Shannon Morris

"Analytical - A nice folk-tinged rocker." -Billboard Magazine 1/23/93 "His sound is musically adept..." "Morris’ earnest, expressive voice stands out in the work." -Liz Van Hooser Columbia Daily Tribune "Shannon, you write it and I'll sign it. I've lied for worse!" -Richard King, Owner of The Blue Note and Mojo's "Shannon Morris's creative musical influence and business sense reflects commitment to the success of the establishments that employ him. His drive demands the audience's respect, wins attention, and produces involvement." -Andrew Vrooman, Owner of The Thirsty Turtles and The Hartsburg Hitchin' Post

The Strummin' Wolves My musical career began in 1987 when I joined an acoustic original/Grateful Dead cover band called The Strummin' Wolves. We eventually became electric and developed quite a following. It was the kind of band that was tolerable 90% of the time, the other 10% of the time it was magical. The band consisted of Nick Kopcha on rhythm guitar & vocals, Stu Soloman on keyboard and vocals, Tom Franklin and I took turns playing bass & lead guitar (I also sang), and the fabulous Donny Lee Romine played drums. We were occasionally joined by Chopper on lead guitar & vocals. (Chopper went on to help form Blue Dixie, and now sits in with The Dark Star Orchestra) We also had Dave Sakamoto & John Benton on percussion from time to time, as well as Sam, Rita, & Valerie on vocals. A couple of us hung around to be part of The Kind, which sort of took up where the Wolves left off. The line-up was Nick, Tom, Jerry Saracini on percussion, and myself. Jerry looks like he's doing pretty good in a band called Slowpoke. The Stark Ravens The Stark Ravens, which was my roommate Kenton Atwell and I, (he came up with the name) never played anywhere but our living room. Too bad, we were great! If you liked Sorry Ma, Forgot To Take Out The Trash by The Replacements, you would've liked us. Sly, Slick, & Wicked I also did a few shows in the early 1990's playing rhythm guitar with an R&B group called Sly, Slick, and Wicked. Unfortunately, my time with them was short, and I don't have any information about that band. Mah Jones Mah Jones came along in 1992. I switched over to bass guitar and provided vocals on a few tunes. Milon George played lead guitar and sang, Pete Hille played rhythm guitar and sang, and Sean Erickson was the percussionist. We recorded Analytical at Red Line Studio in Columbia to be released on the Noise Ordinance compilation CD. Chris Morris (no relation, I swear) wrote in Billboard magazine-"Top cuts on this diverse compilation include Analytical, a nice folk-tinged rocker by Mah Jones." Sadly, Milon is no longer part of our world. We will forever miss him... The Marabouts The Marabouts had been around for several years when founding members Dave Brooks and Mark White contacted me. Soon, my roommate Sean Erickson (that's right, the same one from Mah Jones) and I were part of the band. Once again, I was on bass guitar and vocals. We did some recording at Warren Media in Columbia, and at Mercy Records in Lawrence, Kansas. KFMZ released The Matador on the 10:00 Newz compilation. It got some airplay, call 'em up and tell 'em to give it some more! John McHale & Paradigm Revolutionaries In 1998 I had the pleasure of playing with John McHale & Paradigm Revolutionaries. This band allowed me to do so many new things. It was the first time since the Strummin' Wolves (ten years earlier) that I had been designated to play lead guitar. We appeared twice on the local morning talk show "Pepper & Friends." I played a major role in the creation of the Paradigm Revolutionaries CD. We traveled the Midwest finding more success on the road than any other band I've ever been in. I hope that I can someday inspire others as much as John McHale has inspired me. (fa-HEE-ta) While performing with John McHale, I became reacquainted with two old friends that used to play in Spankin' Rufus and Jonny Mosh. Dave Schultz (bass guitar), Gerry Blaise (percussion & vocals), and I (guitar & vocals) formed (fa-HEE-ta). Although we never gained mass appeal, we really were the best bar band around. Dave took the summer of 1999 off to go to New York City where he joined a band called Eve To Adam. They were backed by Desmond Child. While Eve To Adam went on tour with Motley Crue & The Scorpions, (fa-HEE-ta) recruited the talents of Mike Robertson and Dave Brooks (formerly of The Marabouts). When Dave Shultz returned from New York (much wiser) he was ready to play so much that we had to hire a second drummer! Sean Erickson (yes, the same one from the Marabouts, and before that, Mah Jones) was able to help us out on percussion. We went back to being a three piece until the band called it quits in March of 2000. You can see the remains of our website here. Del Alma It was an absolute honor to play with this superb Latino band. Alfredo Jimenez has been the mind, body, and spirit behind Del Alma (translated- of the soul) since 1992. The ever-evolving band has gained massive popularity and respect in the mid-Missouri area. I was asked to join when guitarist Tom Williams went on a short leave. Now, Tom Williams just happens to be one of the most incredible guitarists I have ever heard... Period. Latino music itself is enough of a challenge without having to play it like that! In spite of the pressure I placed on myself, I had a wonderful time playing with Del Alma. I'll never forget the pride I felt when at the end of our first show, Alfredo threw his arm over my shoulder and said "You sonofabitch, you did it!" I thought "Wow, yeah. I guess I did." Festivus Featuring- Shannon Morris - Guitar, lead & back-up vocals Mike Robertson - Bass, back-up vocals * Gerry Blaise - Percussion, lead & back-up vocals * Travis Huff - Trombone, trumpet, lead & back-up vocals * Tommy O'Connor - Guitar, tenor sax, lead vocals * Jerry Wagner - Alto sax, lead vocals (* formerly of Spankin' Rufus) Not long ago, percussionist Gerry Blaise, bassist Mike Robertson, and I were joined by saxaphonist Jerry Wagner and trombonist Travis Huff to play a show at Mojo's for the Mr. Legs benefit. Everyone knew right away that we were onto something. Afterwards, Travis got busy pulling everyone together for our first "real" practice as a new band. When I got the call, I was delighted to learn that we were adding the presence of the multi-talented musician Tom O'Connor. This may not mean much to all those youngin's out there, but to me, it meant that I was about to be in a band with four guys who used to be in Spankin' Rufus! Their flair for quirky precision combined with Mike's smooth-n-groovy bass lines (patent-pending), and my...(well, whatever ya call it) assures me that this will be a treat like no other. Gumpenny Shannon Morris, Mike Robertson, and Sean Erickson are Gumpenny. What kind of music does Gumpenny play? Fun, of course! Gumpenny will be picking things up right about where (fa-HEE-ta) left off, covering a wide range of rock and roll. We'll be playing a few more originals than (fa-HEE-ta), and there will definitely be more of a "jam band" element. One June Oracle In December of 2001, I proudly dug up and dusted off my bass guitar to became a part of One June Oracle. I think you'll agree that they were once one of the most promising bands in the area. Here's the introduction that you was found on their site. " From Columbia, Missouri One June Oracle has been mesmerizing audiences with their original music. The band's high energy performances, technical wizardry, creative songwriting combined with tempered, soulful lyrics, are the some of the reasons for their growing success. Drawing their influence from many different sources, One June Oracle has been able to create songs that are definitely unique but do not stray far from a soothing and somewhat familiar sound. One June Oracle was founded by singer/songwriter Pete Kim and former bassist Dave Wildermuth. The rest of the band consists of lead guitarist, Kevin Bucklew, and drummer, David Steinbach. This extraordinary independent band's work ethic and continual dedication to marketing and promotion put them in the top 5% of up and coming bands to watch for. In the United States, with around 100 stations playing their CD and growing, a song peaking at #2 on the Top40 charts on MP3 UK, performing with bands that are breaking nationally such as the Josh Joplin Group, and Soulcracker (VH1 Bands On The Run), music licensing agreements with global corporations such as BOSE (songs available to over 3000 new digital jukeboxes across the country) and DCN - digital club network (recorded live web performance archives), and national distribution of their debut CD "2 Moons for 54 Days" by three of the biggest distribution companies in the United States (Valley Media, Alliance Entertainment, and The Orchard), One June Oracle is poised to receive national recognition as a band in demand. " And then there was Waylaid, which sort of morphed into Carla Crockett's back up band, One Shot Crockett. As one person put it, Carla could sing Janis Joplin better than Janice could. I had originally joined as bassist while playing guitar with Waylaid, and eventually the rest of the band just sort of followed me into Carla's band when I took the guitar spot. Modern Gods is where I met Beau Rothwell, a very talented young man who writes, sings, plays drums, guitar, and keyboards. Beau and I stuck together to form Bad Dog Stay. With Mike Robertson on bass guitar, Bad Dog Stay is focused on developing our original material while tossing in a few familiar goodies to please the crowd.

In preparation for a gig, I am careful to select in a very professional manner... the equipment that still works!

Tim introduced me to soundclick.com. Thank you!! Tim's wife, who sings with him and is now beginning to write songs of her own. My songwriting, singing, guitar playing... my mother's voice alone outdoes them all!! A pleasant surprise to run into Bean here on soundclick! Now if we could just get him to post The Weasel Song! The band may be long gone, but the music remains! THIS JUST IN: Festivus is planning a second attack on the ears of Mid-America! The line-up? Glad you asked- Jerry Wagner - Saxophone, Vocals Travis Huff - Trombone, Vocals Tommy O'Connor - Guitar, Vocals David Schultz - Bass Gerry Blaise - Percussion, Vocals Shannon Morris - Guitar, Vocals