Robert Morfitt

Robert Morfitt

Robert Morfitt is a Canadian musician born in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Morfitt's music career has been varied from being a booking agent for the UK Subs, to composing, playing and performing in the band Econoline Crush,^[1] to the present day where his current focus is visual arts and filmmaking. He is the video director for Sahara Hotnights, Hot Hot Heat, The Organ, Stink Mitt, and others.

Early career

Morfitt began his music career in 1990, when he booked a North American tour for British punk band the UK Subs. This early experience prepared him for his next job as a musician.

In 1992, Morfitt joined Econoline Crush, an upcoming Vancouver band managed by ex-Queensrÿche managers Harris Music Group. In 1993, the band signed a record deal with EMI Music Canada after playing only twenty-six live shows. Their first EP, "Purge", in 1994, with Nickleback producer Dale Penner (Nickelback) at the helm. After some management shuffles, EC released their first full length LP, 1995’s “Affliction”, this time working with noted producer Rhys Fulber, who had previously produced Front Line Assembly, Delirium, Conjure One and Fear Factory. An extensive Canadian tour followed, and the “Purge” EP was nominated for a Juno Award. That year also saw EC tour Europe three times, with the Young Gods, Die Krupps, and Waltari, culminating in an appearance at the POP KOMM Festival in Köln, Germany with Filter.

In 1996, Econoline Crush signed with the well-known management group Bruce Allen Talent, and recorded in Sound City studio. For these sessions, noted producer Sylvia Massy-Shivy (Tool, System of a Down, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Johnny Cash), helped to create the band's 1997 release, The Devil You Know. The commercial success and critical acclaim^{[citation needed]} for this album launched EC on cross-Canadian tours with KISS, Foo Fighters, Green Day and others, and the subsequent 1998 American release of The Devil You Know on Restless Records found them touring the United States and Canada extensively with KISS, Stabbing Westward, God Lives Underwater and many others.

With a growing reputation and fanbase, EC's songs were featured on television shows such as Melrose Place and Psi Factor, and on ESPN, and elsewhere. The band also received their second Juno nomination for the TDYK album and was asked to perform live at the televised Juno ceremony. Meanwhile EC received gold and platinum awards for sales of TDYK.

Solo career

In 1999, Robert Morfitt parted ways with Econoline Crush. After taking a break from the strenuous touring and recording schedule he had experienced with EC, he joined Vancouver band Morning Maker. After signing with Ralph James of The Agency Group for North American bookings in 2001, MM toured Canada with Default and Big Sugar, and continued to tour in 2002 with Nickelback, Robin Black, and others.

That year also saw Morfitt begin to direct, shoot and edit music videos. His first videos are featured on the Robin Black DVD release “We Came, We Saw, We Came”. Although he was a relative novice at the time, two of Morfitt’s videos were selected to feature in the 1st annual Indie Music Video Festival (IMVF).

Encouraged by these initial successes and driven by his love of the art of video-making, Morfitt begin working in 2002 under the tutelage of Grammy-nominated, multiple MuchMusic Video Award winning director William Morrison, who was at that time assembling Process Productions, a collective of upcoming directors and designers. That year another one of Morfitt’s videos was selected to showcase in the second annual IMVF.

In the following years, Morfitt shot a multitude of live footage from many bands, while continuing to make videos for those artists who worked with him. In 2004, Morfitt’s video for Stink Mitt’s “Biker Shorts” went into light rotation on MuchMusic and received many accolades as part of the third annual IMVF, then touring throughout the globe in Canada, U.S. and Europe. Shortly after, yet another Morfitt video appeared on MuchMusic, for The Organ song "Brother".

Morfitt’s accomplishments attracted offers of freelance camera work and he took on the shooting of footage for Novus Television’s coverage of the Molson Indy, and joined Canadian industrial heroes Skinny Puppy for a string of dates in U.S. and Canada as a video and camera operator. Most recently, Morfitt has worked as DP-Camera on the series pilot Bandwagon, produced by AZZ Entertainment / Backburner Entertainment. In the summer of 2005 Morfitt moved from Canada to the United States where he now resides as a permanent resident with his wife and daughter.

References