Beyond The Music: Morgan of The Feelings Parade

Photo Credit: Bradley Cox

After covering The Feelings Parade latest release ‘Let it Move’,’ I felt it was time to get to know the individuals of the dynamic duo. As such, doing it as only I can, we go beyond the music and inside the group to learn the individual members for who they are and what they represent. Tap in and lets go Beyond The Music with Morgan.

• Where are you from?
  • Long Island, NY
• When did you first fall in love with music?
  • I loved music from my earliest memories but really started seeking it out at the end of high school. By college, I had my headphones in every time I left my house and was pretty obsessed. I remember walking over the icy sidewalk, listening to Fiona Apple, and being completely in awe that someone could be so brilliant, bold, creative, and talented.
• How long have you been in the industry?
  • I started playing music when I was 24. It took a few years for my gears to really catch — I was terrified of singing + performing, and also traveling quite a bit, but when I moved to the Bay Area at 26, I committed fully to giving my all to music.
• Can you tell us about ‘Let is Move You’ and the background/inspirations behind it?
  • Let It Move You is a dream come to fruition — when Scott and I met, we were each on our own musical paths (which we were convinced were very different). Over the course of a couple of years, we started to play on more and more of one another’s songs, until, finally, it became abundantly clear to us that The Feelings Parade wanted our full-time attention. Let It Move You contains songs we each brought to the project, as well as the first songs we’ve written together, all fully fleshed out. We left no stone unturned and put everything we had into making the sounds in our heads come alive.
• What do you think of the state of the industry in 2022 for emerging artists?
  • I’m in a moment of feeling disillusioned with it, which I attribute to being a bit burnt out from being an emerging artist in 2022. In some ways, it feels like being at the slot machines in a casino – the possibility of something catching and going viral and completely changing our lives is possible, but improbable, and doesn’t have much to do with skill. And there are a lot of metaphorical flashing lights vying for our attention. It takes a lot of work to stay present and rooted in who I am and what I want to contribute to the world (and not fall into the trap of becoming a “content creator,” creating not for my own expression, but with thoughts of what might get more likes or shares). Beyond that – I feel strongly that emerging artists of 2022 are wearing too many hats — creator, performer, manager, booker, social media manager, bookkeeper, graphic designer, producer, engineer, filmmaker, promoter, event producer, etc… I desperately want for artists to have the time, space, and resources necessary to focus on our art.
• In your opinion, who is the most influential artist at this time and why?
  • A bit stumped on this one because influence can mean different things. If we’re talking sheer number of people influenced, I’d have to go with an artist with huge commercial success (like Beyoncé). If we’re talking depth of influence – the depth at which peoples lives (and art) are altered by someone’s art, I’d be going with someone very different (like Joni Mitchell – what a ripple!).
• If you could Collab with ANY Artist, Dead or Alive, who would it be and why?
  • Regina Spektor was the first musician I listened to that really, really lit me up. I used to listen to her songs over, and over, and over again. It would be so sweet to get to sing one of those early songs with her, as I attribute much of my learning to sing to how closely I’d listen to her voice. I’d also love to sing with Ray LaMontagne, Laura Marling, and Ben Harper.
• How do you think you differ as an individual from others in your genre?
  • Scott and I are both extremely focused on lyrics – we comb over every word, not stopping until we really feel like we’ve said what we intend to say. I also think we genre-bend a good bit, especially on this latest record.
• From your view as a member, how would you say The Feelings Parade separates themselves from others?
  • We are… not a “cool” band, and we’re not trying to be. As the brilliant poet Andrea Gibson says, we’d really rather be warm than cool. We really do our best to lead with our hearts, which leads to our having a really authentic stage dynamic. We tell a lot of stories, make a lot of jokes, and also create a lot of space for grief and other tougher feelings. We take a lot of pride in creating spaces where people feel more free to feel how they really feel.
• Take us back to young Morgan Bolender. What was the first album you purchased?
  • Oh wow. I think my first album was probably Britney Spears. After that, I remember getting really into The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill and Destiny’s Child.
• What’s your favorite song at the moment?
  • My favorite song changes from day to day. Most often, I find myself listening on repeat to women with strong, intricate lyrics + sounds, like Laura Marling, Lianne La Havas, Mimi Gilbert, Fiona Apple, and Joni Mitchell.
• What is your favorite saying or Mantra?
  • Wow.
• What other hobbies or interests do you have?
  • I love reading, writing, hiking, gathering my people together, and generally being in nature (especially if there are hot springs).
• Tell us what the fans can expect from you in the coming months.
  • We’ve got a big release show for Let It Move You happening at The Freight and Salvage in Berkeley on September 13th. Beyond that, we’ll be focusing on writing, recording, touring, and playing local shows.
• For others embarking on their artistic journey, what are some words of advice or encouragement you would give them as they take their early steps?
  • Surround yourself with people who believe in you, and be mindful of who you share your most tender seedlings with. Think of it as protecting your child’s first finger paintings from being criticized — it’s important that you create a safe, loving space to develop your art. On that same note: do what you can to separate your creator from your critic. Your creator’s job is only to create, never to judge. Get it all out, and then you can invite in your editor/critic to assess what you’ve got and make adjustments.
• What are your social media handles? @thefeelingsparade