Chris Morrissey
The busy local bassist isn't so local anymore. Decider asks what he'll miss about the Minneapple.
Kelsey Ciatti-Miller
Chris Morrissey
More Ringing Endorsement
As musical résumés go, bassist Chris Morrissey has one that plenty of local players would maim for. Collaborating with alt-folk mainstays like Mason Jennings, Andrew Bird, Haley Bonar, and The Pines, as well as harder-rocking acts such as Wishbook and Bill Mike Band, he's earned a far-reaching rep for his passionate, versatile playing. Currently touring with Austin-based Ben Kweller—and preparing to release later this year the first Chris Morrissey Quartet disc, entitled Old, Old Money—Morrissey chose 2009 as the year to switch things up by moving to an obscure, isolated East Coast hamlet called New York City. With his U-Haul still idling outside, he gave Decider the skinny on why he's leaving and which of his hometown haunts he'll be jonesing for.
Decider: So...New York, huh? Was it something we said?
Chris Morrissey: Well, as much as I travel, I've never lived outside of Minnesota, save for nine months of college in Eau Claire. I'm looking at this move more as a pilgrimage-slash-adventure than a permanent relocation. On the artistic side, I've always said that New York is the one other city in this country that I could call home. The romance of moving there as an artist, especially a musician with a new jazz record, is enticing, too.
D: OK, so while you're getting all Brooklyn'd up, what are some places around the Twin Cities that you know you're gonna miss?
CM: I need coffee, and in all my travels, I've never had better than Kopplin's. Also, The Nook—they figured out a way to take large, tubular bags of ground beef and make some of the most delicious burgers on Earth. The Muddy Pig has the best and cheapest selection of beer and whiskey I've ever seen, and a great vibe.
D: You're showing your St. Paul colors.
CM: Well, I really will also miss the Bryant-Lake Bowl [in Minneapolis]. It's maybe one of the only places in the world where you can bowl, eat decent food, drink good drinks, and sit in a really cool little theater and watch anything from stand-up comedy to Happy Apple. Also, Café Maude has the best drink menu and most affordable gourmet food in town, along with having great live music.
D: And what about your Minneapolis-based music projects?
CM: Oh yes. The bands I play in that are still Minnesota bands will remain. Rehearsal schedules and the ability to just jump on a bill at the last minute will change, obviously, but I have no plans to shelve the Bill Mike Band or Wishbook.
D: You've been around long enough to see the local scene evolve and spread in some pretty cool directions. Do you think people outside of the Twin Cities are taking notice?
CM: Absolutely. I've seen its presence on the international music scene grow even in my relatively short time as a touring musician. With songwriters like Haley and Mason along with Jeremy Messersmith and Chris Koza, jazz groups like Happy Apple and Fat Kid Wednesdays, or bands like Halloween, Alaska and Dosh, you see that it's not only a presence in the music world, but a cutting-edge scene. Those bands do more than hold their own in any city.
Chris Morrissey: Well, as much as I travel, I've never lived outside of Minnesota, save for nine months of college in Eau Claire. I'm looking at this move more as a pilgrimage-slash-adventure than a permanent relocation. On the artistic side, I've always said that New York is the one other city in this country that I could call home. The romance of moving there as an artist, especially a musician with a new jazz record, is enticing, too.
D: OK, so while you're getting all Brooklyn'd up, what are some places around the Twin Cities that you know you're gonna miss?
CM: I need coffee, and in all my travels, I've never had better than Kopplin's. Also, The Nook—they figured out a way to take large, tubular bags of ground beef and make some of the most delicious burgers on Earth. The Muddy Pig has the best and cheapest selection of beer and whiskey I've ever seen, and a great vibe.
D: You're showing your St. Paul colors.
CM: Well, I really will also miss the Bryant-Lake Bowl [in Minneapolis]. It's maybe one of the only places in the world where you can bowl, eat decent food, drink good drinks, and sit in a really cool little theater and watch anything from stand-up comedy to Happy Apple. Also, Café Maude has the best drink menu and most affordable gourmet food in town, along with having great live music.
D: And what about your Minneapolis-based music projects?
CM: Oh yes. The bands I play in that are still Minnesota bands will remain. Rehearsal schedules and the ability to just jump on a bill at the last minute will change, obviously, but I have no plans to shelve the Bill Mike Band or Wishbook.
D: You've been around long enough to see the local scene evolve and spread in some pretty cool directions. Do you think people outside of the Twin Cities are taking notice?
CM: Absolutely. I've seen its presence on the international music scene grow even in my relatively short time as a touring musician. With songwriters like Haley and Mason along with Jeremy Messersmith and Chris Koza, jazz groups like Happy Apple and Fat Kid Wednesdays, or bands like Halloween, Alaska and Dosh, you see that it's not only a presence in the music world, but a cutting-edge scene. Those bands do more than hold their own in any city.
