La Mesa native Morgan Hollingsworth has been an artist his entire life.
A graduate of Grossmont Middle College High School, Hollingsworth was active in San Diego’s rich theater scene, performing everywhere from The Old Globe to the La Jolla Playhouse. He also joined his parents in hosting popular ghost tours in Old Town that educated visitors on the history of San Diego’s oldest neighborhood.
Today, Hollingsworth brings his San Diego roots to life in his first full-length album with Americana band, Satin Nickel. He said he hopes the music brings joy to listeners, especially those in his hometown of La Mesa, during these “trying times.”
“Many people in our generation are experiencing great turmoil and are having to decide what is most important to them, not just because of the pandemic but because of the economic and societal strife that we inherited,” Hollingsworth said. “In this era, when truth is losing its value and people in positions of power are telling us to deny the evidence of our own eyes and ears, the greatest tool we have is the power to think for ourselves.”
Hollingsworth created Satin Nickel alongside Samantha Aneson at UC Irvine. The band, which now includes Nikola Balac, Ariana Karp and Andrew Shewaga, released its album “Shadow of Doubt” recently, sharing music about starting life over after experiencing difficult times.
Hollingsworth, who sings and plays the guitar and mandolin, said each band member’s unique background contributed to the sound of the album.
“By combining the five of us, we’ve created music that’s very hard to describe because each song has its own circle of influences, and therefore we oscillate between different genres and blend them together in fun and interesting ways,” said Hollingsworth, who now lives in New York. “That’s what people have commented on the most in the two years of the band’s existence in that, while we identify mainly as folk/rock and Americana, there’s really no single genre that we’ve fully attached ourselves to.”
Of course, Hollingsworth shares his San Diego upbringing as well. The song “The Ballad of Yankee Jim” was inspired by his favorite stories of the reported ghost in Old Town.
“Running at almost seven minutes long, it’s arguably one of my favorite songs on the album, and it’s very special to feature a song with such a strong attachment to my hometown,” Hollingsworth said.
Hollingsworth has been particularly reminiscent of his hometown in recent days after protesters gathered in La Mesa to speak out against the death of Minneapolis man, George Floyd. The protest, which was a part of dozens across the country, resulted in looting by a small number of people.
“I’m in complete shock to hear of the violent acts that took place there this last weekend, and even more shocked that much of it took place less than ten minutes from my childhood home,” Hollingsworth said. “These riots and protests stem from 400-plus years of a racist system that has been failing and killing innocent black people, and now people are demanding change to the system, not just nationally but internationally. We need to remember that these protests are happening because black people are actively being killed, imprisoned, and impoverished, and we need to do what we can to lift up their voices.”
While Hollingsworth waits out the stay-at-home order alongside his bandmates, he said he plans to continue to work on his music and hopes it inspires others.
“I hope our album gives everyone an extra bit of joy in these trying times,” Hollingsworth said.
For more information about Satin Nickel, go to smarturl.it/satinnickel.
