Morris Minor’s Greg Nobles on Seven Years of Mobile Music, One Song at a Time
Ahead of a 2009 show at Noell B's in downtown Mobile, Morris Minor frontman Greg Nobles talked about the band's origin, a memorable night sharing a stage with Jim White while David Byrne watched from the crowd, and why he believes coastal Alabamians need to support their local musicians.
Before Morris Minor took the stage for an 8:30 p.m. set at Noell B's on Conception Street in downtown Mobile, frontman Greg Nobles sat down for a quick conversation about the band's origins, its most memorable Mobile gig, and why he believes coastal Alabamians owe it to themselves to support the musicians playing in their own backyard.
Nobles formed Morris Minor seven years earlier, not long after moving back to Mobile from Birmingham. He described the band as an outlet he needed at the time — a way to work through the songs that were piling up in his head after the move.
A British Name for an Alabama Band
The band's name has nothing to do with Alabama at all. A Morris Minor is a British-built car produced from the late 1940s into the 1970s, a small, boxy, economical vehicle that became one of the best-selling cars in the United Kingdom during the postwar era.
A Night at O'Rourke's
Asked about his most memorable experience playing music in Mobile, Nobles didn't hesitate: a show Morris Minor played alongside singer-songwriter Jim White at O'Rourke's. White, an Americana and alt-country artist who built a national following through eccentric, literate songwriting, drew an unexpected visitor that night — Talking Heads frontman David Byrne, who had come out specifically to see White perform. Nobles remembered the room as "a madhouse."
The connection between the two ran deep: White's 1997 debut album, "Wrong-Eyed Jesus! (The Mysterious Tale of How I Shouted)," was released on Luaka Bop, the record label Byrne founded. White, who grew up in Pensacola, later became the guide for the 2003 documentary "Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus," a road trip through the music and culture of the rural South.
"Something Beautiful"
When asked which single Morris Minor song coastal Alabamians should hear if they only had time for one, Nobles pointed to "Something Beautiful," describing it as the most positive song in the band's catalog. He said he was, in his words, tired of negativity.
Plans and Philosophy
Looking ahead, Nobles said the band's plans were straightforward: keep playing shows, keep recording new material, and keep looking for peace and harmony, both musically and personally.
When asked if he had any spiritual or philosophical advice to offer, his answer was simple and direct: be nice, and support local artists and musicians, because they need that support to keep going.
Like many independent bands of the era, Morris Minor used MySpace as its main online home for sharing music and connecting with fans.
