Jamey Morris (Fistful of DOOM): Stoner Is a Never-Ending Rabbit Hole of Quality Heavy Tunes

Where are you from, Jamey?

I live in the state of Texas, United States.

You call yourself Uncle Jameson in your podcast Fistful of DOOM. Is there a story behind the nick?

I just didn’t want to call myself Jamey basically. I had a difficult time coming up with a name. I think I was trying too hard. Then I remembered that I’ve had a couple of good friends over the years that affectionately called me Jameson. Then I threw in Uncle because I’ve got in the ballpark of 13 nieces and nephews, so I’m an uncle many times over.

Can you recall your first musical experiences? I mean the first bands or concerts or even music articles that set you on your path towards the music industry.

I grew up in a household with a lot of country music. Some of my early musical memories that are not country would be Michael Jackson’s Thriller and Van Halen’s 1984. Two heavier albums that made a big impression on me were Master of Puppets by Metallica and Pretty Hate Machine by Nine Inch Nails. I saw NIN in concert around '90 or '91. This was right before they got really big and that is one of the best shows I’ve been to. A small venue and the sound was so immense that it was messing with my heartbeat. I think that was the second concert I’d ever been to.

What should a music review contain in your opinion? How do you see your role as a music journalist?

Reviews should be objective. It’s okay if you don’t like an album. But just saying that it sucks or something along those lines is not okay. You should use your words and explain what it is that you did not like about the album. Production, vocals, whatever. On the flip side, you should do the same with albums you do like. “This album rocks” doesn’t tell anybody anything.

What I’ve learned about doing reviews is that I don’t like doing reviews. I start agonizing over every word that I use. I love doing interviews, however. And that is what I stick to doing.  

You started your podcast called Fistful of DOOM in 2016. How would you summarize the whole path to the present 113th episode?

What has surprised me the most about doing it is that I never thought I’d commit so much of my free time to doing something for free. The other thing is I never get tired of doing it. I’m just as enthusiastic five years in as I was when I began. I might even be a little more enthusiastic. I love supporting the underground metal scene.    

What are your favorite music genres? Do you listen to other music than the one you review and work with? 

Stoner, Doom, Psych, Death Metal...

I did not grow up a “metalhead.” I love many styles of music. I’m a big fan of Grateful Dead, Kenny Roby (country/folk), The Black Crowes, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys.

Where do you find new music? 

I know there’s a lot of Spotify hate out there, but they do have great recommendations based on what you listen to. I’ve discovered some jewels there. I’m exposed to a lot of music through being a contributor at The Ripple Effect blog and from the Doom Charts as well.

You are also one of the contributors to the Doom Chart. How did you become one? How does it work? There are more than fifty contributors there. How can a stoner/psychedelic/doom band get their album to your ears?

The gentleman that used to run the Doom Charts invited me to be a contributor. He was also a contributor at The Ripple Effect blog and that’s how we knew each other. Bands can submit their music to the Doom Charts through the Doom Charts website. One piece of advice: your submission should include a link so that recipients can download the music. Like a Dropbox link, Google Drive, Haulix, or whatever. I can’t emphasize this enough. Submitting your music with only a link to your Bandcamp page will not cut it. Also, if you are sending Bandcamp codes you have to consider the number of people on the site that you are submitting to. If you are submitting to the Doom Charts or The Ripple Effect blog there are many, many contributors. So if you only send over one code then only one person out of ten or more will get the code. That’s not very good odds for the band or label that is submitting. Maximize your chance of coverage and exposure by sending over plenty of codes.    

The Doom Charts work this way.  Once a month contributors submit a list of their top 25 albums for that month.  They are ranked 1-25.  All the submissions are tallied and that’s how the Doom Charts top 25 is compiled.  

In my opinion and a few personal experiences, the doom, psychedelic and stoner music world is compared to other music communities a very connected and supportive one, from fans towards their artists, fan-to-fan and band-to-band also. Would you agree?

There are a lot of amazing and supportive people in this scene and I’m glad to be associated with many of them.

You must have quite a collection of music in your Bandcamp account and on physical releases, I presume. What is your most preferable type of record media?

My Bandcamp collection has grown exponentially through my affiliation with the Doom Charts and The Ripple Effect blog. I have a respectable physical collection, I suppose. I dabble in vinyl, cassette, and CD.

Probably vinyl. I love all that they can do with vinyl as far as the coloring goes. In addition to the 14x14 (or whatever the exact dimensions are) wicked album art, you also get the artistry that goes into creating the vinyl.  

How would you describe the world of stoner, psychedelic, and doom music to someone who had never heard about it?

A never-ending rabbit hole of quality heavy tunes.