Visit a secret jam hall in Haiti with guitarist William Morse
“To me, creativity is the fleeting feeling between rage and peace. It’s the serenity only found in chaos.
Bitch-ass”
Guitarist William Morse is Born to Create. So are you.
Come along with me to a secret house on the Hotel Oloffson property in Port-au-Prince. Following an obscure pathway behind the hotel swimming pool, I brushed aside low-hanging mango branches to reveal a hidden portion of the hotel. Behind the natural screen of the mango branches, I followed William onto a small patio. He opened double french doors and we entered a jam hall from another dimension.
It’s the “Repetition Room” where Afro-Punk band RAM holds their 11 piece band practices three times a week. They have been performing in the hotel concert space off the restaurant for over 20 years. Today the jam space and recording studio is heavily infused with the mystical grunge that characterizes the group’s sound. Marble busts, sequence symbols on glittery flags adorn white shelves along with classic collection of Haitian art, vintage books, some workout equipment. In the center of the expansive room, guitar amps blend with vodou drums of all sizes. A raised platform at the back has a drum kit, and I notice the patchwork of rugs underfoot that invites me to remove my shoes. The architecture has me in slack-jawed wonder too. What is this place?
Light beams of Caribbean sun beam in from skylights above, and I can feel that the morning warmth will soon turn into thick heatwaves. The high windows are framed by red bricks that could date from the colonial era, but the furniture recalls Mick Jagger in a 1980’s vacation home. A bathing suit is crumpled in the corner and could have been for decades. A staircases rises liminal to the left - adding an air of additional mystery to the open space. Instruments are scattered everywhere, as if they’ve just been put down and the bandmates will be back in ten.
This is the kind of creative space that feels hallowed - a house of spirits- and yet it’s anchored to reality by scattered Prestige beer bottles. Signs of the souls who make their music here.
The music has been taking RAM - for whom William plays base guitar and serves as informal booking agent - on tours far beyond Haiti since their hit song Ayibobo was featured in the Sleepless in Seattle iconic film soundtrack. William is second generation RAM. He has let us into the room for a special Amanacer photoshoot. Here’s a quick conversation with this soul who was clearly Born to Create.
Amanacer’s most burning question for William:
So William, if you could bring any creative project to life, with unlimited budget and knowing any collaborator was guaranteed to say YES! ... what would you make?
William:
I would make a graphic novel about Haiti. I’d tie in the revolution, magic, vodou, love, power, and Haitian folklore.
Amanacer:
Hot damn, I didn’t see that coming. You illustrate too? I hope we can see this project birthed into reality soon.
William:
Thanks, me too.
“Just as sure as your strands of DNA, you were born with a creative blueprint . It’s a unique code that craves to become physically expressed, and I hope this shirt guides you further on that journey.”
Please note this style is no longer available. For all ethical clothing styles by Amanacer please visit her conscious design house over at www.HouseofEllechemy.com
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