Once described in the country press as ‘a hardened Sheryl Crow’, young American singer-songwriter Morgan Wade certainly has a knack for finding the right chords to get to the truth.
The Gibson endorsee’s approach is one that’s deeply rooted in the music that soundtracked her childhood, but she’s also been able to add in her own contemporary twists, stretching out further into realms of pop, folk, rock and beyond.
“It’s hard for me to commit to just one genre,” she says, “but anyone who listens to my music will be easily able to tell I grew up on country.”
Ahead of the release of her fourth album, Obsessed, she shares some of the lessons she’s learned along the way…
Where did it all start for you in terms of picking up the acoustic guitar?
“Growing up, all I wanted was a Gibson guitar. I’d be looking at magazines, seeing photos of SJ-200s thinking to myself, ‘I’ve got to get one of those some day!’ I ended up with my first guitar around the age of 10, and it was made by a brand called Johnson. I guess it was a cheaper version of a Martin-style acoustic.
“But I held out and kept my eye on those Gibson. In my freshman year of college, I went and bought a small L-00 Gibson. I remember it was just about the cheapest one they made. I paid 40 bucks for it up front and then put the rest on a payment plan because I was just a college kid.
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“It’s cool now, because I probably own around 15 Gibson acoustics. I can even call them up and get them to make me some custom models. It’s a full-circle moment for me, because all I wanted as a kid was a Gibson guitar and now they’re exclusively all I play.”
So which were the Gibson players you looked up to early on?
“I was a huge Elvis fan. When I was seven years old I was obsessed with him, and of course he had that Super Jumbo, and he also played the Dove. All these years later, Gibson still make Elvis signature models. But back when I first saw clips of him, I remember seeing his name on the fretboard and thinking that was the coolest thing!”
I remember seeing Loretta Lynn and thinking, ‘That’s one small woman holding this huge guitar!’
As for other players, who ended up affecting your sound the most?
“I grew up listening to a lot of Loretta Lynn and Johnny Cash. I grew up with my grandparents, so that’s how I listened to the older generation’s music. I remember seeing Loretta Lynn and thinking, ‘That’s one small woman holding this huge guitar!’ I was listening to her songs a lot and learned a lot from playing those songs.
“I look up to her as a songwriter and guitar player. I never wanted to be someone who can shred on the guitar. That will never be my strong suit. I just want to play those chords and write those songs. That’s what I look to the guitar for. I’m happy with my C and A-minor shapes. I guess I’m more of a simple player. I have really small hands, so I’m not a huge barre-chord person.”
And, like Loretta, you still love your oversized acoustics!
“People often laugh, telling me I’ve chosen to play the biggest guitars possible, but I like them because of the louder tone. They tend to be pretty powerful. And even when I play live, my tech guy prefers the sound of me using Super Jumbos. For some reason, they always sound the best.
I have a pre-war J-200 that I’ve used for recording. It’s one of the best-sounding acoustics in my collection. It’s loud but also very smooth when you need it to be
“For backup, I have three custom J-45s that also sound really good. They’re not quite as loud or bright as the Super Jumbos, but they’re still nice and clear. In the studio, it’s usually all about the Super Jumbos.
“I have a pre-war J-200 that I’ve used for recording. It’s one of the best-sounding acoustics in my collection. It’s loud but also very smooth when you need it to be. It’s funny, I’ve seen people much taller than me with smaller guitars but I’m only five foot two and happy playing the biggest ones Gibson make.”
What would you say are the defining characteristics of acoustic country?
“My first introduction to live music was bluegrass. Where I grew up, in Virginia, it was all heavily bluegrass. My grandfather loved it and we’d be listening to those bands every Friday. One thing I noticed about all of those writers is that it always felt like they were telling a story.
“The chords would often be very simple, it was more about the storytelling behind it all. That stuff is more powerful than just the chords. Country is just four chords and the truth. The same goes for most kinds of Americana, it’s all about the storytelling and honesty, whatever that may be.
“And there’s a lot of sad stuff in there, even when you don’t expect it. A lot of bluegrass music would have all these happy banjos but the words would be about really dark stuff. I love that, and it ended up influencing how I write now.”
Is there one guitar that you always use to write with?
“For writing, it used to be my J-45 in black. I used that for a really long time, but in 2014, Gibson put out a Cherry Red Everly Brothers J-180 and I wanted that guitar so bad. They didn’t make that many but it’s all I wanted. I also had zero dollars in my bank account, so I couldn’t get that guitar. I’d been searching for years hoping to find it but struggled.
“I tried all the guitar shops and asked around. And then six months ago, there was this new vintage store in Nashville who had that guitar. I had about one hour free before I needed to be somewhere else, so I hopped in my car and got it. That’s now my favourite guitar to write with.
“It’s so good that I’ve already started writing a bunch of songs for my next album after Obsessed. That J-180 is now my go-to guitar. I’m not touring with it because I don’t want anything to happen to it. What I use live is an Everly Brothers Black SJ-200 with the double white pickguard. I’ve got a thing for those double pickguards!”
Are those the guitars we’re hearing on the new album, then?
“Actually, the main guitar for this one was Miranda Lambert’s signature Gibson Bluebird. It’s another one I haven’t toured with, but man, it sounds great. That got used and then we added in the Black SJ-200, which also had a great tone for the record. I feel like everything has gone more simple, even in terms of electric stuff.
Everything felt more simple with this record. It’s a very acoustic-led singer-songwriter record, but we stuck a lot of pedal steel on there as well
“My guitar player, Clint Wells – who funnily enough runs a Metallica podcast called Metal Up Your Podcast – used an ES-335 a lot and some good Fender amps. You can’t go wrong with a Blues Junior.
“Everything felt more simple with this record. It’s a very acoustic-led singer-songwriter record, but we stuck a lot of pedal steel on there as well. I bring my live band in for the records. When I’m on tour, I’ll play electric for a couple of songs, there’s an ES-335 that I love. I’ll throw a little overdrive on there for a couple of songs, but the rest of the time is me with my acoustic and the other guys handling the tearing it up.”
Which of the new songs are you most excited about?
“The title track is very acoustic-driven, with a lot of fingerpicking. I really like that one because it’s so much fun to play. The same goes for Moth To A Flame, which also has some great-sounding pedal steel on it. Those are the most fun ones to play. I don’t usually do a lot of fingerpicking, but this album has a lot of stuff that was written and recorded that way.”
As for picks, I like the real heavy ones. I cannot stand a thin pick!
What other gear could you not live without? You’re clearly no stranger to a guitar capo…
“I’ve tried a bunch of different capos, but to be honest I always come back to my Kyser one. I’ve spent a lot of money trying out the more expensive ones, but for some reason, the Kyser is like the gold standard for me.
“I’ve had other brands hit me up to send over free ones but by this stage, I just don’t need them, and I know what works best for me. I use D’Addario strings, they’ve always been the best and we go through a lot of those! I’m a pretty simple player, I like to keep things low-key. But a good capo and a good set of strings are two things I couldn’t live without.
“As for picks, I like the real heavy ones. I cannot stand a thin pick! So I tend to stick with the Fender Heavy ones, they always sound really good. I’ve actually been using them since I started playing guitar. They’re all I’ve ever wanted to use, though we also have some Dunlop custom picks which have my name on them.”
Is there a riff you use to test out acoustics in the shops?
“I have these strange noodle-y things that I like to do. I might do these little walk-downs and stuff like that. Weirdly enough, I always like to play the Bobbie Gentry song Ode To Billie Joe, but I don’t know why. It’s a strange little hooky and repetitive thing but I always play it when trying out acoustics.”
Speaking of writing, how exactly do you go about finding the right hooks and rhythms for each song?
“One of the biggest things I’ve learned is to not overthink. When I write a song that I know I will be using – like Met You and Take Me Away from my Reckless album, or the title track from Psychopath – they seem to come in one take.”
I overthink absolutely everything, but with songwriting I’ve learned not to. You just write what you’re feeling. It doesn’t matter if you don’t end up using it. Just get it out there
“For some reason those are my most popular songs! I will just sit down, pick up my guitar and feel inspired in that moment. I can’t be one of those people who sits down and forces myself to write a song. I could do it, but I don’t think it would create anything that ends up on a record. I need to feel inspired first.
“I could go a month without coming up with anything and then suddenly sit down and write three or four songs. I overthink absolutely everything, but with songwriting I’ve learned not to. You just write what you’re feeling. It doesn’t matter if you don’t end up using it. Just get it out there. I don’t pressure myself.
“In the world today, I feel like we all crave real stuff. Everything is so fake, you look on the internet and it’s just the best parts of everybody’s life. But when I tend to write these songs, I’m not really writing about the best parts of my life, I’m writing about the stuff I’m going through and all the tough shit.”
What would you say are the greatest acoustic tones you’ve ever heard?
“I’ve really gravitated towards Jason Isbell’s Southeastern record. That dude is just a maniac on guitar, songs like Cover Me Up, Elephant and Live Oak are amazing. Obviously he’s an incredible songwriter, but he’s also a brilliant guitar player.
“I guess I tend to think more about the acoustic-driven songs. That record was my favourite album for a long time and it’s what got me into his music. Another album I love the sound of is the first record by The Lumineers. It’s simple guitar stuff, but I love how it feels raw and real, instead of sounding crazy polished.”
We’re currently on tour with Alanis Morissette and Joan Jett. On the first show, I saw both of them watching me from the side of the stage. You can’t really beat that!
You’ve achieved great things since making your recording debut six years ago. What has felt like the biggest moment so far?
“I would say right now! We’re currently on tour with Alanis Morissette and Joan Jett. On the first show, I saw both of them watching me from the side of the stage. You can’t really beat that! Those are two badass women who have been such a huge part of music and paved the way for more female artists.
“Then I woke up to Alanis texting me, being really kind and saying she thought my show was amazing. I couldn’t believe it… how did my life end up here, chatting to Alanis and seeing Joan Jett watching my whole set? That’s crazy!”
- Obsessed is out now via Sony Music Nashville.
