Former Hollywood Music in Media Award Winner Ronny Morris - Writer of Music Featured in Today's Hit TV Shows Including 'One Tree Hill' and 'The Ghost Whisperer' - Receives Two New HMMA Nominations

HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Nov. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- "Lost My Way" as heard on the CW's basketball teenage soap opera "One Tree Hill," and "All About Love" which has graced the high drama of ABC's critically-acclaimed "Brothers and Sisters" starring Sally Field, have led to Ronny Morris' two new nominations for the 2009 Hollywood Music in Media Awards (HMMA) ceremony taking place this month.

"Lost My Way" is nominated for Best Adult Contemporary Artist and "All About Love" - Co-Produced with Adam Kviman - is Nominated for Best Production. Morris, whose debut album is entitled, "Sweet Silence," also received a HMMA last year.

Music and television enthusiasts alike have been graced with Morris's music catalogue while listening to songs such as the beautiful "Every Time It Gets Real" as heard on CBS' TV show "The Ghost Whisperer."

Growing up in a little town just outside Copenhagen, a young Morris got his first glimpse of what good music could usher in to a person's life watching his Step Father become immersed and lose himself in the sounds of newly purchased music.
 

"When I was little, the prize possession in our home was my Step Dad's state-of-the-art stereo and his vinyl collection," Morris said. "He would sit there, his legs crossed, his cigarette in the ashtray, sipping his coffee. And he would listen to the new album he had brought home that day." That led to a young Morris playing "Rock Band" with his Dad who exemplified the meaning of a true music lover.
 

"Sweet Silence" brings to life Morris' bittersweet warmth of classic songwriting that speaks directly to the listener and creates a bond with that person's heart and soul. His life experiences lend a hand to such creativity.

This album and its well-deserved HMMA nominations speak to a motto of

Ronny Morris:

"Music has always been in my life as a very dear friend. A friend that would bring peace and comfort, and in some strange way that would bound people to be silent. To just be," said Morris of his appropriately titled and now also critically-acclaimed album, "Sweet Silence."

For more information please visit www.ronnymorris.com or www.morris-music.com

Swedish producer Adam Kviman and Ronny Morris have been nominated for the Hollywood Music in Media Awards with the song "ALL ABOUT LOVE" for (Best Production). The song is


taken from the coming Ronny Morris album (Sweet Silence). http://micurl.com/ywjmr

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BRIAN ASKS.....

What’s been happening since we last spoke, Ronny?

It’s been pretty slow actually. I’m often researching, reaching out, connecting with people; but every time I throw something out there, I have to wait for people to get back to me. And it can frustrate me more than anything.

They may have lost your e-mail, or they’re busy… But all the while, the answer you’re waiting for can be so important, in terms of getting you to the next step.

What are you waiting for at the moment, then?

Right now, I’m waiting for EMI to get back to me. And I’m waiting for a couple of other companies, who get music placed in everything from malls to stores and restaurants.

(I’ve been looking into how you can make your music available on the personal entertainment systems on planes. Being a record company owner, I’m always asking, ‘How do we communicate with people out there?’ People spend plenty of time waiting around at airports and on airplanes. So it’s nice if you can be entertained. And if it’s there for them, I think people will check out new music.)

What’s the score with EMI?....

They are offering us a deal, which is a great. But now we’re waiting to see the nature of the deal - what’s in the fine print. What does it all mean for you, really? Who has to pay for this or that? Which territory will they allow you to be distributed through?

So I’m waiting on that.

Are you worried you’ll be ‘selling your soul’ in the small print?

No. Not at all. You can get a bad deal anywhere, and you have to be cautious, but it’s not about selling your soul. Some people out there speak badly about the major labels, but no... You have to be cautious, of course; but at the end of the day, it’s business: they’re trying to get a great deal for themselves, and you’re trying to get a great deal for you. I’m learning as I go.

I spoke to Steve Thompson this week (the producer who mixed Sweet Silence). He seemed very positive about your album.

I wouldn’t imagine it any different. I had a really good time with Steve in the studio. I went there twice – the first time, just for a few days to mix one song and to see if we were on the same page. I had a great time, and I decided I had to go back.

He seems quite a character. He has powerful presence, even down a phone line.

Yeah. And he always seems honest. He speaks honestly and openly about what’s good, and what’s not so good, in life. There’s no in between with him, and I like that. An ass is an ass. Heaven is heaven. Earth is earth. I respect that. But he’s also an optimistic guy. He encourages you to keep going.

Stay tuned for more this week!

Steve Chahley was engineer on the mixing of Sweet Silence. Brian Draper asked him about the process.

How did you come to be involved, Steve?

Through Steve Thompson - he'd been working at DNA recording facility (where I’m the house engineer) for a while. Ronny contacted Steve about mixing his album. They decided to try a song and see how it worked out.

The song was Windows - one of the more complex tunes, with a full orchestra and a lot of tracks; it’s also one of the ‘rockier’ tracks on the album.

What can you remember about the session?

We spent a very long day working on the mix. At Steve's request a few guitar tracks were added to the song, and then I was left to set the mix up to the point where it was ready for Steve.

I was pretty blown away by the song and the production – it was really involved for an independent project and extremely well produced. It felt like everything fitted together like pieces from a puzzle. Ronny was very involved - it was clear that he had a strong vision for the record, and it was great to work with someone who knew what they were after.

I remember leaving the studio at 7am the following morning, hoping we'd done a good job and that Ronny would come back. I was intrigued to hear what the rest of the album was like.

And he did return!

Yes. As it turned out - Ronny was happy and the dates were booked to mix the rest of the album. It all happened in an early-summer heat wave - the album really turned out to be a 'chilling in the heat' kind of record.

There were plenty to do in the time we had. I’d spread a new song out on the console and talk to Ronny about the vibe he was after; the assistant - TJ Booth - would then take care of drum edits and sample replacements while I caught a few ZZZs. Then I’d set up the mix - to the point where I was happy with all the sounds, and happy, too, that we had Ronny’s vibe in there.

At that point (Steve) Thompson would come in. Ronny would be in and out giving his ideas… And when Thompson was happy, and Ronny had suggested any final tweaks, we would ‘print’. On a few of the tracks we would also do acoustic versions or alternate takes (maybe with just orchestra and vocals) to give Ronny a few things he could use for intros or extra tracks.

How did you get on together? Was it a good working relationship?

We had a great time for the couple weeks we were working together. Ronny is a real music lover with a wide musical taste, and we had a great time talking about and listening to all sorts of music.

What kind of stuff?.

We found we had a common love for Seventies sounds, and I think that comes through on the album, on certain tracks. Perhaps you can pick out the moments when we were thinking about or listening to Gerry Rafferty or Pink Floyd! It seems pretty obvious to me.

In a less retro vain, I ended up giving Ronny some CDs by bands like Sparkehorse and Midlake; when he got back to Denmark he mailed me a bunch of CDs by some great bands/artists he was into over there like Mew, Kent, and Swan Lee - all amazing stuff. We've kept in touch ever since - he's been interested in my opinion on things like the mastering and the album cover, and I've prepared some tracks for remixing for him.

What do you think you brought to the album personally?

I guess it would be a lot of the sounds/vibe in the mixes. When I listen to the album, I do hear a lot of me (or a lot of what I tend to do) in the mixes - for better or for worse.

Do you encounter many ‘unsigned’ artists like Ronny, who are driving the whole project their self to a high professional standard?

It’s definitely happening more these days. At DNA, we've had several longer major sessions that were funded by investors or the artists themselves. They are the bigger sessions we've done; the 'major label' work we've done pales in budget compared to these projects. A lot of artists these days are realizing they don't need the backing of a big label to make the record they want.

And to be honest, I think a lot of the time the music is better for it. It certainly is in this case.