John Moreland

Oklahoma’s John Moreland is a rootsy, heartfelt singer/songwriter who grew out of punk in his teens to become a lauded Americana and alt-country artist. With a gruff but eloquent voice, Moreland sings songs of life in the American heartland, wed to a rich roots rock brew of country, blues, and rock & roll. 2013′s In the Throes was the first of his solo albums to earn serious critical acclaim, and the prestigious British independent label 4AD signed him for 2017′s Big Bad Luv. For 2020′s LP5 and 2022′s Birds in the Ceiling, Moreland added new accents to his music with arrangements that moved him away from roots rock into a cooler indie rock style.
Born in Longview, Texas in 1985, Moreland grew up in Oklahoma in a working-class family of strict Southern Baptists. As a child, he was first introduced to music by listening to his father play Neil Young and Creedence Clearwater Revival songs at home on the guitar. Around age ten, Moreland began playing guitar himself and by his teens he was playing in various local punk and metalcore bands, including Thirty Called Arson.
After rediscovering country and roots rock in his twenties, he began writing and performing with his group John Moreland & the Black Gold Band. In 2008 he released his earthy, electric guitar-steeped debut, Endless Oklahoma Sky. Three years later he returned with his second effort with the Black Gold Band, Things I Can't Control, as well as two albums recorded as John Moreland & the Dust Bowl Souls, Everything the Hard Way and Earthbound Blues.
Deciding to move in a self-produced direction, Moreland recorded his 2013 album, In the Throes, largely on his own. The album, which showcased his transition to an even more intimate acoustic sound, developed a grassroots following. He garnered even further attention after several songs off In the Throes, including “Spells” and “Heaven,” were used in the acclaimed FX TV biker drama Sons of Anarchy. In 2015 Moreland released his sixth full-length album, High on Tulsa Heat. Recorded at his parents’ home in Bixby, Oklahoma, the album included the single “Cherokee.” In a somewhat unexpected move, Moreland signed with esteemed U.K. label 4AD in early 2017 and released his Tchad Blake-mixed fourth solo LP Big Bad Luv. He returned to his own Old Omens label (distributed by Thirty Tigers) for 2020′s LP5, which also found him easing back on the country-accented arrangements of his previous albums for a more introspective sound founded in keyboard-driven indie rock. In 2022, he delivered the equally atmospheric full-length Birds in the Ceiling. ~ Matt Collar