Singer-songwriter Mark Morris was among those who participated in the Rhythm & Sails 2023 musical adventure at sea. The guitarist for the Colorado-based bluegrass outfit Rapidgrass premieres a video for his new song “To Be Me,” which incorporates footage recorded during the recent intimate Rhythm & Sails experiences.
Rhythm & Sails recently completed one-of-a-kind, all-inclusive journeys mixing live music and sailing trips through St. Vincent and The Grenadines. Over the course of two separate weeklong excursions, Rhythm & Sails presented performances by Morris, along with Anders Beck and Paul Hoffman (Greensky Bluegrass), Jay Cobb Anderson (Fruition), Charlie Rose (Elephant Revival), Megan Letts (Mama Magnolia), Maggie Lincoln (Groundscore) and Travis Book (The Infamous Stringdusters).
Assembling footage recorded aboard Rhythm & Sails and scenes of Morris — a professional skier — exploring the Colorado mountains, F4D Studio created the video for Morris’ song “To Be Me.” Morris described where the inspiration for the song came from, telling JamBase:
“I began writing the song ‘To Be Me’ shortly after returning from the inaugural Rhythm & Sails trip in October 2022.
“The night I wrote this song I was dreaming and in the dream I was writing a song. I woke up halfway through the dream and happened to remember the melody and lyrics. I immediately wrote the song down and recorded it in Evergreen [Colorado] with Mark Anderson. This song is about how you don’t have to be anybody, but yourself. The secret to your life is to be you, and the secret to my life is to be me.
“I returned from the [October 2022] trip with such joy, and I couldn’t quite put my finger on why the trip had such an impact on me, but I kept returning to the line, ‘The secret to my life is to be me.’ It then dawned on me that the reason the trip had such an impact on me was because I wasn’t pretending to be anyone else but myself on the trip.
“Some days in everyday life I get caught up trying to be someone I’m not, either because I’m trying to fit in, or because I am trying to impress someone who I feel may not accept me for who I am if I show the real me.
“On Rhythm & Sails, however, you don’t really get the opportunity to hide behind anything but yourself! Partly because you are half-naked in a bathing suit most of the time, but moreover because it’s unnecessary to pretend to be someone you are not. Everyone on the trip [was] there to be themselves and have an unforgettable, life-changing experience, with no agenda.”
Watch the premiere presentation of Mark Morris’ video for his new song, “To Be Me,” exclusively below:
In addition to his touring duties with Rapidgrass, Morris performs solo as well. The guitarist opens for Leftover Salmon tomorrow, Friday, May 26 in Buena Vista, Colorado.
