When McKinley Morrison & Williams were presented with the opportunity to record on stage at Saint John’s Imperial Theatre, they jumped at what the trio describe as a “dream chance to perform on one of the most beautiful theatre stages in Canada.” “King’s Fountain Boogie” is the second in a series of videos MMW filmed during these sessions, all done in a single take.
McKinley explains that when the Imperial Theatre upgraded their mixing consoles in 2018, the new equipment was sufficiently advanced that the house staff felt that they might benefit from a little practice time with their new technological marvels. Reaching out to sound engineer Sean Boyer, the band managed to line up two nights performing on the stage, with filmmaker Tyler Warren Ellis capturing the occasion.
“It was extremely exciting to be in the Imperial Theatre, on that stage. We were all thrilled at the opportunity,” says McKinley. “We went in and treated it like a show. We took one take at every song, and what you hear is exactly what happened live. We were energized by the spirit of that stage and room.”
McKinley notes that the band were still very fresh as a group at the time, considering the videos were filmed two years ago, but feels they’ve held up as some of their favourite performances.
“The camera work by Tyler Warren Ellis is an incredible showcase of the band and the theatre; you can even see him in some of the shots with us. These videos and recordings are still some of our favourites almost two years later! It is really great to be releasing them now!”
The song, “King’s Found Boogie,” began as a totally improvised instrumental piece, taking its name from its first performance at Kings Square in Saint John – appropriate, considering its immediate proximity to the Imperial Theatre.
“Behind us sat the bandstand and the fountain,” says McKinley. “The jam became more structured over time until it was a song. The tune itself is cooking and the groove is thick – ‘King’s Fountain Boogie’ – with no words, we have a funny way of naming songs.”
The video follows the previously released “No Shuffle”, and McKinley Morrison & Williams still have three more videos in the series to be released.