Artificial Tears by T. Hardy Morris
The line between art and entertainment has always been fuzzy. Certainly, there’s plenty of overlap between the two, but lately it feels like there’s a growing divide, an ever-widening chasm separating our fundamental need for creative expression and our insatiable appetite for disposable content. That’s where T. Hardy Morris comes in.
“I’ve spent a lot of time parsing the difference between the two,” he explains, “not just for myself, but for society at large. What does it mean to be an artist? How do we measure creative success? Where are the boundaries between audience and performer when everyone’s broadcasting their lives 24/7?”
Morris dives into those questions headfirst on his riveting new album, Artificial Tears, and while the answers don’t come easily, the search yields plenty of reward. Recorded in Nashville with My Morning Jacket’s Carl Broemel at the helm, the collection is an electrifying work of existential exploration, a raw, rock and roll reflection on meaning and identity in a modern world that’s simultaneously more connected and isolated than ever before. Despite the weighty ruminations at its core, the result is a remarkably grounded, down to earth album that’s at once honest and abstract, a poignant, clear-eyed look in the mirror from a master craftsman committed to his work for nothing more—and nothing less—than its own intrinsic value.
Tracklist
| 1. | Write It In The Sky | |
| 2. | I Guess | |
| 3. | Juvenile Years | 4:03 |
| 4. | Breakneck Speed | |
| 5. | Don’t Kill Your Time (To Shine) | |
| 6. | Sweet Success | |
| 7. | Low Hopes | |
| 8. | Poets In The Mist | |
| 9. | Knowing Me | |
| 10. | Shadows Of Doubt | |
| 11. | Fight Forever | |
| 12. | Trouble Will | |
Credits
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Produced by Carl Broemel and T. Hardy Morris
Tracks A1, A6, B2, B3, B5 engineered by Teddy Morgan at Creative Workshop (Nashville, TN)
Tracks A2, A3, A4, A5, B1, B4, B6 engineered by Carl Broemel at Mountain View Studio (Nashville, TN)
Additional engineering on A3 by Nate Nelson
Mixed by Carl Broemel
Vinyl Mastering by John Baldwin at Infrasonic Mastering (Nashville, TN)
Management: Dawson Morris for Red Light Management
Painting by Lillie Morris
Insert Photo by Daniel Dent
Layout by Matt Etgen
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All songs by T. Hardy Morris
T Hardy Morris Music (BMI)
except “Shadows Of Doubt” by T. Hardy Morris & Carl Broemel
T Hardy Morris Music (BMI) / East of Western Music (ASCAP) Administered by Wixen Music
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Musicians
1. Write it in the Sky*
T Hardy Morris-vocals, guitars
Nick Sterchi-drums
Adam Landry-bass
Justin Collins-background vocals
Carl Broemel-guitars, background vocals
2. I Guess+
T Hardy Morris-vocals, guitars
Nick Sterchi-drums
Justin Collins-background vocals
Carl Broemel-bass, piano, guitars, background vocals
3. Juvenile Years+
T Hardy Morris-vocals, guitars
Nick Sterchi-drums
Thayer Sarrano-background vocals
Carl Broemel-bass, piano, pedal steel, guitars, background vocals
4. Breakneck Speed+
T Hardy Morris-vocals guitars
Nick Sterchi-drums
Thayer Sarrano-background vocals
Carl Broemel-bass, pedal steel, keyboards, guitars and background vocals
5. Don’t Kill Your Time+
T Hardy Morris-vocals, guitars
Nick Sterchi-drums
Tyler Key-piano, pedal steel
Thayer Sarrano-background vocals
Carl Broemel-bass, pedal steel, guitars and background vocals
6. Sweet Success*
T Hardy Morris-vocals, guitars
Nick Sterchi-drums
Adam Landry-bass
Carl Broemel-guitars, pedal steel,background vocals
7. Low Hopes+
T Hardy Morris-vocals, guitars, drums
Thayer Sarrano-background vocals
Carl Broemel-bass, pedal steel, piano, saxophone, guitars, background vocals, percussion
8. Poets in the Mist*
T Hardy Morris-vocals, guitars
Nick Sterchi-drums
Adam Landry-bass
Carl Broemel-dobro, guitars, keyboards, background vocals
9. Knowing Me*
T Hardy Morris-vocals, guitars
Carl Broemel-bass, pedal steel, guitar, background vocals
10. Shadows of Doubt+
T Hardy Morris-vocals, guitars
Carl Broemel-bass, pedal steel, guitars, background vocals
11. Fight Forever*
T Hardy Morris-vocals guitars
Nick Sterchi-drums
Adam Landry-bass
Carl Broemel-guitars, pedal steel, background vocals
12. Trouble Will+
T Hardy Morris-vocals, guitars
Carl Broemel-bass, guitars, piano
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THANK YOU: Carl Broemel, Adam Landry, Nick Sterchi, Nate Nelson, John Baldwin, Thayer Sarrano, Justin Collins, Tyler Key, Vaughan Lamb, Matt Stoessel, Gene Woolfolk, Philip Brantley, Jeremy Wheatley, Kiffy Meyers, Hunter Morris, Faye Webster, Cannon Rogers, George Fontaine, Jr., Matt Etgen and the Normaltown / New West Fam., Jay Steele, Jon Prine, and Matt Wilson.
Thanks to my family, Erin, Valley & Amos – my inspiration & my foundation; my earth & my sky.
Thanks to my parents & especially my mom for the cover art painting :)
Thanks to my brother, Dawson Morris for the forever support and work via Red Light Mgmt
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