Matt Morris

I am a(n)

Band, individual

City

Denver

State

CO

Zip

80220

Date I Joined Fight With Tools

July 30, 2008

Gender

Male

Sexual Orientation

Gay, and married.

Racial/Ethnic Background

American, with Irish-Spanish-Welsh-Mexican-parts

About Me

What is it that separates Matt Morris from so many other recording artists? When you peel back all the layers - the diverse moods, styles and topics he sings about - there is one common denominator: They reflect Matt's dedication to living and writing about a meaningful life.

In an increasingly rushed and rude world, in which politicians and talk radio hosts hurl epithets and insults, where honest disagreements are shouted down by dishonest rhetoric, Matt Morris gives voice to our best instincts. “We’re looking for a way to make it better/Looking for a way to change the weather,” he sings in “Live Forever” from his new album When Everything Breaks Open on Tennman Records. On the album, Matt embraces the personal and political, the romantic and the spiritual, in a way that recalls Stevie Wonder’s 1970s streak of masterworks.

He can build epic emotional epiphanies such as “Forgiveness” and “Eternity,” and switch gears with the rhythmic “Money.” He is bold and fearless with sarcasm on “The Un-American,” where Morris holds up a mirror to the demagogues of divisiveness and asks: “What if you’re the un-American?” The dynamic singer is also at home with the ambitious “Don’t You Dare”, on memorable love songs like “Just Before the Morning,” and shows his compassion with his message in “In This House.”

When Everything Breaks Open was produced in Austin, Texas, and in Los Angeles by Charlie Sexton and Tennman label founder Justin Timberlake - two names you wouldn’t intuitively expect to team up in the studio. “Charlie and Justin can be seen as representative of different sides of my music,” Morris says. “There is an earthy, rooted, sometimes melancholy side to some of my writing that is in line with Charlie’s personality and approach. There is a playful, high-energy, soulful side that speaks to who Justin is, as a person and producer. The two people are very different from one another, but they both have impeccable instincts.”

Morris has known Timberlake since the early 1990s, when the two were child co-stars of that era’s edition of “The All New Mickey Mouse Club.” Morris was on the show for four seasons, from 1991-1995. Even before what was popularly known as MMC, Morris was a stage savvy performer. His father is country artist Gary Morris, former Broadway actor and once one of country’s biggest stars. His parents divorced when he was young; he lived with his mother in Denver, but on summer vacations, he would often join his father not just on the road, but on stage.

In addition to Timberlake, Morris’ friends and contemporaries from the show included luminaries such as Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Keri Russell, Ryan Gosling, and JC Chasez. While many of his cohorts leveraged their Disney Channel exposure to successful pop and acting careers, Morris craved teenage normality, and the family headed back to Denver. “At 15, all I really wanted to do was hang out, get my learner’s permit, and not work” Morris says. “I didn’t want to be a celebrity; I wanted to be a kid."

During the summer between his Junior and Senior years in high school, Matt worked as a volunteer health activist for the non-profit organization, Amigos de las Americas. He worked in a remote village in Paraguay, South America, teaching hygiene to locals and assisting with sanitation. Matt’s experience with Amigos was a precursor to the work he would do as a partner artist with the Flobot’s non-profit, FightWithTools.org, an organization committed to providing support on many levels to communities in need.

On When Everything Breaks Open, Matt Morris has grown from an award-winning songwriter to a multi-talented recording artist with one of the most ambitious albums of 2010.

How I would like to change the world:

I would like to hear/write/create songs about the world in which I live; songs that speak to something true and universal about human experience, but that all the while remaining honest and relevant to the individual. I believe that songs can motivate change within our communities, illuminate the darkness, reflect the light, and inspire us to use our voices to speak the truth. I would like to hear these songs, so I try and write these songs.

This is one small way in which I change the world.

Tools I Have

My creativity, my ingenuity, my guitar.

Tools I Need

A mic and about 4 minutes of your time.

Favorite Bands

The Flobots, Patty Griffin, Death Cab For Cutie, Sufjan Stevens, Iron and Wine, Tori Amos, Indigo Girls, Regina Spektor, The Weepies, Cyndi Lauper, James Taylor

What issues are you most passionate about?

yes