Drag City. Comprised of just Morgan's free form drumming and ingenuous voice, the record is both a manifesto and a love letter to the world. It's also one of the most raw and personal glimpses of an artist coming into his own.

“I'm a singing drummer; that's all I do artistically, so a drum and voice record is the most natural kind of record for me to make, but it took a very long time for me to realize that the kind of musical expression and the kind of music-making that would be unique to me — where I'd have the feeling that I was on my own territory — HAD to be just drumming and singing,” explains Morgan in an email sent from his new digs in Portland, Ore.

Morgan sought inspiration for the album from his experiences growing up in Nevada County, playing and touring as part of Newsom's Ys Street Band, listening to Bjork and paying attention to the work of musical peer Zach Hill (Hella, Team Sleep). He's played the drums since he was nine-years old and dabbled with songwriting over the years, but it wasn't until he listened to his intuition and realized that banging on cans, pans and the drum kit could be just as important to the song as lyrics.

“I've been working at it [songwriting] for years, but nothing ever really felt like it was my own,” says Morgan. “It never felt like I was making MY music. So I actually feel like I just started. The songs on this record feel like the first ones I've ever made.”

Morgan along with local rock group Them Hills will tour the West Coast this November. Morgan will perform both solo and with Them Hills. Them Hills will be supporting their new record pre-release: Process [Side A] CD EP available only at live shows and Process full-length available through iTunes.

Lemonade is cool and refreshing, usually sweet and a little bit tart. Jesse Locks is a freelance writer. You can reach her at jesselocks@gmail.com.