Songdog

Information

SONGDOG
Songdog’s current lineup is songwriter, guitarist and
singer Lyndon Morgans, together with fellow Songdog
founder Karl 'Pod' Woodward (who provides the
distinctive Mellotron sound that weaves through the
latest album and also designed the cover art) plus
new violinist Bethan Frieze.
For Lyndon, the central force of Songdog, it’s the
language that counts, the impetus that drove him to
teach himself French so he could read Proust in the
original. Words are Lyndon’s tools of the trade,
whether as a songwriter, one-time music journalist, playwright or occasional
translator. Growing up in Blackwood, Wales, he devoured everything from the
novels of Kafka, Musil, Joyce, Proust and Beckett, the poetry of Eliot, Pound and
Baudelaire to the philosophy of Nietzsche. Musically, he fell in love with The
Beatles, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, Scott Walker and David Bowie.
Darkly melancholic, sardonic, beautiful and poetic are all telling adjectives that have
been used to describe his songs. Lyndon got his first guitar at the age of 12, bought
by his father from a local auction, and later eschewed university to travel to London
and form his first band, along with teenage friend Karl. When that group met its
natural conclusion some years later, and somewhat disillusioned with the music
scene, Lyndon turned to playwriting. He met with some success, with his stage play
‘Water Music’ winning the prestigious Verity Bargate Award for Best New Play and
his French monologue ‘Conte de Fées’ landing Radio France’s Meilleure Nouvelle
(Francophone) prize. Other works included the play ‘Jitterbugger’ (workshopped by
the National Theatre) and a screenplay, ‘Crazy House’. Meanwhile, Karl wandered
off for a spell at the Slade art school.
Lyndon couldn’t resist the call of music forever. Lured by the sight of a friend
borrowing his Les Paul and going off to a gig, he embraced songwriting again. In
2000 Lyndon formed Songdog with Karl, recruiting various other musicians along
the way. After one independent release and a brief flirtation with Evangeline
Records, Songdog signed a three album deal with One Little Indian (aka One Little
Independent). Now Songdog release their own independent recordings via
Junkyard Songs with the support of Shellshock Distribution.
The most recent album, Of Gods And Men, came out under Lyndon’s own name in
October 2022. Previous albums as Songdog include A Happy Ending (2020), Joy
Street (2017), Last Orders at Harry's Bar (2013), A Life Eroding (2010), A
Wretched Sinner's Song (2008), The Time Of Summer Lightning (2005), Haiku
(2003) and The Way Of The World (2001) and were released to great reviews from
the likes of Uncut, Mojo, The Mirror, Maverick, RnR and Americana UK amongst
others.