Morgan first picked up the guitar at age 12. Though it wasn’t his first musical instrument, having already begun to play piano and violin, the guitar soon became the channel through which Morgan’s music flowed.

Growing up and performing in a musical family, striking out on his own became the obvious next step. “Yeah, I think I wrote my first song when I was like 15…simple, easy themes.” Singing those songs, tunes that any young man might write, gave him the valuable experience that an aspiring singer-songwriter invariably needs and eventually led to going solo in 2023.

Raised primarily on classic rock and folk, Morgan learned early how music, regardless of genre, touches and unites both listener and artist. Touring in 2025 with musical pal, Lucas Lawson (Santa Cruz, California based multi-instrumentalist), through California cracked something open: “I started kind of finding myself more, finding better things to write about. More universal, and it felt like more me.” Expanding his reach, performing throughout the Pacific Northwest and Colorado’s front range increasing name recognition and growing his audience, felt like the logical next step.

The Bellingham, Washington native has focused his approach, however, spending time off the grid with no cell service or social media. “I've spent a lot of time hiking and fly fishing…a lot of time to think. That's when the creative process really gets rolling" As a result, the songs come one lyric, one line at a time. But the lyrics and songs keep showing up nonetheless, validating that time in the wilderness. “It could be something that makes me happy, or upsets me, or something I’ve seen.” Translating those feelings and observations into words and melodies has become a refrain for Morgan, a way to process emotions, turn them outward and release them to the world with the understanding that others see and feel them as well.

That burst of creativity has resulted in an album’s worth of music to add to Morgan’s February 2025 EP release, This Crooked House. As an indie-folk artist whose subtle approach echoes songwriters Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, and John Prine, Morgan has plans. But regardless of whatever the future may hold, the road will continue to figure prominently. “I'm trying to play everywhere I can around the front range, live performance is always gonna take the lead on everything.”

In an industry dominated by algorithms, views, streams, and “creating content,” emphasizing the role of live performance, where the magic of artist/audience interaction happens is a throwback to the early days of folk music. But it’s also a strategy for the future. “[Singer-songwriter] Noah Gundersen told me you gotta build relationships and share your heart with people.”

Expect Morgan in 2026 to continue sharing his heart, whether on a planned new record or onstage. Just don’t expect him to put that guitar down anytime soon.

- Mark Caicedo / @setlistthief