Today we’d like to introduce you to Lew Morris
Hi Lew, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Coilback is a band that started in 2000. It came after another short lived band broke up and I decided to form something where I had more control of the songwriting. We have played all over the metroplex including many historic venues that are no longer around. We have always had a sound that is a bit more unique in this area. Coilback doesn’t really follow what a lot of metal bands are doing around here. We don’t try to write songs to fit a genre as well so we can have songs that are considered rock or blues but just as quickly write a metal song. Writing good music was always the priority. I wanted to write songs people will listen to years from now. We have shared the stage with some greats and look forward to doing some special 25th Anniversary shows next year.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have always said that Coilback is Dallas’ answer to Spinal Tap. We have the weirdest bad luck at times and things going left quickly in strange ways. Obviously, our 20th Anniversary was almost five years ago and we had a ton of special shows planned and made special merch. We all know what happened in 2020 to the live music scene. The only show we played was a NYE show and we were the band that rang in midnight. We basically played the last possible hour of our 20th Anniversary year as our only show that year.
On top of that, DFW has become a cover and tribute band area. No one wants to hear anything new. They want to rehash all the radio hits from their teens and 20s. Dallas has always had a reputation in the national music scene as sort of “fake,” in that most of the fans won’t follow you until you’ve made it big elsewhere. Then, they will pretend they’ve been there all along. I’ve seen it happen several times. A lot of local fans seem to need “what’s good,” spoonfed to them here. The argument that you want to hear something “familiar,” is invalid when you have the ability to go online and listen to some of the original bands around here. The problem is, these bands aren’t backed by large marketing budgets so no one bothers to take a listen. I can’t count how many people come to our shows and say, “wow, I can’t believe how good this is, where have you guys been the whole time?”. We have been here 25 years. You just didn’t bother to notice.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In Coilback, I play the rhythm guitar and perform the lead vocals. I do the bulk of the songwriting as well. Obviously what I am most proud of is the songwriting. I always find it weird that so many non-musicians like to judge how good someone is by how well they can play someone else’s stuff. When people find out I sing or play guitar they ask, “oh can you do >insert another artist’s song<“. It’s strange to me. You don’t go up to Picasso and ask if he can paint you a Monet. It takes a lot of work to write an original piece, record it, perform it, etc. Each phase of that is its own art form. How you create a song is a different art than how you record it and that is different than how you play it live. To do all that and make something that people WANT to listen to is tough. Original musicians should get more respect but people treat musicians very differently than any other artist. I am known for my songwriting ability and I guess how varied my vocal styles can get. I can give you a scream or growl but then immediately go into a melodic line. I prefer songs where you can understand the vocals so I try to write those more..DFW lately has had a lot of Death Metal and bands trying to sound like one of the other big bands that came from here. I still respect any band that is writing their own stuff and getting out there but it is getting saturated. We definitely don’t sound like any other rock or metal band here in the area.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Never wanting to stop and not falling into trends. Also, I am keeping my eye on the prize. If you want to advance in anything in this industry you have to ask yourself, “is this going to benefit us in any way?” So many bands just play to play. They don’t try to be profitable, they don’t play shows that help them gain fans. They play every other week at the same venues to the same people with the same set. Then, they wonder why the fan base slowly starts fading. In this economy it’s hard to ask even friends to come out every couple of weeks to see the same set. It costs money and time. Also, most money these days is made from merch. If you just roll up with one T-shirt design and maybe a CD, you have already capped your ability to make much money. If you want it to be a successful endeavor, you have to take care of the business end, not just the creative end.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: Coilbackband
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Coilback
- Twitter: https://x.com/COILBACK
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@coilback
Image Credits
Thomas E Moore
Jim Wright
Cindy Keith
