Q & A: Local musician Morgan Thomas brings ‘Gnome Metal’ to Funk ‘n Dive in Ogden tonight
Ogden-based folk singer/songwriter Morgan Thomas will perform his new fantasy-folklore-metal project, “GNOMELORD,” for a one-time-only show at Funk ‘n Dive in Ogden tonight.
Photo courtesy of Morgan Thomas
Music NewsQ. & A.
Most musicians endured canceled shows during the pandemic, but for many, new material and music projects were born out of the isolation brought by the shutdowns of 2020. Ogden-based singer/songwriter, Morgan Thomas is one of them. Mostly known for his folk music and jazz/fingerstyle guitar playing, Thomas wrote, recorded, and produced a four-track EP, “GNOMELORD” released in 2020 that combines his love of folklore, fantasy, and metal riffs into a whole new subgenre he’s dubbed “Gnome Metal.” Tonight at Funk ‘n Dive in Ogden, he is performing GNOMELORD, for a one-time-only show, at the Halloween eve concert along with “zen funk” band from Ogden Dearth of Earth and the existential indie rock of Saludura, out of Logan. It all starts at 9 p.m. with a $5 cover.
Thomas took the time to chat about his new metal project just before tonight’s premiere of GNOMELORD.
How/when/why did your new band/project “Gnomelord” come together? At the very beginning of 2020, I got my wisdom teeth pulled and was out for about a week. During that time I watched a lot of Lord of the Rings, and for some reason it inspired me to start writing some metal riffs. Before I knew it I had come up with a fair amount of material. Then just a few months later, the pandemic hit and we were all stuck inside again. So, I kept writing material and eventually decided to record it all onto a 4-song EP. I recorded it myself with a laptop and a guitar.
Why metal? Where did the idea for this project come from?Pretty much everybody knows me as either a folk singer/songwriter or a jazz/fingerstyle guitar player. But when I first started playing as a kid, classic rock and metal were my favorite genres to play. I put that side of my musicality aside for many years, but for whatever reason, it slowly found its way back to me now that I'm nearly 30. I came up with the name Gnomelord when I was a teenager and for some reason it stuck with me all of these years. I'm not really sure where it came from, other than the fact that I've always loved folklore and fantasy and decided to combine my two interests into one very niche sub-genre...Gnome Metal.
Who are the band members involved with “GNOMELORD?”I decided I wanted to do a one-time live performance of the music I wrote in 2020, but due to the pandemic, I had to push it forward a year. I thought a lot about who I wanted to get involved in the project, and honestly, have ended up with somewhat of a "dream team" of local metal musicians. It feels so cool to have my music being played in such capable hands. On drums is Jon Ramanujam (Machines of Man, Dearth) Ben Gabrielson (Gunfight Fever, Escher Case), and Johnny Nikoloff (Debrider, Morgan and the Mountain). This will likely be our one and only show...Until the next summoning that is.
Are you still performing as a solo artist?I have every plan to return to my regularly scheduled mellow folk and jazz music after Halloween. This show is what you may think of as a "bucket list" experience for me. I'm currently playing solo and duo gigs all around the state, have an instrumental collaboration album coming out at the end of the year, and playing gigs and recording music with Caleb Wendt, and Dearth of Earth (Matt Johnson's math rock project).
“GNOMELORD” (2020) is a folklore/fantasy metal project by Ogden-based folk singer/songwriter Morgan Thomas.
Photo courtesy of Morgan Thomas