TRAVIS MORRISON
The SIS Interview by Justin Porter Stephens

After spending a decade fronting The Dismemberment Plan, a critical darling, Travis Morrison’s 2004 debut solo album Travistan was poorly received, both commercially and critically. Morrison has just released a follow up, All Y’all, with his new back-up band The Hellfighters. Stranded in Stereo recently caught up with Morrison to talk about the album, his feelings on a past and possible future reunion of The Dismemberment Plan, and his thoughts on long distance running.

Stranded in Stereo: Why did you chose to go solo after The Dismemberment Plan broke up rather than starting a new band?

Travis Morrison: I don’t know. (laughs) I guess I could have. I will say that The Hellfighters have talked of just being The Hellfighters but we’ve just stuck with Travis Morrison Hellfighters. It’s funny to us, I think it’s just a name we’ve started with. The first record, Travistan, was a solo record where I went into a studio with musicians I’ve never worked with before. But with the way I’m working now, it’s just a band called Travis Morrison Hellfighters. Sort of like Elvis Costello & The Attractions.

SIS: Yeah, I was going to ask you about the songwriting process. Do you prefer writing and recording an album with an actual band or by yourself?

TM: I’m not much of a songwriter. Definitely my passion is more into getting musicians together and playing with people and seeing what happens. Travistan was me and a producer and a drummer, multi-instrumentalist, producer and a drummer. And that was actually fabricated in a studio. And this was done in a rehearsal space with a full lineup of musicians playing it all at the same time.

SIS: You wrote All Y’all with The Hellfighters and then took a lot of time off before recording it.

TM: Yeah! It was very hard to get the album done. It was very, very hard. Kind of like everyone was afraid of me after Travistan came out. After a while I was like, this is lame. So I started singing in church choirs and stuff and started liking all kinds of other musical stuff. And just decided I’d stay home and make cookies for a while. But yeah, it was very difficult to get done. Most of the songs were done by March of 2005 but I really wasn’t working on it more, it was kinda more just music biz stuff that made it really hard to get the album done.

SIS: Did you ever consider scrapping the album?

TM: I don’t think scrapping works. There’s this thing that happens when you rehearse at home. You get it totally perfect, then you play your first show and it’s like you’ve totally forgotten it. (laughs) And then you realize you have to practice playing it in public all over again. And it’s completely different. No matter how much you practice at home, it doesn’t help. But I don’t think scrapping does any good. I really think you have to see things through. If you start scrapping things, you become Axl Rose. (laughs) I’ve braided my hair by the way.

SIS: I’m actually wearing a jean jacket and a kilt right now.

TM: Yeah! And I hang out with Sebastian Bach all the time. He’s my only friend.

SIS: Do you approach songwriting and album composing differently now than you did in the pre-mp3 era?

TM: That’s an interesting question. I don’t think so, but I don’t know. I know that the mp3 format—it’s funny, it’s become like it’s own art form. It’s own creative release. Like, a classic 7-inch has its own kind of songs that are perfect for the medium. Like the perfect A-side needs to have the perfect B-side. A double A-side single is kind of overwhelming. You want the catchy song on one side and the hidden treasure on the other. Or then like a 10-inch EP, it’s that great five song burst of energy which that bands are doomed to match on their next LP. And then the mp3 has it’s own kind of song that’s good for it. I don’t know though, I’m going to start thinking about how to make good mp3s now. So the answer is no, I don’t know, but now I’m going to figure it out.

SIS: The Dismemberment Plan recently united for a couple benefit shows down in DC. Do you think you’ll ever do a tour?

TM: Probably not. The other day I thought about how fun it’d be to tour with Joan Jett, but I doubt it. I will say that we played the shows and that we sounded fabulous. That was very satisfying. The fact of the matter is there may be money in it, but not that much money. So it really does have to be an artistic gesture if we were ever to do something like that.

SIS: So there will be no “The Dismemberment Plan is Broke” reunion tour?

TM: (laughs) No, no, never! The thing is, I’ll sell out for eight figures. I just won’t sell out for four or five. But I think we’ll just be our usual, casual, inexplicable selves about it and see if it ever develops. And also I can honestly tell you, the topic has never been broached at all.

SIS: You mentioned that you sing in a church choir. How long have you’ve been doing that?

TM: About two years. I’m about to start the next season at the National Cathedral. That has really, really been an eye opener for me (musically) and I’m only starting to digest it.

SIS: Do you have other projects that you’re working on?

TM: I’m running a marathon. I love distance running. I can run 12-13 miles now, no problem. I’ve done a bunch of 10Ks and 7Ks and I’m running the Marine Marathon here in October. For me, it’s like a Zen exercise. I love the point where I’ve thought about everything I need to think about. It’s a very peaceful place for me.