Interview with Michael Morrow   4-15-10

The Twentyfirst Centurians, aka 21 Cents, are a funk trio from comprised of
Phila jam guitarist Michael Morrow, Brooklyn drummer Gerald Williams and
PA native Ryan Hickey, a multi-tasking keyboardist charged with “whipping up
sticky funk bass lines with his left hand and soulful organ with his right.”
The band has performed at high-profile gigs across the nation,  including the
40th Anniversary of the Woodstock concert in San Fransisco, produced by original 1969 promoter Artie Kornfeld and 2009’s Relix Jam-Off Contest, where they were voted winners. Their newest album, “Get The Keys,” will be released next month.The Twentyfirst Centurians will play at 10p.m. Friday at the Bullfrog Brewery, 229 W.Fourth St. Last week, the Sun-Gazette snagged an interview with Michael Morrow, frontman for the band.

JS: Using only three words, how would you describe the band’s sound?
Michael Morrow: Hmm. I think I would first go with “funky.” Second, “jammy.” And my
third word would probably be “ever-changing” is that one word?

JS: Are you the primary songwriter? What inspires you?
MM: Yes. Well, you know, there’s always politics [laughs]. I mean,
there’s a lot of different things. This recent album
was a collection of post-9-11 kind of ideas, so it has those themes, but it’s still
hopeful. There also is a funky sort of street quality some songs are rappy,
sort-of complaints about things — while others are hopeful and soulful.
It depends on the track, really.

JS: As a funk band,when you guys are onstage jamming, how
much is rehearsed and how much is improv?
MM: A good bit of it is improv’ed. I’ve had the same band for quite a few
years and because we’re small — just a trio — we can stop on a dime or
turn corners. If I throw them out a hint of something, they’ll pick up and
start on that.

JS: Are you originally from Philly? What got you into performing?
MM: I am not; I’m originally from Ocean City, N.J. I moved to Philadelphia in 1986 after
meeting Greg Davis, who was in a band called Beru
Revue. He would later be my guitar instructor. I was just really turned on
to the Philly music scene... seeing Tommy Conwell and George Thorogood
and those guys — they really made me want to move to Philly. Also, once I got there, I
realized there was a deep heritage of soul there, as well as the urban and
rhythm and blues groups. I started working in studios right away — studios
that were putting out some of the best albums and learning a lot
about the recording process.

JS: Your song “Groove”was featured on the soundtrack of an award winning
independent film, “No Boundaries.”What is the song about and how does it relate to
the movie?
MM: Well, the song that you’re talking about was one that I collaborated
on with a friend of mine named Shan Egan Evans. He had friends, Violet Mendoza and her husband, Jake Willing. From them, we got our song on the soundtrack to Violet’s
movie. It’s a basic sort of love song, with sort of a Motown feel.
The movie itself is about an immigration agent who falls in love with an illegal alien.
 In the film, the song comes up during a scene while they’re sitting in a car
talking. It comes on the radio, which was cool, because it definitely seems
like a song that’s really well-suited to radio.

JS: If you could jam with any musician, alive or dead, who would it be and why?
MM: I’d like to jam with Miles Davis. I don’t know exactly how I would do it, because I’m not
even really a jazz player, but his sound and approach really inspired me
...definitely one of top five biggie influences, I would say. And to go back
to that time, to be with those individuals. Honestly, that’s such a tough
question, because I think there’s a list of like 20 guys I could have gone
with.

JS: You were invited to perform at the 40th anniversary of Woodstock.
Can you tell me about that experience?
MM:What can I say. It was Golden Gate Park in San Francisco — a beautiful day —
thousands of people. There were a lot of the original vibes there. I even met Jimi
Hendrix’ brother, Leon, who is a great guitarist. It was just a beautiful
scene. We got a lot of good press out of [the festival] and it was also nice
to just be on the west coast for the first time. We got a chance to spread our
dust and tried not to come back without too large of a Visa bill, you know [laughs].

JS: What’s the atmosphere generally like at a Twentyfirst Centurians gig??
MM: We’re a late-night band at heart. It’s a loose atmosphere and there’s
really never a set list; it’s just whatever feels appropriate at the time. We get
a lot of different kinds of people ... and we reach into a lot of different corners,
which draws a more adventurous fan who is ready to hear whatever happens. It can change
from being a party band to a jam band at the drop of a hat. It’s all based
around us having fun —that’s the first thing.