Singer songwriter Moreland graced the stage on a Friday at Space. An imposing figure at 350lbs with a completely inked up shaved head, the songs were heartfelt nuggets that blended folk and blues. Armed with just an acoustic guitar and a well worn voice, Moreland rambled through his catalog. Songs of love and loss, addiction and alienation were all expertly delivered. The setlist went like this: The More You Say, the Less it Means, I Need You to Tell Me Who I Am, Cherokee, Oh Julia, Old Wounds, Losing Sleep Tonight, Break My Heart Sweetly, Blacklist, God’s Medicine, Heart’s Too Heavy, Will The Heavens Catch Us? , and Lies I Chose to Believe. Moreland’s work owes credit to Steve Earle and Townes Van Zandt. Like Steve and Townes, it seems John had a checkered past with addiction. Lines like “she needs to kill what’s killing her” and “ I should deal with my demons, but I’m dodging them instead” are sung by a man who has seen it. Moreland hails from Bixby Oklahoma, his Midwest drawl was a special sauce for some tunes. Seems that John had a previous life as a troubled young man in a hardcore band, with one of his current songs throwing shade at Danbury CT and that time in his life. Given his appearance, it’s easy to believe that Moreland has struggled with acceptance and alienation, his recent recording The Visitor highlighting these themes. Sometimes life works out as Moreland was lovingly accepted by the near capacity crowd.
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