Album DescriptionThis record is complex and challenging, but equally rewarding to those who make the effort. The prize? A trip into a man's psyche and the quiet intensity therein. This project is an amalgam of talents: the music of renegade Ohio composer John Howell Morrison, and performed by the universally acclaimed Intergalactic Contemporary Ensemble (fresh from the world tour promoting "I Dig" Innova 548). Under the direction of the original madman in the rain, Duane Schulthess, they bring to life Morrision's compositions with a resilient brilliance. One of the freshest voices in American music, John Howell Morrison is no stranger to struggle. His new release on innova, Hard Weather Makes Good Wood, is a fantastical synthesis of the American South,the ferocious chops of the performers, and a creamy blend of electronic and acoustic media. Combine these elements into a seamless whole and you get a heady, hearty, challenging sound world that shows us a glimpse of the future of chamber music. Morrison has character in buckets and reminds us that surviving life?s storms is what builds us up. Through it all, hard weather makes good wood. Music shouldn't be easy, and this isn't but the rewards are so worth it.