The ‘spin cycle’ of JT Moring’s new album, LINES, begins in a colorful orange laundromat situated on the same tuneful block as Arlo Guthrie’s legendary Alice’s Restaurant! As the title would imply, this collection of songs left me with many memorable, quotable lines as I read between the lines of Moring’s musical musings! Perhaps my favorite line from the album both invokes the title and asks the mindful, insightful question: 


 “When you get to the end of the line, my friend; where do you go?”


Many folk heroes make cameo appearances referenced throughout the record especially on Track 3, “Me & Bob vs. the Internet.” This song is a witty and self-searching soliloquy of folk wisdom celebrating the indie artist who may never live in Malibu, but is happy to sing his own song. Critics, whether sniping at artists from the industry ivory tower or nameless people ruthlessly commenting on social media can say what they will, but JT takes it all with an “lol”!

Just as JT sings his own novel album review in “Me & Bob vs. the Internet,” he sings his own requiem in “Last Request.”  There is nothing morbid about the song which is ironically uplifting considering the subject matter. In the lyric, JT chooses the organic eternity found in a compost heap. Just as the pivotal song “Me and Bob vs. the Internet” explains the creative continuum of folk music, where artists in the oral tradition respectfully borrow from one another, “Last Request” is also about coming full circle in the continuum of biological life. I feel a “Woodstockian” vibe and philosophy here —We’ve got to get back to the garden.

This album is an entertaining musical time capsule in which JT teaches us how to find humor in life’s annoyances.  Whether we are sharing the not-so-friendly skies with the nuisance passenger in “Row 23,” sharing the high speed internet with opinionated trolls, or sharing a trestle bridge with an oncoming train while catfishing, JT has a song for that—and a homespun solution. 


One of my favorite songs on the album is “Audience of One.”  Moring has written a song defining the joy of music from the artist’s perspective. Music can be a solitary individual sport, but for JT Moring, music is best played as a team. The instrumentals and vocals are so natural and well-matched to the lyrics that the team analogy truly fits throughout this album. Tin whistle, electric guitar, banjo , brass, keys, saxophone, hurdy-gurdy, hauntingly beautiful harmonica and great acoustic guitar work illustrate and punctuate each story told.  


The take home message of  the seemingly lighthearted song “Audience of One” was extremely poignant. We have all experienced concerts where a quorum isn’t quite assembled. Sometimes there are more artists standing on stage than people seated in the audience, but joy still fills the listening room. JT illustrates in this song why musicians do what they do.

This album is definitely Made in America just like the Ford Econoline in which JT Moring takes us for a nostalgic ride. This musical homage is a nostalgic ode to homegrown horsepower and craftsmanship. Again, the album title is purposefully but subtly evoked as JT rolls his Econoline off the Detroit assembly line! But this is only the beginning of our journey.

Folk music is a gentle yet powerful vehicle for change. JT observes what is both right and wrong with America. “See the USA,”  with its catchy call and response and brass choir fanfare highlights the high cost of living and having to cross the border to Mexico for healthcare better than political rhetoric could ever communicate.  Like the folk music giants preceding him, JT Moring has a natural knack for distilling the complexity of crisis into the simplicity of song.


 “The Weather”  takes us further down America’s road landing us right in the Golden State and my hometown. The San Diego where I grew up was once the “postcard town” JT sings about.  It was a time when shiny shopping carts were filled with affordable groceries— not all of ones’ worldly belongings. The paradise of palm trees and perfect weather is a paradox of inequity. The west coast is indeed is the “dead end” JT shines light upon in dark times.

“Angel’s Ragtime Band” is the perfect closer for this most wonderful album. The instrumental piece reminiscent of a calliope or marching band is a palate cleanser of sorts — a  rest stop on the long road. JT leaves us with an instrumental interlude to savor before diving into the album all over again as the listener will surely want to do.

Blythe Effron, September 2024