LOWELL — Morgan Minsk found her singing voice at a young age, then she found her faith. Eventually the Illinois native found her way to Lowell. Now she finally found the funds to finance her ambitious musical project.
In less than a year since launching her fundraising campaign on Kickstarter, the Berklee College of Music graduate recently introduced her first album to fans and benefactors at a concert and signing party held at Coffee and Cotton in Lowell’s Mill No. 5 on Jackson Street.
Using $25,000 in proceeds from the crowd-sourcing, which she accumulated in less than a month, Minsk went immediately to work arranging for studio space, engineers, representation and musicians to help her produce “Praise,” an album she composed entirely.
Minsk describes her music as Christian folk-soul. But the messages in her songs apply more universally than to just faith.
“It’s not what you think when you think typical Christian music,” she said. “This is raw, real, rough stories of depression and suicidal thoughts and failing at things. In that, having hope through Jesus, trying to put it in a place that’s relatable.”
She actually wrote all the songs long before the plans to record them, giving an organic and genuineness to them versus some impetuous contrivances.
The middle child of a musical family, she is now firmly planted in Lowell, having married the campus minister at UMass Lowell, Jeremy Minsk, and has built a small but growing fan-base.
Minsk even chose the venue for her launch because it “hits my demographic and is the center of a large community of artists and performers in the city.”
Her entrepreneurial skills are on par with her musical talents. While writing all the music and lyrics for all the tracks, she also spearheaded the fundraising, recruited musical professionals, sought representation, marketed her work and coordinated the polish and distribution of the album.
At the event, she performed a few licks with her bandmates and will also sign merchandise and mingle with fans, both old and new.
Her music defies categorization, within its own genre. It’s a sound that she calls “Christian acoustic pop-punk.” She wrote all the words and music for the album over the past few years. Since earning an acceptance to Berklee, Minsk has been enamored with New England, particularly Massachusetts. And the Bay State seems to have taken to her as well. Her Kickstarter campaign reached its ambitious goal of $23,000 within a month, thereby setting in motion the production of Praise.
Her smile comes easy, like a riff she’s played a thousand times, when she speaks of music. It’s as much a part of her as her own skin is. It was in her house from birth. It was at her church and bounced out the speakers of whatever car she rode in. It’s no wonder that she would one day become the music.
The album was recorded, with contributions from her vast circle of musician colleagues, at The Record Company in Boston. After production, she sent the raw arrangement to Warren Babson, a Grammy-nominated, Gloucester-based audio engineer who has worked with industry superstars Justin Bieber, Wyclef Jean and John Legend. Babson did the final mix and described Minsk as having “a great voice and a great vibe.” Her eclectic mix of sounds and genres impressed Babson. “She has some countryish vibe, pop-punk kinda songs. It’s cool how she gets all over the place.”
Despite being fluent in musical theory and adept at several instruments, Minsk’s area of study at Berklee was Music Therapy, a practicum discipline that uses music to augment other treatments for physical pain and emotional distress. Her lyrics reflect that part of her nature and that aspect of her schooling. “Dive in the water, and be sanctified. Grow old to tears that you used to cry. Hold on tighter, hold my hand. Watch as the rain revives this land,” is the chorus to “Praise.”
Babson is optimistic about the commercial success of Minsk’s work.
“Not only does she have a great sound. But the Christian world has a built-in fan-base already in place,” Babson said.
Minsk, whose maiden name and former performance name is Morgan Joyce Williams, is grateful to all the powers that found their way into this moment; family, friends, fans and faith.
