Morgan and the Mountain brings local musicians together in uplifting instrumental album with ten relationship-inspired tracks.

Music News

“Visible Hands” is the newest album by the Ogden-based music project Morgan and the Mountain that was released today. It is a collection of ten elevating songs composed by folk/jazz guitarist and lyricist Morgan Thomas in 2020, many during the COVID-19 lockdowns, and recorded throughout 2022-21 at UTAudio inside the Old Post Office Building in collaboration with ten other local musicians.

A stark contrast to the dark times we’re living in, the 35 minutes and 21 seconds of positively-charged sounds were created to help pull us out of the muck.

Of the instrumental album, Thomas said he “consciously tried to write music that was positive and would put the listener in a good mood, despite the world seeming to be in utter chaos around us all.”

He added further that a lot of the inspiration for “Visible Hands” came from his relationships with the other musicians he’s collaborated with—”I've realized in recent years that there are few things in life that can compare in importance to the relationships we have with friends, family, and community,” Thomas said. “I think that was my general mood while composing a lot of the songs.”

The musicians on the album include: Matt Johnson (drums), Chris Aguilar (guitar), Victoria Blanchard (guitar), Josh Arena (drums), Nick Johnson (guitar), McKade Thomas (piano), Kelin Gibbons (guitar), Davis Johnson (synth), Johnny Nikoloff (bass) and Nate Van Wie (guitar).

Over the years, and three previously recorded albums—”Impressions,” (2015), “A Day in the Ground” (2017), “Pieces of Cadence” (2018)—Morgan and the Mountain has grown into a conglomeration of Morgan Thomas’ original music and collaborations with other artists. “Visible Hands” is entirely instrumental and distinguished by its diversity.

”I think of this album as kind of a ‘patchwork’ of a lot of different moods/styles. In the past I've tried to make my albums very cohesive and more or less part of one large movement. This one feels different because it has a larger variety.”

“Visible Hands” is available across multiple streaming services. Find them here. Follow on FB and IG @morganandthemountain @morganthomasmusic and morganthomasmusic.com.