We Don't Know

Discourse by David Morris

“We Don't Know”
Video shot and edited by: Jakob Owens Productions
Setting: Phoenix/Tempe, AZ
Song produced by: The Co-Stars

My songwriting process varies from track to track. Sometimes, a song will take me a few days or even weeks to write. Other times, I’ll come out of the studio a few hours after hearing the skeleton of an instrumental and have an entire song finished. “We Don’t Know” was one of those other times. One thing that remains constant, however, is that whenever I start writing a song, I’m simultaneously picturing the video for it in my head. As much as I would love to shoot a video for every song I release, that’s not possible at the moment. But for “We Don’t Know,” it had to happen.

“We Don’t Know” brings about a couple of firsts. The song itself was the first time I had worked with Vito and Neely of the accomplished production duo The Co-Stars, and the video for it was the first time I had worked with the young, visionary Jakob Owens (Jake for short). I’ve since collaborated more with both, and I’m very excited for you all to hear and see the other material we’ve created. Be on the lookout for much more to come from all parties.

After finishing up the song with The Co-Stars, I was connected with Jake by an act of fate. After explaining to him my vision for “We Don’t Know,” the Arizona native and Arizona State University undergrad—yes, he’s only in college, but be sure to congratulate him on his upcoming graduation—recommended we come to his home turf to shoot the video. And I’m glad he did. The aesthetics that the Phoenix area had to offer ended up being a great fit and Jake’s skillful editing truly brought out the emotion of the song.

Fireworks, bonfires, ice cream cone tagging, watching old reels of film from the 70s, getting chased off of a desert Indian Reservation for getting too close to a bald eagle’s nest, and of course, the awe-inspiring Arizona sunset were all highlights of the video shoot for “We Don’t Know.” Not only did we go down to Phoenix that weekend to shoot a video, we went to Phoenix that weekend to live life. And live life we did. Thank you to Jakob Owens for documenting it and to The Co-Stars for providing the soundtrack.

In addition to watching the video for “We Don’t Know,” get to know D-WHY a little better by clicking here to watch the interview he did recently with The Kid French.

A week in Austin

Photography & discourse by Matt Morris

SXSW Film, Interactive & Music Festival
Austin, TX
March 9 – 18, 2012

Do I like Austin, TX? I can’t really say. When I was there last month for the first time, the city wasn’t in its normal shape. Almost every street was a giant block party; almost every wall, pole and t-shirt was an advertisement; almost every type of item imaginable was being handed to me free of charge; and most notably, almost every inch of property was being used to showcase the best, brightest and most promising in the worlds of music, technology and film. Did I enjoy Austin while it was temporarily transformed into this annual state of pandemonium known as South By Southwest? Without a doubt. In fact, I can’t give you one reason why I wouldn’t like to join in on the excitement every year for the foreseeable future.

While most who ventured to SXSW this year specifically for music headed down on Wednesday, we decided to make the journey on Monday, leaving us a couple of days to get familiar with the territory. We ended up experiencing the last leg of the interactive portion of the festival, and we were able to plan out—or so we thought—the rest of our week so we would be able to get everything accomplished that we wanted to. But if there’s one thing to anticipate at SXSW, it’s that literally everything is going on at once. While the schedule of music events we plotted out to attend was definitely helpful, it ended up being more tentative than expected. There were times when we were on our way somewhere, but changed our route once we saw a poster for a show that was about to start. There were times when a simple Twitter search of ‘#FreeFood #SXSW’ led us in the opposite direction of a famous barbecue restaurant we tried so many times to visit. There were even instances when we stopped to watch street performers instead of heading to buzzed-about showcases. But the spontaneity of it all makes SXSW the experience that it is.

In the seven days that we were in ‘The Live Music Capital of the World,’ we unsurprisingly saw a lot of live music—including some of our favorite artists at the moment, such as Youth Lagoon, The Lumineers, Daughter, Alabama Shakes, A$AP Rocky and 2 Chainz. We ate a lot of free food—much of which was of the barbecue flavor variation—and met a lot of people, too. But instead of rambling on in an attempt to further detail our time at SXSW, this is one of those posts where the photos are better suited to do the talking. Read the story above.

Macchiato Music

Discourse by David Morris

“Macchiato Music”
Co-directed by: Rex Arrow Films & D-WHY
Wardrobe styling by: D-WHY
Setting: Venice, Italy
Song produced by: T-Minus

Click HERE to vote for “Macchiato Music” on mtvU’s ‘Freshmen 5’. The video with the most votes will be put into rotation on mtvU!

Well, here we are. Above this text lies the music video for “Macchiato Music,” my first official ‘single’ for all intents and purposes. Although the road here has been a little longer than expected and intended, I truly feel blessed to present this to you.

Shortly after recording this song, we came up with the idea to travel to Europe to shoot videos for it and three other unreleased songs off of my upcoming mixtape, Don’t Flatter Yourself. Savings accounts were emptied, frequent flier miles were used up and nine days were spent adventuring throughout four countries. We slept on floors, got cursed at in foreign languages by hotel maids, spent the night in airports, dealt with border security, and of course, got crazy looks while shooting all of the videos completely guerilla-style with no permits or licenses.

Crashed and recovered hard drives, countless edits, closed-captioning services and an honor of a head nod from mtvU later, I’m finally writing this to you. There is a bit of anxiety, yes, but there is also a sort of calm. “Macchiato Music” is done. It's out. I can give all of my amazing supporters a new video. And I'm excited. I’m excited for you to see it. I’m excited to hear what you think about it. I’m excited to perform it.

Future posts on The Cleanest Corner will give vivid behind-the-scenes looks into the video shoot and our epic European adventure. But for now, sit back and press play above on the Venice, Italy portion of the journey.

Also, be sure to scroll down the page and take a look at the other posts we have up. I know this site isn’t much yet, but the content below should give you a little glimpse into my life and the vision we have for The Cleanest Corner. My brother, Matt, and I have a great appreciation for well-curated websites that provide a vivid look into things that are seen, experienced and lived. I’m thrilled to have this outlet as an accompaniment to the music and videos as a means of letting you all in on who I am, what my interests are, and the things that we like to do over here. But more importantly, I hope that you find The Cleanest Corner as a source of inspiration to live life in the most full, enjoyable ways possible. Be sure to check back here frequently for new content. We’re aiming to update the site at least once per week, and there is some really exciting content in the works. I can’t wait for you all to check it out. Let’s grow together.

Sincerely,

D.

Coffee & Autumn

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Photography & discourse by Matt Morris

Moxxee

301 Morris St.
Charleston, WV 25311

Hours:
Mon – Thu: 7 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Fri: 7 a.m. – 10 pm.
Sat: 8 a.m. – 10 p.m.
Sun: 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.

No matter how great the opportunities are that you’re pursuing, or how enamored you are by your new stomping grounds, an unwelcomed sense of detachment from the place you’ve spent most of your life is expected when you move away. After awhile, you begin feeling distant from the people you know best. Every time you return to your hometown, it's never the quite the same as you remember it. Places change as people do—as the old saying goes, "out with the old and in with the new." This is ever-so-true in regards to the town in which we grew up. Every time we venture back to Charleston, West Virginia after spending an extended period of time in New York City, Los Angeles, various states on the road or foreign countries we spontaneously decided to spend our hard-earned frequent flier miles to journey to (elaboration on that will be coming in future posts), we have to play catch-up.

Whenever we return to Charleston, one of the biggest changes we're greeted with is the opening of new shops and eateries and the closing of ones that we were fond of during our formative years. During a recent visit, we ventured to the East End to try one of the city’s most talked-about new culinary fixtures. We were pleasantly surprised to find Moxxee, a brand new coffee shop that feels as though it would fit right at home in the streets of San Francisco or Chicago before anywhere in West Virginia. With USB plugs in the electric outlets, outside seating, holiday-themed cupcakes for sale and the scent of seasonal drinks filling the air, it's certainly the first of its kind in a city that only has one Starbucks—which is a large, permanent stand inside of the downtown mall. As for the taste, the cupcakes and biscotti at Moxxee are a welcomed addition to the offerings in the area, and D says the pumpkin spice lattes are a nice change from the ones emblazoned with the green and white logo.

Since it’s always hard to tell how long new businesses will last in Charleston, we decided to document our first trip to Moxxee. And because we had been in Los Angeles missing out on the oranges, yellows and reds of autumn, taking pictures amongst the trees was a must.

For all of you Charleston area folks, whether you’re a certified java connoisseur or you just like your plain black cup of joe in the morning, be sure to make your way down to Moxxee to check out the array of hot and cold beverages offered on the menu. Even if you don’t drink coffee, go with a friend who does and enjoy the ambiance. For those who have never been to Charleston, or anywhere in West Virginia for that matter, we extend to you a standing invitation: expand your horizons and debunk the ignorant stereotypes you’ve heard by visiting one of the most beautiful and welcoming regions in the United States.

For a more in-depth look at Moxxee, head over to our friend Elizabeth’s site, The Coffee Experiment.