"Nothing at the End of Everything" is the debut album of Norwegian ‘spaghetti wop’ guitar bandolero Morgan Olai. Playing every instrument on every track of the release, Olai showcases both his writing abilities and spontaneous vocabulary - accompanying his dry-wit lyrics in delicate fashion.

After giving the album a play through, we did so again….. and again whilst I did the hoovering which wasn’t as good as the first two listens but still managed to make me smile as the list of chores diminished.

We wanted to speak to the man behind this incredible body of work so we set up a call and chatted to Morgan Olai about a ton of things including his early musical memories, first gig, influences, the music scene in Åmli (his hometown in Norway), his approach to recording and most importantly, what he’ll be cooking for us when the musomuso team arrive in Norway for a guided tour of his wonderful sounding town!

Read on to see how we got on….

We know you’re called Morgan Olai, we know that you live in Åmli in Norway, please tell me something that you’ve never told an interviewer before 

I'm very sorry to start the interview off on such a grim note - but I was actually born dead! The doctors couldn't find a pulse, but they spanked some life into me and here I am! I was also saved out of a burning car as a baby, and sustained a major back injury from a 30 foot fall - if you really wanna rock, you gotta take a knock, I guess!

What is your earliest musical memory?

That would probably be using my mom's drying rack as a guitar - probably caused her a headache! Apart from that, it would probably be my uncle Terje teaching me how to play the comb, that stuff sticks.

Would you say that you grew up in a musical house? If so, who played what instruments? 

Absolutely! Everyone on my mother's side plays guitar, my aforementioned uncle was even in a band - Jack'n & De Duggfriske! That was back in the analogue days though, so good luck Discogs hunters. My dad played the clarinet as well as the snare in a marching band, but I've never heard him play.

Do you remember your first musical purchase? What was it, do you still have it and do you still play it?

Clear as day - that would be Meat Loaf's Bat Out of Hell III back in 2006. He was probably my first musical idol as well, I was very sad to hear of his passing earlier this year. He seemed so down to earth and was really connecting with fans on social media. My musical taste has softened a tad since then, but as far as showmanship goes, Meat is still a huge inspiration to me.

Oh, the CD? It's still lying around here somewhere…

What about your first live music show that you attended who was it, where was it, who did you go with and what memories do you have from the show?

That would be the late Jan Werner - an incredible tenor and entertainer who I got to see live in the Drammen Theatre with my mom and sister as a kid. My teacher was working at the theatre at the time and was even able to get me his autograph! His rendition of "Nella Fantasia" from that night is actually still up on YouTube.

Describe your sound to us in just 3 words

Wild west emo!

You live in Åmli in Norway, I looked on Google Maps to see where it was and it looks amazing, what do you love most about living there?

I actually moved here only a couple years ago, but my dad's side of the family is from the next town over, so it's quite familiar. It's amazing here! It's such a tiny, yet warm community, everyone says hello in the street and you can talk to anyone. The first time I was interviewed in the local press, the mayor even sent me a text to thank me for representing the town!

Amongst many wonderful things to do in Åmli, I was drawn to the Elvarheim Hunting Museum, have you been? If so, what is the best exhibit there?

For some reason, I've only been there outside of the opening hours, so I don't know what the actual tours are like - but the exhibits are amazing! The main attraction is the real story of how two beavers from Åmli saved the European beaver population - it's why our coat of arms depicts a beaver, and it's also why I chose to call my label Bucktooth Records. You really expect anything from Åmli to be beaver-related in a way!

The building itself is the focal point of the town, and has a rich history of being used as town hall. The main room has a really neat vaudevillian stage - hosting a concert there is definitely on my bucket list!

How would you describe the music scene in the Åmli area?

On the commercial side, it's pretty Americana/Folk-based: You've got Norwegian Grammy winner Jonas Alaska and rising star Ingvild Flottorp, even legendary Dr. Hook guitarist Keith Austin lives here - bet you didn't know that! I'm not really sure if you could call it a scene though, it's such a small town.

Do you have many bars/clubs that host live music on a regular basis?

On a regular basis, no, not even close. We're trying to do something about it this summer though, I'm looking to get my hands on a PA system so we can host gigs in the restaurant downstairs (Waldemars Børs). We've had some musical events before, but very, very sporadically.

What style of music is the most popular in the area where you live? 

Judging from my neighbour - really annoying-ass techno! Honestly though, it's hard to tell, I just imagine people sneakily listening to Christmas music all year.

Do you get large bands playing near to where you are or do you have to travel a long way in order to see them?

You'd have to go to Oslo or another big city - I think the biggest thing happening this year is Guns N' Roses in Stavanger. I'm debating whether I should go to Oslo to see M. Ward in April, that's probably the biggest act I'd pay to see.

If you were to categorise your music, which section would we find it in a record shop?

The… discount section? Alternatively, under "M". I think it'd be cool if the store kept my record in the back and only gave it to people if they said some magic password.

You released your debut album Nothing At The End Of Everything on 18th March 2022, how does it feel to finally have it out there, available for everyone to hear?

Humility is very important to me, especially in this self-entitled industry. The idea that people would actually want to listen to my music at all is still very surreal to me, and I guess it always will be. If you like the songs - please tell me! It really warms my heart!

Nothing At The End Of Everything is an interesting name for the album, please tell me where it came from

I've never really liked album titles that are just lifted from a song in the track list, so I knew I had to find something unique and inspired. One of the strongest sensations I know is the melancholic emptiness you can experience after you've had a lot of fun, the, *erhem*, Nothing at the End of Everything. Maybe people will hear the album and feel that way, too? In a way, you could even consider the silence after the album is finished a hidden 13th track…

Where did you record the album? Was it in a studio? If so, who did you use to produce it?

It was all recorded and produced right here in my home studio for two main reasons: Professional studios are way, way outside of my budget, and I've also never met a producer who understood my vision, who I really jived with. It's like using a translator, I'd rather just learn the language - so I did! It's taken me years, but I'm at the point now where I can bring the music in my head to life the way I want it to sound.

… that being said, it would probably still sound like shit if it wasn't for the wonderful mastering job by Magnus Gulbrandsen of Jelöy Sound Mastering. Attaboy!

You play every instrument on the album, did it take long for you to learn how to play them?

In one way, yes: I started my piano lessons 17 years ago, and it's absolutely taken me a long time to reach the level I'm at today, technically and musically. Virtuosity has never been my goal, though, I'm more of a "play with the strings you've got" kinda guy.

This may sound like a funny question but how does it work when you play live? Do you draft in additional musicians to play alongside you on stage or do you use backing tapes?

I've been blessed with really talented friends who help elevate the music live, and there's something about the chemistry on stage that I think is obvious to anyone in attendance. Morgan Olai live in concert is such a blast, I'm not afraid to admit it - are you listening, UK booking agencies!?

Your style is incredible, I liken it to a mixture of spaghetti/twang guitar mixed with surf rock and hints of 60’s power pop acts such as The Beach Boys, The Beatles and maybe a side order of Paul Simon? Who would you say are you most influenced by from the world of music?

Thanks! I'm trying to brand it as spaghetti wop, let's see if it catches on. All of the above influenced me greatly in formative years, but as for my sound, it's probably more influenced by film than other music. I'd think to myself, what would a Napoleon Dynamite-style western movie sound like? I guess that was my goal at the start, to take tropes from western soundtracks and make them sound comical and lanky rather than heroic and swanky. I'm not sure how much that shines through, I'm sure some will just hear it as yet another guy with a guitar.

On the album, you mix instrumental tracks with tracks that contain lyrics, which do you prefer?

Lyrics are hard to write, but that feeling of having written a killer line - hungh! It's the best feeling you can experience while songwriting, but I felt like setting the tone for the album with an instrumental track. I was debating whether I should replace The Man With No Shadow with a lyric-based song, but it just fit so nice in there. You come straight from this song about a corrupt sheriff and then - KAPLONK! Horse chase! Bullets flying! I could really see it being the intro song to some wacky film or show.

If you were asked to nominate 3 acts for a major music festival, who would you choose and why? (I’ll let you choose from dead or alive acts/bands)

I'm gonna be the really boring guy here and say that I'd prefer not to know any of the acts beforehand, just have three acts that LOVE what they do. It wouldn't hurt if they were named João Gilberto, Chamín Correa and Djordje Balasevic, though!

We’re coming to yours for a traditional Norwegian dinner, what are you going to prepare for us?

Norway used to be a dirt-poor country, so not letting any food go to waste is a big principle in traditional Norwegian cooking: That's why smalahove is a thing (literally just a boiled lamb's head). I wouldn't serve you that though! I'd serve you some pinnekjøtt, which is also lamb, but ribs instead of head. The meat is salty, fatty and yummy! Personally, I think it goes well with potato dumplings, or komper, as we call them here. And mashed rutabaga, that is an absolute must.

How does Morgan Olai relax after a day’s work?

I'm not a gamer per se, but I enjoy playing Football Manager and Metal Gear Solid. In the summer, though, I like to spend as much time as possible swimming in the river.

With things starting to return to some form of normal, do you have any live shows pencilled in for the near future? What about festivals, anything we can share?

Yes! The highlight of the summer will be the Heimover festival right here in Åmli, where I'll perform on June 10th. I've been on something of a hiatus, so it'll be my first festival appearance in four years - and I've promised myself to make it my best so far!

Vinyl is once again the most popular format to consume music, do you ever think that cassette tapes will make a major return?

I was thinking of doing a physical release for Nothing at the End of Everything, and if it was to happen, it would probably be a cassette release. That being said, I don't really see cassette tapes being anything but a very niche, hipster thing even in the future. Vinyls have the redeeming quality of showcasing the artwork in an upscaled format, but cassettes? They're kind of a white elephant, and that's what I personally love about them, but I don't see how it would catch on.

We’re all off to the bar, what would you like to drink? Snacks?

I'll ask for a campari and soda whenever I'm out, I really hope they get that detail right when they make the inevitable Morgan Olai biopic. As for snacks, watermelon with salt is always a hit - and you have to eat the rind, too, gotta let people know you're absolutely unhinged.

What’s next for Morgan Olai?

I'm already in the process of recording my next album - but there are so many things I want to release, including an EP consisting solely of surf rock covers of famous Bach pieces. If I haven't released something new by this time next year, it's probably time to do a welfare check on me…

What are the best social media channels to keep in touch with you?

I'm active on Instagram and Facebook - just look up Morgan Olai on either of those. I guess I'll have to switch to posting in English if you guys come knocking!

Lastly, would you rather be able to communicate with animals or speak every language in the world fluently?

If there's anything we've learnt from trying to teach gorillas sign language, it's that animals really only care about food. I'd rather just enjoy animals for what they are. However, I'd also hate to know every language in the world, so I might just have to go with the cat whisperer thing!

We’d like to thank Morgan Olai for putting up with us whilst we quizzed him on his life to date, I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did putting it together! We’d like to wish him the very best for the album launch which happens on 18th March 2022 and for the future. If you’re in the area on June 10th, head to the Heimover festival where you can see Morgan perform, if you get to chat to him, say hi from the musomuso team!

Keep up to date with all of Morgan’s musical happenings at the following sites;

Facebook

Instagram