Music To Move Society: Interview with Morrisson
SacTV.com "Video of the Day" review by
Alex Cosper on April 24, 2012
San Francisco recording artist Morrisson started
his career as a radio personality at KWOD in Sacramento, then moved on to San Francisco radio as
Morris Knight.
Growing up in the 1980s, he attended Foothill High School with classmate Thomas Flowers, who went on
to become the frontman of the successful band Oleander. The two jammed together with friends including
Karl Lane of the experimental project Hybrid Theory,
one of the most inventive indie artists from Sacramento. Morrisson's own inventiveness with pop music
has made him stand out among the indie scene with accessible dance music that has been played in
European clubs as well as in the States.
In this classic interview from May 14, 2000 Morrisson shares some of his radio expertise about the elements
that comprise a hit song, as his very first single release "Love of My Life" appeared on the Billboard dance charts in 2006,
peaking at #15. He also suggests that successful artists who make hits should give something back to the community to improve society.
His vision is to help teachers and the education system. Morrisson's music tends to be upbeat house music with
R&B roots, with his influences being Prince and Rick James. This timeless interview was made before he recorded his
first album, which he released on his own in 2008. Many of his songs not only sound like hits, they even rival the hits. That comes from working
years in radio, seeing hits come and go, as well as a lifelong love of popular radio and club music.
Read more about innovative indie artists at Playlist Research.
Update: June 23, 2013
Morrison continues to write and record music, as well as work on the air. His views about music have grown more
in the alternative realm, as he is working on adding electric guitar sounds to his next project. In many ways,
the alternative format is his roots as far as musical development. When he worked at KWOD in the early 90s,
which was his first radio gig, Morris was influential in suggesting music for the station as it was experimented
with modern rock and electronic dance music. As the original co-host of the local show The Sound of Sacramento,
he was very instrumental in bringing bands like Oleander and Deftones to the station's attention.
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