Overview

Hello world! My name is J.D. Morris, and I'm a singer-songwriter in the beautiful Hudson Valley of New York.

Looking back, music has always been ingrained in my life, even if I didn’t know it all the time or wouldn’t let myself believe I was a songwriter… God forbid a musician!

I can distinctly remember the first CD I bought, the first shelf stereo, the ridiculously loud sound system I put in my first car… and I was always singing - always. But it wasn’t until I turned 30 that I picked up a guitar and started teaching myself how to play. Then the weekend that Chris Cornell tragically passed in 2017, I wrote my first song… all the music, lyrics, and arrangement, it all came over the course of two days, like nothing I’d ever experienced before creating art.

I was hooked, but life is busy - and messy - and more time passed. When the pandemic hit in 2020 the magic came flooding back as we all suddenly had the time to focus on the people and relationships in our lives, including our own mental health. Twenty-five songs later and one fateful submission to Plaid Dog Recording in Boston, and here we are now.

The material is ready, and the musicians are waiting -- this Plaid Dog campaign is the final step toward creating my first ever, professionally produced studio album.

This campaign is raising funds for my professionally recorded album with Mike Davidson, a Boston-based producer and engineer with 15+ years of experience working with both established and up-and-coming musicians. Together, Mike and I are digging into my original material, writing arrangements, and reaching out to local musicians to bring the songs to life.

We’ve been able to cover the costs of recording and producing one song, which is ready for you to check out right here on this page. This first song is called “Enjoy the Ride,” and you can check it out below!

While I’ve been able to fund the recording process for "Enjoy the Ride" largely on my own, to create an album of songs of this quality, studio costs add up quickly. With that said, this campaign can give us a unique opportunity to collaborate and make great art together. Your donation will cover the following costs of my project:

1. Pre-Production: This is where everything starts. Mike and I will start crafting the arrangements for each song slated for the album. We’ll hold rehearsals to fine-tune the songs and arrangements and talk through new and exciting ideas for how to approach the recording process.

2. Recording: This is when we enter the studio and start capturing the music and where the songs become what you'll hear on this album. This campaign will play a huge role in making sure we have enough time to capture great performances for every member of the band.

3. Mixing & Mastering: Each track will get mixed to create the right balance between instruments, texture and color that make up a track. As a final step, the album will be mastered from beginning to end so that the listening experience is cohesive and carefully choreographed from start to finish.

And what will you get for your generosity and support? So many awesome things!

I am so appreciative and grateful for any support you can lend to this campaign. In exchange for your generosity, I've put together a really exciting group of gifts that are available exclusively through your participation in this campaign.

Check out some examples below and a full list to the right!

It's hard to express how much this project would change my life.

The five years leading up to the pandemic were some of the darkest - and yet thankfully cathartic - of my life. I decided to dig deep, spend time working on myself and growth, and fight to have a happy and meaningful life… all of these initial songs come from that place of rebirth, renewal, and belief in this world.

In a very real way, the success of this campaign would represent ultimate freedom to me… the opportunity to pursue the creative side of my soul more fully - in fact, professionally. I've always dreamt of doing so, but the stars quite haven’t aligned to make it happen yet. Maybe the time is now to see if the doors will finally open, even at my middle-age… you never know. What I do know is that your support will give my art a fighting chance, which is more than enough for me.

If you're ready to contribute, just click the "Back This Project" button on the top right of this page! Every little bit counts, and I’m so so grateful for all your support.

If you have folks in your network that would be interested in supporting me, please feel free to share this page with them.

Thank you so much for checking out my campaign page. I truly can't wait to share this music with you.