Morgan Bryan

history 

I was born to Irish parents in Coventry, England. As a result of my father’s career I spent the bulk of my first decade living in Cyprus. My mother’s family were naturally musical (all eight children) and I recall fond memories of visiting them in Dublin. The family would all get together around a set of guitars or a piano and spend an evening running through a variety of Irish folk and other popular songs.

Despite an early introduction to music and my parents’ vinyl collection, my attempts to learn an instrument (oboe, flute and piano) didn’t progress well. However, at the age of 17, after just two beginner’s guitar session, with 36 other would-be guitarists, I was immediately hooked and knew the guitar was the vehicle for my creativity. I decide to teach myself and within a year began playing in a number of post punk bands, the most notable being V-Sor,X (pronounced ‘Vee Sore Ex’), which to this day continues to sell albums in mainland Europe. Over the next ten years, having moved to London, I continued to play in bands, Dum Dum Zed, Scare and others, and as a member of Paris Working supported Duran Duran at Wembley Arena. In parallel to performing and writing I worked as a keyboard technician in Prince’s studio, Paisley Park Minneapolis, and touring with Adamski.

In the 1990s I took a break from song based composition and released a number of instrumental albums (‘Asleep While The Rain Falls’ and ‘Under Every Sky’), the first of which sold over 7,000 copies across Europe and Scandinavia. However it was time to get a ‘proper job’ to facilitate a roof above my family’s head. Musically this was a dark period where I struggled to maintain a basic level of musical creativity. Over the past two years I refocused my love of guitar based composition and playing live. It is the output from this period, playing many venues in London and the Midlands, that goes into my latest album – “In This Moment”.

This album is a mix of acoustic guitar and vocal harmonies, with some keyboards, violin and whistle. The subject matter ranges from my own take on current events in the world at large, praise for other hard working and dedicated musician friends, to relationship that are no longer connecting. The album title references the many influences and styles that have shaped my creativity (ambient trance, post punk alternative, modern Celtic folk, electronic pop, film music and more). It is the bands that have demonstrated diversity that have exerted the biggest influence on his writing style (e.g. The Cure – “A Night Like This’ vs. ‘’Wrong Number’, Muse – ‘Hysteria’ vs. ‘Sing For Absolution’, Led Zeppelin – ‘Trampled Under Foot’ vs. ‘Kashmir’, Starsailor – ‘Tel Me It’s Not Over’ vs. ‘Tie Up My Hands’, Depeche Mode – ‘It Doesn’t Matter Two’ vs. ‘It’s No Good’, Stranglers – ‘Get A Grip On Yourself’ vs. ‘Golden Brown’ and a book full of other acts).