While the Jersey Shore has become synonymous with wild antics in recent years, it is also the place where bluegrass musician Doug Morier grew up and was exposed to the rock and folk influences that have shaped his music today.

On Thursday night, Morier and a few musical guests will perform as part of the Fowler Out Loud concert series, which presents a series of performances across a wide range of genres, such as the original old-time and bluegrass music that Morier said he and his friends will be playing.

Morier, a third-year doctoral student in the UCLA department of epidemiology, said this type of music was part of his upbringing and childhood from a very early age, though rock music and the electric guitar also sparked his interest.

“I started when I was about nine (years old). My dad got me started on the guitar and singing, and then I played in a lot of different rock and roll bands throughout college,” Morier said.

Given his musical background and experience with multiple genres, Morier said that it was not until the end of his undergraduate career that he returned to his musical roots and the acoustic guitar.

“I got myself an acoustic guitar when I was in college, just to have something to play in the dorms,” Morier said. “From there, I found a lot of old country music and old bluegrass and saw how much music you could make just with yourself and a guitar.”

According to Morier, Thursday night’s show will be about 90 minutes long and consist of a dozen songs performed with the help of some of his friends, including musicians from the Los Angeles area and members of UCLA’s bluegrass band, The L.A. BlueGrassHoppers.

“Some of the tunes I do by myself because they work that way, and for some of the tunes where it is nice to have some extra guitar, mandolin, fiddle or banjo, I have friends who are going to come and help me out,” Morier said.

Leland Jackness, one of the musicians who will be joining Morier during the show, said that he and Morier started playing bluegrass together once a week before heading off to work and school.

According to Jackness, his role in Thursday’s show will be somewhat improvised.

“I will be playing guitar, probably both acoustic and electric, but one of the things that has been really fun about playing with Doug is that you never know where it is going to go, so there is a lot of spontaneity,” Jackness said.

Jazmin Morales, a third-year ethnomusicology student and curator for Fowler Out Loud, said that while Morier’s performance is not directly related to any of the Fowler’s current exhibitions, this type of music is still classic.

“I think it is going to be an all-around good time. Doug’s music is very happy and uplifting and he is very creative and friendly,” Morales said. “The people that he is bringing are all very cool and it is fun to watch them.”

Morier said that he hopes this performance will expose people to a different genre of music that they might not otherwise have the chance to experience.

“Music is something that percolates out of a whole culture, society and time and place. There is a lot to be had, not only in the music itself, but in the stories and where those stories came from,” Morier said. “It is a fun way to consider history and we try to keep it lively.”