Weehawken resident and musician Eddie Skuller has lent his ethereal voice to classic jazz standards by the likes of Billie Holiday and Jimmy Scott. But after years of crooning in the New York music scene, Skuller’s alter ego – an imaginary blues legend named Morphine Berry – has brought Skuller back to his singer/songwriter roots.
His new album The Morphine Berry Story is a compilation of original blues songs, featuring a haunting rendition of “Serves Me Right To Suffer,” by John Lee Hooker. Although Skuller’s voice is a polished product of his jazz-vocalist past, the singer is comfortable in the muddy style of American music.
“I didn’t want to get too bogged down academically about what the music was,” Skuller said. “I knew that for the past few years, I was listening to a lot of blues records – the meter, lyrically, and the writing.”
From greats like Muddy Waters and Howling Wolf, Skuller blends the traditions of the blues with an alternative-pop sensibility.
“It’s like knowing how a haiku poem goes,” Skuller said. “There is a basic template to get the words and the melody of traditional blues songwriting right. I just put my own twist on it.”
Mr. Berry is back
After years performing at the Mercury Lounge in New York City, Skuller was having a hard time writing new original compositions.
“I was having a hard time writing songs,” Skuller said. “So on a whim I started playing covers, and had a great time interpreting songs from Bob Dylan to Jimmy Scott.”
Backed by a jazz trio or only a pianist, Skuller recorded a number of jazz standards that are available on iTunes.
“I felt like I had writer’s block,” Skuller said.
That was until he met Bongo’s guitarist James Mastro. Owner of the Guitar Bar in Hoboken, Mastro agreed to work with Skuller, but only with original material. After some time, the two came up with the name Morphine Berry, and the songs soon followed.
“Taking on an alter ego,” Skuller said, “it was like something released in me, and the songs just started following out.”
Under their new name, the two men recorded the album in only two days at the Pigeon Club in Hoboken. Two live drum sets were played simultaneously to give the album an old blues feel.
“It’s the best recording I have ever done,” Skuller said. “I’m a pop singer, but creating a hybrid style like this is a lot of fun.”
Landed in Weehawken
Skuller was born in Brooklyn, where his passion for music was first fostered by his father.
“I was obsessed with my dad’s jazz records as a kid,” Skuller said, “when I was about 2 or 3 years old. I was always playing with his old albums and turntables and did a lot of damage. He eventually bought me my own toy turntables and 45s. My first show-and-tell was an old 45 record.”
Later on, Skuller attended Rutgers University and studied communications, where he formed his first band. He eventually started playing at Manhattan clubs like CBGB’s, before moving back to New York City to pursue a music career full time.
“I’ve been doing it ever since,” Skuller said. From his apartment in the city, Skuller first laid his eyes on the township of Weehawken.
“I lived in NY for a long time and my window faced a town across the Hudson,” Skuller said. “I had no idea what it was, but it was almost calling me. I tried to look at it from binoculars, but they weren’t strong enough. I ended up living in Hoboken for a while, and finally came to Weehawken.”
Now settled in the community, Skuller is happy his apartment window once overlooked Weehawken cliffs.
“Weehawken is a great community.” Skuller said “It has great schools, and it’s so close to New York. I can do a gig and be home in ten minutes – right through the Lincoln Tunnel.”
Skuller will hold a release party for his album The Morphine Berry Story at the Living Room in New York City on April 18 at 7 p.m. For more information on Skuller, please visit: www.skuller.com.
Sean Allocca can be reached at seana@hudsonreporter.com