He desperately misses performing live. But Todd Morgan has found an upside to sheltering-in-place: He’s building his repertoire.
“Since I’m not busy gigging, I have time to learn new songs,” says Morgan, whose slicked-back hair and penchant for early rock ’n’ roll gives him an old–school vibe. As one of the region’s most popular young performers, the singer/multi-instrumentalist is typically a whirling dervish, especially in summer, when concert season peaks. “The last gig I played before everything shut down was on March 14,” says Morgan, who performs both solo and with his band, the Emblems. “By the next day, we had 18 or 20 canceled gigs.” When summer shows dropped off, it hit especially hard. “There are a lot we look forward to every year, like the State Fair and concerts in the park. All those were gone.”
The pandemic has also put a damper on a new recording–studio business Morgan is starting with local blues artist Kyle Rowland. “Since we haven’t been able to do shows, we thought we could move ahead and record others. But with social distancing, that doesn’t work too well.”
What has Morgan learned from this time that he might use, going forward? More livestreaming, maybe? Hmm . . . maybe not.
“I don’t really like doing those,” he admits. “I tend to get stressed when I do them, and I miss the reaction of a live audience.” Still, the money ain’t bad: Morgan’s livestreams have earned him up to $275 an hour.
To hear/buy Morgan’s music, visit toddmorganmusic.com, YouTube, Amazon, iTunes, Apple Music or Spotify.
