Kendra Morris Acoustic Session at WTJU Stage
By WTJU Rock
Date: 09/14/2023
Time: 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Kendra Morris will stop by WTJU for a solo acoustic session at the stage during “Carry the Zero,” Thursday, September 14, around 3 p.m. This free event is open to all at 2244 Ivy Rd. You can also listen on 91.1 FM, stream via wtju.net, and video stream on WTJU’s Facebook and YouTube channels. Morris will be performing with her full band at The Southern Cafe and Music Hall that evening, starting at 8 p.m.
“There’s something undeniably out-of-time about both Kendra Morris and her indelibly cool new album I Am What I’m Waiting For (Karma Chief Records). It combines rough-hewn powerhouse vocals with arrangements that betray both an extensive record collection and a whimsical instinct for joyous noises — think Dusty Springfield fronting Spoon circa Kill The Moonlight or a 60s girl group creative directed by Nick Lowe and PeeWee Herman. It’s vibrant and varied and packed with personality.”
Morris was a musically precocious child and, after playing in Florida bar bands, moved to New York to chase the dream. Thus began a formative 13-year stint bartending at the beloved Lower East Side dive The Library, which thrust Morris directly into the heart of Manhattan’s fertile post-Strokes creative scene. Brian Jonestown Massacre’s Anton Newcombe lived upstairs, music journalist Marc Spitz was a regular, and touring acts would come through to carouse after playing Bowery Ballroom. During those moments, Morris yearned to join the rarefied air of the musicians on the other side of the bar.
All the while, Morris pursued her music dreams. “It was pure, 100% DIY. I never took no for an answer. If I didn’t have the money, I figured out how to make it happen: Videos, artwork, whatever.”