New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Rob Morsberger Official Website) - Noirish Rock Songs of Love, Science and Literature Flow in 'A Periodic Rush of Waves,' as Morsberger's Intellect and Creativity Collide to Dramatic Effect, Evocative of Warren Zevon, Bob Dylan,
Rufus Wainwright,
Robbie Robertson CD Features Guest Appearances by Marshall Crenshaw and Jules Shear; Triple-A Radio Promo, NYC Residency, Set for Nov/Dec
Eclectic Artist is Also Composer for PBS Series NOVAscienceNOW; New Album Prepped for Spring 2010
Songwriter/composer Rob Morsberger imbues his esoteric writing with a depth of intellect and dark melody that evoke comparisons to Tom Waits, Rufus Wainwright and Bob Dylan, mixed with a touch of Randy Newman's absurdist wit. Morsberger's current CD 'A Periodic Rush of Waves' is the third in a trilogy of albums he has written which explore the oddly interconnected themes of love, science and literature (in fact, one of the songs on the new CD is sung in the imagined character of naturalist Charles Darwin, with lyrics shaped by some of Darwin's actual writings.) Listen to samples here: https://www.robmorsberger.com/cds.html
Morsberger's CD features guest appearances by Marshall Crenshaw and Jules Shear, and was produced by Stewart Lerman (Dar Williams). Triple-A radio promo is slated for November and December, with a focus on the track 'I Want To Be The One,' which features Crenshaw on backing vocals. Free download: https://www.robmorsberger.com/mp3s/free_download/I_Want_To_Be_The_One.mp3
Here's what Morsberger says about the focus track:
'With a touch of American noir, 'I Want To Be The One' is a story of longed-for retribution. Someone is going to expose the ugly truth and the singer 'wants to be the one.' The dark ambiguities of the narrative, and of the relationship between the singer and his protagonist, unfold over a richly orchestrated track; payback is driven home with a classic pop hook enhanced by Crenshaw's signature background vocals.'
Morsberger and his beloved band of 15 years, guitarist Jon Herington (Steely Dan, Madeleine Peyroux), bassist Paul Ossola (Levon Helm) and drummer Robin Gould (GE Smith) continue their free, monthly Residency at Banjo Jim's in New York. Upcoming concerts include November 2nd, December 7th and January 4th. They'll also play Towne Crier in Pawling, NY on November 29th, and Club Passim in Cambridge, MA on November 30th. The band, which features Morsberger on piano and vocals, is finalizing work on a new album, which will be released Spring 2010 - they'll be previewing songs at their NYC concerts. Additional details about the new CD will be announced soon, as will U.S. tour dates for 2010.
Morsberger's Trio of CDs 'The End of Physics,' 'Relativity Blues' and 'A Periodic Rush of Waves' all share common narrative threads and interests, and have recently been enhanced and reworked for re-release. The albums are available now via iTunes as well as via https://www.robmorsberger.com/ . Samples may be heard on the website, or on https://www.myspace.com/robmorsberger .
Other highlights on 'A Periodic Rush of Waves' include The Beatlesque extravaganza 'It's Only a Song,' which was inspired by the postmodern gamesmanship of authors like Paul Auster, Michael Frayn and Ian McEwan. Morsberger plays with listeners' perceptions and loyalties and declares that they have been deceived by an aural sleight of hand: a periodic rush of waves wrongly invested with meaning. 'Bloodstains', a Dylanesque rocker, chronicles another ended relationship even as the singer fails to understand his own fallen nature ('The only thing you left me was a bloodstain on my sheet').
The son of Philip Morsberger, an itinerant American fine artist, Rob grew up in Oxford, England and studied composition at the University of Edinburgh. Morsberger comments: 'My father is an inspiration to me. I grew up in Oxford because he ran the art department at the University there for many years (The Ruskin School of Fine Art and Drawing). On the new record, the song 'Old Jolly Farm' was based on pictures my Dad made in the 60s about the deaths of civil rights workers. He has had a remarkable career, and I have chosen, obviously, to incorporate his work into the albums in this way.'
Now based in NYC, Rob Morsberger's keyboard and arranging skills have led to sideman work with Crash Test Dummies, Marshall Crenshaw, Jules Shear, Loudon Wainwright III, Dan Zanes, Willie Nile and many more. A classically-trained pianist and composer, he also scores the acclaimed PBS series NOVAscienceNOW, and will soon compose music for a two-hour NOVA TV special about Charles Darwin ('What Darwin Never Knew') which will air nationwide on December 29th.
THE NEW YORK TIMES took a look at Morsberger's unique career in a feature article, here: At Last, a Space for Creativity (and Loud Music) to Flow https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F07EFD71530F931A35757C0A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=1
Rob Morsberger Biography
Rob Morsberger is a professional freelance composer and songwriter with diverse interests. As a record maker he has released three acclaimed solo CDs. Classically trained, he has become a top- call composer for PBS and a regular contributor to the series NOVA. He is composer for the series NOVAscienceNOW, which has just been renewed for 2007. His credits as an arranger and sideman (on keyboards/accordian/vocals) include Jules Shear, Loudon Wainwright III, Dan Zanes, The Roches, and Marshall Crenshaw. He also works frequently with educational book publishers as a songwriter-for-hire.
The son of an itinerant painter/fine artist, Morsberger moved to England as a child and attended secondary school in Oxford. He studied bassoon, piano and composition and was awarded the sole entrance scholarship, for most outstanding applicant in music, at Edinburgh University in 1977. There he studied with composers Kenneth Leighton and Edward Harper, among others. In Scotland Morsberger also began apprenticing with local funk and jazz bands, worked as a dance accompanist and began receiving commisions for original scores. He composed Randombach 3, a three-movement electro-acoustic work for Scottish Ballet in 1983, conducted his own orchestral works in the Edinburgh Queens Hall and elsewhere, created an improvised dramatic underscore for BBC Radio Scotland (with clarinettist Dick Lee) and worked regularly with experimental saxophonist/composer Steve Kettley. He graduated with the sole first (summa cum laude) awarded in 1985.
Moving to New York City, Morsberger landed a songwriting publishing deal with Famous Music/Paramount and began composing for national television, with clients including PBS, ABC, CBS, A&E, National Geographic and others. His background in classical music, coupled with an active engagement in and genuine love for a wide range of vernacular styles, made him a versatile musical craftsman. He devoted many years to mastering the tools and techniques of electronic musicmaking and the effective use of synthesizers and samplers. Orchestral scores became a particular area of interest and expertise.
In 1995 he forged an ongoing and fruitful collaboration with guitarist Jon Herington (Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs), bassist Paul Ossola (Saturday Night Live, Levon Helm) and drummer Robin Gould (Michael Franks, Carly Simon), with Morsberger on vocals and keyboards. Their third and latest release, A Periodic Rush of Waves, was produced by Stewart Lerman (The Roches, Dar Williams) and features cameo appearances by songwriter greats Jules Shear and Marshall Crenshaw.
Morsberger's work as a songwriter has increasingly synthesized his disparate musical interests; 'Hieroglyph', scored for piano, strings and voice is the most overt nod to his love of concert music. Thematically all three CDs reveal his overriding belief in pop songwriting as an ideal medium for exploring ideas that interest him. Love is often viewed through the twin prisms of science and literature. The End Of Physics, his debut album, concludes with a scientist announcing his discovery of the Universal Theory ('The End of Physics'). Elsewhere, Morsberger playfully tips his hat to Shakespeare's gender comedies with the song 'As You Like It'. His second CD, Relativity Blues, is centered around a tryptych of songs exporing the legacy of Einstein in the postmodern world. The new album opens with 'Sense and Sensibility', the result of a lifelong love for the novels of Jane Austen. The Beatlesque homage 'It's Only a Song' was inspired by the literary gamesmanship of authors like Paul Auster, Michael Frayn and Ian McEwan. Morsberger plays with listeners' perceptions and loyalties and declares (humorously) that they have been deceived by an aural sleight of hand: a periodic rush of waves wrongly invested with meaning. 'The Music of Time' is sung by an imagined Charles Darwin on the SS Beagle. Featuring some lines lifted from actual correspondance, Darwin sings passionately of his growing insight into the theory of evolution while bemoaning his newly discovered betrayal by former girlfriend Fanny Owen. Likewise, the protagonist of 'Hieroglyph' contemplates the mysteries of hieroglyphic art and a photograph of the woman who has left him.
Another theme prevalent in Morsberger's songwriting is parenthood; he is the proud father of three sons. Relativity Blues concludes with the song 'This Enchanted World'. A direct reference to Christopher Robin's farewell to childhood, the song takes issue with A. A. Milne's view of childhood as the unique repository of enchantment. Instead, Morsberger suggests that all of us, adults and children alike, grow more enchanted with each passing hour.
Randy Newman meets Tom Waits at Stephen Foster's house. Party anyone?" Willie Nile
" I love literate, melodic, sophisticated pop music for adults like Rob's! Late-period Lennon-McCartney, Van Dyke Parks, Brian Wilson - Rob belongs in that category." David Mansfield (Bob Dylan, Bruce Hornsby, Lucinda Williams)
"The kind of writing that makes you turn your head... uncondescendingly hip stuff, with the all too often 'missing link'...MELODY!"
Meg Griffin, SIRIUSradio.com
Reprint of NY TIMES article referenced above: https://www.robmorsberger.com/media/robNYTimes.pdf
https://www.robmorsberger.com /
https://www.myspace.com/robmorsberger
