04/27/2006
Many urbanites relocate to Litchfield County and never feel truly comfortable with the different pace of life the region offers, nor are they fully accepted by the locals. Musician Kenn Morr, who writes, plays guitar and sings for The Kenn Morr Band, is not one of those stories. Though he's lived in Colebrook only five years, and had no previous ties to the area, he has reached a level of small-town comfort and familiarity that few achieve.
He ingratiated himself with the locals and the local scenery early on, though not intentionally. "I'm a very private person, so it's a funny thing. The reason I moved here was for seclusion and privacy. I love people, but I love my own time and space too. Now, with two kids, I get even less of that," said the stay-at-home dad to two sons.
"The people here are so nice that all you have to do is be yourself. Nobody comes walking up to my door like, 'Hey, Kenn, wanna hang out?Everyone has given me space, and my interactions have gone smoothly with them because they are such good people. It's simp
He became better known locally through his "Moonlight Meadow Song," the closing number on his second CD, "New Moon Rising," and the first disc he wrote after relocating. "I had just written it. It was almost finished and I got word that Ed Case, a guy that lived up the street, had died. I probably only ever spoke to him twice, but I used to drive by his house and he had this beautiful vegetable garden and he'd be sitting out there and as you passed he'd raise a hand to you. I built up a sort of association with him in my mind.
"He was such a part of this great Colebrook scenery and I thought to myself, 'I want to talk to him,'" Mr. Morr continued. "One day he drove up and I was outside. He called me over and gave me this big brown bag full of the most unbelievable vegetables you've ever seen in your life. It's not like I had stopped and talked to this guy 20 times or anything. He gave me the vegetables, and I later found out that it was his sort of way of anointing you and saying that you are accepted. Like, 'When Ed lets you into his circle and gives you the vegetables, you're in.' That day, he said to me, 'You should come and hang out with me one day on my porch, it's cool under there.' I said, 'Ed, thanks so much, I'm going to do that' and I didn't. Then shortly after that, he died."
"So, I had just about finished this song and I listened to it and I thought, 'It's too short. I want to go with another verse' and I just came out with 'Old Ed ain't livin down the road anymore/Last night they called his number up to heaven's sweet door/He was the last of the old folks, last of a breed/Now there's no one around to grow us the food that we need.' I swear it just came out like that. I was glad my tape was running and I could play it back and write it down. It was his final gift to me," Mr. Morr explained.
"I told his son that his dad gave me a verse, that he inspired part of a song, and then the story spread that 'Kenn wrote something about Ed Case' and I thought that was great, especially if it made people happy. His wife wrote me this sweet note that said, 'Thank you for memorializing my Edward forever,'" said Mr. Morr, who has become part of Colebrook and can often be found on his own porch playing with his sons.
Entry into this Colebrook club and small town landscape was something Mr. Morr hoped for when relocating. The photos from his second and third album covers were shot in and around town.
Though he's had no shortage of song ideas since moving, he's had little time to write, as a result of being home as a dad. "My wife, Jackie, and I said when we wanted to start a family, 'Let's do this right and have one parent at home and raise these kids the right way.'" So they did, and Mr. Morr gave up his day job as an insurance adjustor, though he occasionally does insurance work from home.
"It's different, literally, in every way," said the musician of Colebrook in comparison to his old home in the New York City suburbs. "The people, the way it looks, the way it is. I like living across from a roaring brook that is like a river most seasons. Where I used to live, the houses are literally on top of each other and you walk out your front door and just see neighbors everywhere. Space is an important thing for me mentally. I'm surrounded by trees here, and the people are literally second to none. My 2-year-old, Nolan, just had an emergency appendectomy and people came crawling out of the woodwork, it was like being dropped into the middle of a family. A lot of people that I don't even know that well came by. They dropped off meals and toys, it was great," he said.
When asked if he ever feels under-stimulated or isolated by the remote location, he said, "No. I think I was over stimulated for many years. I haven't had a writer's block yet," he said. Though Mr. Morr hasn't seen many changes to his creative process since moving to Colebrook, he does feel his writing has improved and that he has "found his voice," a state he attributes as much to growing up and becoming a father as to relocating.
Mr. Morr's brand of American acoustic rock calls to mind Bob Dylan, for the low persuasive tones, and John Mellencamp, for the heartfelt quality and accessibility. The songs, which address universal themes such as love, fear, cautiousness and curiosity, speak to everyone. Even Mr. Morr's new songs seem like they've existed forever; they have the time transcending quality often embodied by the organic.
With his forthcoming third CD, "Coming Home," Mr. Morr put to use the lessons he learned by the side of his former producer, the legendary Bob Johnston, and produced the record at home in his wood-paneled studio.
Mr. Morr gives much credit for his progression as a musician to Mr. Johnston. The famed Nashville-based producer has produced records by Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Leonard Cohen, The Byrds, Johnny Cash, Louis Armstrong, Jimmy Cliff, Carl Perkins and Willie Nelson, among others. The artists he has worked with range in style from pop to folk and rockabilly to reggae.
Though he was in his 70s when Mr. Morr approached him a few years ago, and from a completely different generation with a different outlook on the world, "he helped me to find my voice," said Mr. Morr.
His "voice," which translates to style in this case, has a dreamy, simple quality that harkens back to a time when American music and life was less complicated, yet just as strongly felt.
"New Moon Rising," the Bob Johnston-produced disc, was completed in 2003, but never marketed or released in a major fashion, though it is available online and at two local stores. "I didn't plan on having another son. He was born and that's what I've dedicated these past two years to. So this is still a brand new record to the public," he said. The guitarist has recently secured a promotional company to get "New Moon" wider release, radio play and perhaps a tour. Listen for tracks off of the CD to air on local radio stations starting April 20.
Though "Coming Home" is also completed and will be sold at Mr. Morr's upcoming gigs, it won't go into wide release for at least six months.
The Kenn Morr Band's CDs are available at www.amazon.com, www.towerrecords.com, and locally at Norfolk's Treasures and the Colebrook Country Store. They can also he ordered my mail. Send $15 per disc to Kenn Morr, P.O. Box 50, Colebrook, CT 06021 and specify whether you want the debut "Today," "New Moon Rising," or the soon-to-be released "Coming Home."
Mr. Morr will have an album release concert at Norfolk's Greenwoods Café June 9 at 8 p.m. Call 860-379-9521 or log onto www.kennmorr.com for more information.
©Litchfield County Times 2006
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