There’s a disheveled charm to Colby Morgan’s music; the East Vancouver rock ‘n’ roller is a little bit ragged and that’s just the way he likes it.
From driving rock anthems like “Right About Me” from his self-titled 2015 LP to maudlin folk ballads like “Wastin’ Time,” Morgan’s music is just at home at a kitchen party as it is at a campfire.
This Saturday, Morgan will be headlining the Astoria, where his down and dirty, bluesy rock is sure to find a receptive audience. Backing him up as always will be the Catastrophes, an impressive array of local musicians that includes Eric Campbell of the Dirt fame on guitar.
We caught up with Morgan to discuss the pressing matters of the day, such as caped knee-slides and anglophilia.
Who are you? Colby Morgan of Colby Morgan and the Catastrophes.
Where are you from? A sliver of a river district called Ruskin, BC.
How do you describe your sound? Energetic beer-soaked rock and roll with some sex sweat, dark ballads and a bit of John Lennon.
Who are your major musical influences? Neil Young, Radiohead, Father John Misty, Van Morrison and the Clash.
Favourite sandwich? The croquet-madame from the Red Wagon.
Best live music performance you’ve ever seen? Radiohead at Thunderbird stadium. When Thom Yorke sang “Rain down, rain down” in the bridge of “Paranoid Android” it started raining. It was a religious moment. Blew my mind. Or watching My Morning Jacket at the Orpheum. Fifteen knee slides in a cape across the stage was amazing. Such a killer live band.
Closest you’ve ever come to death? There’s been a few. Putting my car on two wheels around a corner. Or hanging 10 on the front of a car doing 70km/h. Or almost hitting a moose on tour last summer. Cars and I are a dangerous combination.
Finish this sentence: When I’m not writing and playing music, I spend my time… Drinking coffee, smoking and listening for song lyrics from passersby.
First record/CD you ever bought? “Travelling Without Moving” by Jamiroquai.
What is your spirit animal and why? I’m a lion. Kinda lazy. Messy hair. I get angry when I don’t eat for a while. I also prefer the heat.
What was the name of the first band you ever played in? Oh man. Brothers By Choice. We thought punk was all about being British. We picked that because we wanted our name on posters to be BBC. So dumb. We played our first show in a half pipe at the Maple Ridge Community Centre. I was 15 years old. I started out on bass. Long shorts, high socks.
What is one place you will never play again, and why? We are banned from Pat’s Pub, apparently. But we’d probably play there again if the ban was lifted.
Super secret fact about you that (almost) no one knows? I’m actually two small children in a long coat. That’s why I’m so tall and wobbly.
What was the best crowd you ever played for, and why? We played Red Gate studios. We went on around 2:30 in the morning. It was mayhem. Everyone was ready to go wild. We were standing on our amps, climbing what was ever around us. Eric Campbell took down the whole projector screen. I broke my guitar and crowd surfed. Our drummer Joe Chipman kicked the kit over. They were really with us that night, also doing wild stuff it wasn’t just us. Everyone had a great time.
• Colby Morgan and the Catastrophes perform at the Astoria on Saturday, May 21 with the Best Revenge, All Hands On Jane, the Broken Hands and Scotty P & the Virgins. Doors at 8:30pm, tickets $10 at the door.
