Morgan Brake  Releases Debut EP

Stuck Loving You

How are young actors in Hollywood different from young musicians in bluegrass? While the answers are many, one big difference is that child actors often end up on those “Where Are They Now?” specials, often showing their mugs shots for breaking and entering; young bluegrass musicians tend to turn into adult bluegrass musicians. Exhibit A: Chris Thile, Sierra Hull, Ricky Skaggs, and Marty Stuart.

Morgan Brake is moving along that same trajectory. With her recent EP release of Stuck Loving You, Brake has had singles, co-written with her mother Victoria, hitting the charts this summer. Seventeen in June, the Florida singer-songwriter has been a combination of sweetness and grit since arriving in the world two months early. 

Morgan says she doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t singing. She started with piano lessons when she was five and moved on to fiddle lessons for a while when her piano teacher moved away. When she started going to bluegrass festivals with her grandmother Kat, she found a welcoming and safe environment.

Morgan said, “The bluegrass community is special. I’ve built relationships with people who have so much wisdom and have taught me so many things. Some musicians in other genres seem not to be very genuine or are getting into trouble, but it seems like most of the people in bluegrass are just good people.

“Just being around music, I developed a good appreciation for what it is, the relationships you build and the links you learn along the way from those around you,” she said. “I was also going to the Krazy Kup, a little coffee house where I live that holds jam sessions on the first Saturday of every month.” 

She met her guitar teacher Michael Maravilla there, and soon after she joined him and his son Barrett to form the band Duck Wallow Lane. Some other members have rotated over time—at least two bass players have married and then left the band—but the chance to play together allowed her to develop her performance skills. 

The band’s repertoire moves across genre lines. “We play a mix of music,” said Morgan, “some country covers we’ve made our own. We play some Allison Krauss, and some of my music. A couple of guys in the band have written songs we play too. Of course, that’s along with traditional bluegrass we love playing.”

Brake was staying busy individually and with the band when the pandemic struck.  “My band and I had a lot of shows cancelled. We played a show the week before everything shut down, and we were so tight as a band. We had been playing festivals and shows every weekend. After that show, we didn’t get to play for a long time. We still got together and played music, but we’re in the process of building back up to where we were,” she said.

In 2018, Morgan first attended IBMA in person in Raleigh as a participant in the “Kids on Bluegrass” project. She also serves on the Youth Council at IBMA

“In Florida there are not a lot of kids in bluegrass, but at IBMA, we get to perform with other kids the same age who play the same genre of music. I got to jam with them, perform with them, and build relationships with them,” she said. “There aren’t that many other places I can go where everybody’s jamming at 2 a.m. There are so many jam sessions, so many shows to watch.” 

She also got the chance to see some of her favorite bluegrass musicians at IBMA, not only on stage but in person. One she met, Sierra Hull, sings with Morgan on her EP. 

After her first IBMA experience, COVID prevented in-person participation though she continued to participate remotely in “Kids on Bluegrass.”  “I’m hoping we get to go back this year to see all of my friends,” Morgan said, “and to jam in person with them. You can’t jam over a zoom call.” 

Along with her interest in playing and singing, Morgan has also been honing her songwriting skills. She finds it a good way to think things through. Most of the songs on her recording were co-written with her mother, Victoria Brake. The title song for the project “Stuck Loving You” was the first song the two wrote together. When Morgan had the opportunity to go to Nashville to record with top notch studio musicians, she played the song for them. 

“They started playing it,” she said, “and immediately it sounded the best I’ve ever heard it sound. It was cool to hear how it started and then how it finished, especially when we got the final recording.” Sierra Hull and Jaelee Roberts added vocals to the track. Morgan recognizes how fortunate she is to have such a talented group of studio musicians playing on Stuck Loving You: Jarrod Walker, mandolin player for Billy Strings, Dennis Crouch on bass, Nate Leath on fiddle, Cory Walker on banjo and Gavin Largent on Dobro. Brenna MacMillian also contributed vocals.

  “Devil’s Land,” one of the tracks on the EP that is making waves was also a product of her collaboration with her mother. She says the two have enjoyed having this project they share. “I’ll pick up my guitar and we’ll start figuring a song out, and then sometimes we’ll get a little frustrated and have to take a break. But when it starts coming together there is almost nothing more exciting,” she said.

“Devil’s Land” is a haunting song influenced by the drug epidemic.   “Unfortunately, this is a real issue that touches a lot of people. That song came about one night when my mom and I had the idea and started writing. I eventually had to go to bed. She woke me up about six the next morning and said, ‘Get your guitar, we have to finish this song.’ “Sometimes, when it comes to music, school comes second,” Brake says. 

If school comes second, it’s a close second. Morgan manages to maintain a healthy balance between her music and simply being a teenager. She had just returned from a weeklong camp, getting home around midnight Friday with a show scheduled for Saturday.  “My voice was shot, but I still had to perform and put on a good show. Learning that balance between life and putting on a good show is definitely a good learning experience. I love to do music. Many of my friends support me and often come to my shows,” she said.

  When her songs started getting airplay, a few of her friends were the first to let her know. It was a surreal experience, she said, when a friend called to say, “I heard your song on the radio.” She added that she’s happy her music can reach other people. “I know how music makes me feel. I’m glad other people can listen to my music, and it can help them out as well.”

For this album project, Morgan included a couple of songs besides her own originals. “It’s Just Lovin’” was written by songwriter Louisa Branscomb, who has kept tabs on Morgan’s developing musical career from the beginning. She also closed the EP with the timeless standard “Wayfaring Stranger.” She says Richard Bennett, one of the producers on the project, suggested she record the song, which he thought suited her voice. Her clear, pure interpretation of the traditional hymn puts the perfect finishing touch on the project.

While Morgan Brake enjoys the experience of sharing her music on the stage, the radio, and streaming platforms, she is thinking ahead to the next project. With several songs completed and many more in progress, she looks forward to heading back to Nashville soon. So don’t be looking for her on “Where Are They Now?” in the future.