Julian Morris '04 Brings 'Tidings' to Shore

Bright and early on the morning of Friday, April 28—after a Boston concert the previous night and a red-eye flight from Portland, Oregon, to get there—Julian Morris '04 and the two other members of his Portland-based band, Layperson, were tired but cheerful as they turned up the energy in the Trustey Family Theatre to present a mini-concert for Shore's Upper School students, as well as the many faculty members in attendance, excited to catch up with their former student. Morris's father is longtime Shore English teacher Walter Morris, who introduced the band and enjoyed the show along with students.

Morris and bandmates Corbin (bass) and Wolfgang (drums) played songs from Layperson's just-released EP, Tidings, which, according to one reviewer, features "folk-pop sounds, with honeyed harmonies, jangly guitars, and revelatory lines which echo artists like Iris DeMent and Townes Van Zandt."

See excerpts from the concert below.



In interviews, Morris says this new collection of songs is a way to reclaim his own voice as "master of his own game." Morris came out as transgender in 2015, and Tidings is the first record he has put out post-transition. As part of the process, he had to relearn how to sing as a result of taking hormones that significantly altered his voice. 

The songs on Tidings clearly reflect Morris's sense of joy and relief at becoming the person he always knew he was. Ideas of new beginnings and feeling part of a larger community pervade the lyrics. In between songs on Friday, Morris offered memories of Shore and words of advice for the audience. After "All of Us," he explained, "This song is about considering myself as a citizen of the world. Not to plug Shore in a cheesy way, but I think it’s something teachers really try to instill in you here—learning to think about not just yourself, but also how you fit into a bigger picture. At Shore, learning how to take care of yourself teaches you how to take care of other people. That’s what we’re here for."

Shore students were eager to pepper Morris and his bandmates with questions after the concert. The topics ranged from popular music to Shore teachers and traditions.

Reflecting on a few of his father's words about pursuing passions, Morris admitted to the students, "Sometimes when you are pursuing your passion you have to 'fake it 'til you make it.' That can take you somewhere new, maybe to a place you’re not prepared for yet, and then you really fake it 'til you make it."

He was referring to his own performing career, of course: Though he played a domesticated chicken in Honk while at Shore (a formative role, he joked), Morris found getting up on stage a scary experience. "People who get on stage are just as brave as anyone walking onto a sports field," he said.

Morris didn't start making music until high school at Northfield Mount Hermon, and to this day he's largely self-taught, playing guitar, drums, and bass by ear. Closely reflecting his personal experience, this do-it-yourself, be-yourself ethic informs the band's music and its name. "It’s a word that traditionally comes from the church," he explained. "You have the priests and the church officials, and then you have the laypeople, who come to church to worship. The idea is that we want to be an 'everyperson,' our authentic selves."

The idea of finding, and being, yourself percolates through Morris's carefully constructed lyrics and his unique vocals. It's also something he finds lacking in much of contemporary music—to the disappointment of the pop music fans in the audience. "Most of the music that I listen to is 1990 and earlier," he said. "The thing I struggle with the most in current pop music is the topic. I always want the lyrics to dig a little deeper. If I listen to a song the first time, and I can predict what the next word’s going to be in the simple rhyming scheme, then that feels lazy to me. I like beats, I like hooks, and I feel like I write pop music. But I try to go a little deeper, and write more from the heart."

Nonetheless, he admitted, "I love Frank Ocean."

Recalling favorite memories from Shore, Morris cited Field Day as one of the best. He also called out art teacher Ruth Bauer and his favorite subject, art. "When I was in her class, there was this amazing collection of scrap materials she had gathered. When we did sculptures and other projects, there were all these really cool, funky objects to choose from. It was a sanctuary space to go to and make things, and take a break from all the academic stuff."

Sanctuary—it's a word that some might use to describe Morris's music, too.