I have to create. I long to leave a mark on this world.
What started as poems in notebooks, hidden in my JanSport bookbag, turned into words sung to melodies. Since a young boy, sounds have been so sensitive to me. I realized early on what sounds I was drawn to and began the journey of constantly finding them.
It was Boyz II Men, Jon Secada, Michael Jackson who helped develop a tone and sound.
Being outside our four walls, constantly putting on a show, only offering a version of ourselves, while keeping the tender, possibly messy parts, hidden. Writing, composing and sharing those feelings and thoughts I would have otherwise kept locked in a case, lightens the load for not only me, but for those who stumble upon the pieces I create.
Music represents. Music celebrates. Music assists us in our journeys. Runs. Grief. Car rides. All have soundtracks. Funeral service and music are so similar. Funerals celebrate the beginning and middle, at the end of a life. Music and song tell the story just the same. Melding these two worlds with this realization has been the most inspiring thing to date, and after 8 long years, I have figured out both worlds can thrive with this brilliant understanding.
For so long, the idea of Nathan Morris was so intriguing to many. I could be anyone they needed me to be. How lonely. Here I stand, a husband, father, funeral professional, musician, and I am me. The genuine vulnerability, the answering of the ‘why’ I’m still creating and on my never ending quest to release meaningful songs, which is what will create the movement many were attempting to fabricate years before. In a world longing for honest and real content, I hope they stumble upon what I’m doing.