By Bobby Martin

Texas based singer/songwriter Ed Morales has a knack for transcending genres to create a unique brand of music that he dubs “Urban Americana.” This sound is ever apparent on his newest record RESCUE, available on all major platforms.

“I have a little bit of that slick, city feel, but there are definitely roots in the music when you hear it,” saying that his style blends elements of rock, R&B and pop.

Morales grew up in the border town of Laredo near San Antonio, and has spent most of his life there immersing himself into the world of rock and roll and Texas country. He started playing music as a teenager and was signed to a label called Target Entertainment out of Los Angeles in the ‘80s, where he achieved success in the Lone Star state. After his band broke up he went solo and moved to Austin. 

Later, he moved to Nashville and ended up finding his day job in the IT world. Music remained his passion, however, and he has been playing professionally for the past three decades.

Morales was exposed to the singer/songwriters of the ‘60s like the Beatles, but also was big into the pop rock world of the ‘80s with the likes of Bruce Springsteen. The music has created a confluence that helped form his style of music that you can hear to this day.

One of the songs on the album is called “Greetings From Asbury Park,” which is a direct homage to Springsteen.

“That was one of those albums that was inspirational to me,” he said. “That was kind of my appreciation for him and his style of writing.”

He is inspired by his favorite musicians, but he also takes things from life and what he is interested in. An example is the single “Little Sugar,” and he said this is derived from when he was watching The Food Network and Giada was making a puff pastry. He noticed that some of what she was saying could be taken as being suggestive, and it inspired him to write the tune. 

“I downloaded the recipe and kind of played with it,” he said. “There are some euphemisms in there.”

In the ‘70s there were rhythmic dance songs that usually had a bass, drum and a guitar, so this song basically follows this formula, mixed with bit of saxophone and percussion.

“I was really drawing on a lot of that early dance influence,” he said. “There’s even a little touch of Duran Duran in there with that saxophone. That right there is part of the confluence of R&B and what was considered early MTV dance and new wave music. It seems to have resonated with folks who are way younger than I am, but also people my age. It was a little bit of a departure, but a fun song.”

Another song is “Texas Lady,” which was inspired by having to switch his Texas driver’s license when he moved to Nashville, saying it felt like he was betraying his home state. He said it was like a metaphor, as it was also related to the lady he was seeing at the time. This album is like a composite of different snapshots of aspects of his life.

“When I build songs it is usually a montage of different things that have happened to me along the way,” Morales said.

He worked with producer Mike Morales (not related) on making RESCUE, who is a Grammy winner and had a top 10 hit in the ‘80s. He brought Mike about 20 songs that he had written over the years, and they went through and narrowed it down to 10 selections. They approached them one by one and expanded upon them over an 18 month period to polish them up and get the songs recorded. They then worked on adding instruments like saxophone and violin to various tracks.

“We kept on tweaking things until we found the right combination,” Morales said. “Like I really wanted to add saxophone to “Little Sugar” and “Greetings from Asbury Park,” and when we did that it elevated it to the next level.”

The album has 10 original tracks, but also one cover: “Sandman” by America. The 1971 tune is one he has been playing since he was 16, and it is the first time he has ever had a cover song on an album.

“It really seems to fit with the whole theme of the whole album,” he said.

RESCUE was recorded in San Antonio by Michael and Ron Morales, and then mastered at Abbey Road Studios by award winning engineer Frank Arkwright.

The order of the album is also very prescriptive, saying that it is much like the albums that he grew up with where it is a complete experience from top to bottom. In the style of vinyl, the idea is to draw you in with the first couple of songs. It finishes strong in a side A, moves onto a strong beginning of side B, and then finishing out with “Rescue.” He said this has elements of Pink Floyd’s style, and is an anthemic song that that “takes you home.”

“There was a lot of thought in the design of the album to give the listener an experience through the various styles and song,” said Morales. “When you listen to the album and go through the different themes, it is really about celebrating life’s ups and downs.

Be sure to check out the music of Ed Morales including his brand new album RESCUE available on all major platforms.

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By Kurt Beyers

With his newest release, “Till We Die,” Dead Hendrix is turning his unique fusion of punk and rap more toward the melodic.

And, despite the title, fun.

“I really like this song,” he said. “This song is a good example of me growing into my artistry and my voice in how my vocal range and my singing ability has expanded. It’s a good song to showcase that.”

The beat comes and goes, in and out with the melodic line, the bass line is more subdued, and DH’s voice follows suit, singing here, rapping there, but with the weight in this song more hip-hop than punk.

“It’s definitely more melodic, a little less aggressive, just seeing what I can do with my voice and like trying a different aspect, a different side of Dead Hendrix. Still down in the same direction, but a different angle.”

Hip-hop musically, punk in theme, an assessment he agrees with.

We gon’ be here till we die
I’ve been in this world too long I’ve seen it from all sides
I see how you’re livin’ girl, I know you getting tired
Make up down your face and you got tattoos on your thighs
Tattoos on your thighs (’round me)

“There are different sides to what I do, and right now I’m focusing more on the hip-hop side of me.”

DH is also growing into a more relaxed attitude. A lot of his music to date, he says, is aggressive, “like getting the chip off my shoulder.”

“I’ve grown a lot, making music. I still have a lot more growing to do, but ‘Till We Die’ is me just kind of making music and enjoying it — just doing it to enjoy it.”

He has made no secret of his history of mental illness and drug abuse, having featured in his music. Asked if the focus is becoming less therapy and more art, he said yes.

“I think that’s exactly what I did with this song specifically. It’s a good break to do that sometimes. It’s refreshing to make a song and just focus on the music instead of getting something off your chest, which is great, but it makes it a lot more serious.”

And “Till We Die,” musically and lyrically, is a fun song.

She say I’m a psycho
I say she a psycho
Really we just toxic like mercury and nitro
Hangin’ by a thread you know we livin’ on a tightrope

This new aspect in his sound will be a feature of a larger project he is working on, a mixtape called “Talk2TheDead.”

DH, who calls Ottawa and Toronto, Canada, his home base, is three years into his career as Dead Hendrix. He has worked with some big names, such as 3MFrench and Nell. Nell will be on the mixtape, and DH will be featured on a song in Nell’s coming tape “Tupac Juice.”

DH will also be performing around Canada and the United States.

One recent track, “Mustang,” has found wide popularity.

“I’m glad that people like ‘Mustang’ and that it is still doing well. Sometimes, when I’m busy with life or making music, it’s a great feeling to check on Spotify and SoundCloud and see people are still paying attention. That’s a really good feeling, but I’m definitely not taking the foot off the gas.”

“Talk2TheDead” is half-recorded.

“I’m dedicated to that mixtape, but it’s been a little while coming. Now the pieces are fitting together. I’m coming up with new stuff for it and songs from the past are fitting together.”

The tape will have a mix of the getting-stuff-off-your-chest and having-fun.

“There’s gonna be a balance,” he said, “but you’re still going to see that punk side. There are some songs that I’m excited to get out, one in particular where you will definitely hear the punk, but lots of other stuff is going to be there, too.”

The “other stuff” will include songs like “Till We Die.”

“There is a place for that kind of music. I might even go deeper that way. Actually, I definitely will. I think it’s good for me in personal growth and my music to make songs where I’m just focusing on the artistry and the music.”

“But,” he said, “there’s definitely more punk stuff that that is going to be released.”

Connect to Dead Hendrix on all platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.

Website: https://www.deadhendrix.com

SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/fai-gw

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4ZyGFfi6pXvtdvAHGG3hAH?si=Qy8yUrMBQR2cgoW-c76kqA

Twitter: https://twitter.com/talk2thedeadd?lang=en

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/talk2thedead/?hl=en

The crypto world has long been home to meme coins, currencies that began as internet memes and became famous. The most notable and successful of these coins to date has been Dogecoin. However, there may be a new player in town. Just An Egg, the account behind the viral photo of an egg that holds the world record for most likes on an Instagram post, is ready to take over the meme coin crown. The World Record Egg IP is set to be purchased by a crypto project for $1,000,000, kickstarting Just An Egg’s rise to fame as a cryptocurrency on the Solana blockchain.

Just An Egg rose to prominence when the Instagram account world_record_egg posted a photo of an ordinary brown egg on January 4, 2019. The caption read, “Let’s set a world record together and get the most liked post on Instagram. Beating the current world record held by Kylie Jenner (18 million)! We got this,” with an emoji of hands held up in praise. The hashtags #LikeTheEgg, #EggSoldiers, and #EggGang were added to the caption. The post quickly went viral, appealing to all demographics with its fun message. The egg captivated the world in the brief time it took for the message to spread and the record to be broken. The post has 60,162,766 likes, surpassing the original goal of 18 million. 

Despite the meme going viral several years ago, the team at Just An Egg saw potential for a new meme application. Many memes are jumping to cryptocurrency, and enthusiasm for meme coins has not waned. Enthusiasts follow coins like Dogecoin because of their unpredictability and the community built by their cult following. The world_record_egg Instagram account still has more than 4.7 million followers, and the brand has been putting out hints at a comeback. This large fanbase is excited to see where the egg will take them next.

Acquiring the World Record Egg IP and social media accounts is an intriguing next step in the meme’s journey. The $1,000,000 sale indicates the meme’s value, showing interested investors the vast potential of this project. When the owners of the World Record Egg IP decided to sell, a 24-hour $2,000,000 capped presale was held publicly for holders to take part in purchasing the World Record Egg. This presale sold out in just 12 hours, which illustrates the world’s excitement to see the meme revived. New posts on the egg’s social media accounts have done well, and anticipation is only growing for the egg’s debut on the Solana blockchain.

The crypto community is sure to rally around the new currency. Like Dogecoin and other prominent meme coins, Just An Egg has a playful ethos that appeals to various investors. The team behind Just An Egg strives to be one of the top ten meme coins on the Solana blockchain, a goal that seems well within reach. The presale proved enthusiasm for this currency, and that excitement is growing stronger with each passing day. Just An Egg is more than an egg; the team is ready to conquer the crypto world.