Kevin Morby

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Kevin Morby
File:Kevin Morby John Dee 2019 203855.jpg
Kevin Morby playing in Oslo, 2019
Background information
Birth name Kevin Robert Morby
Born (1988-04-02) April 2, 1988 (age 36)
Lubbock, Texas, U.S.
Genres Indie rock, folk rock
Occupation(s) Musician, singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist
Instruments Vocals, guitar, bass, piano
Years active 2008–present
Labels Woodsist, Dead Oceans
Associated acts Woods, The Babies

Kevin Robert Morby (born April 2, 1988) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He has released five studio albums: Harlem River (2013), Still Life (2014), Singing Saw (2016), City Music (2017), and Oh My God (2019), all of which achieved critical acclaim by indie critics.[1][2][3][4] During live performances, Morby is accompanied by his backing band consisting of Meg Duffy on guitar, Cyrus Gengras on bass, and Nick Kinsey on drums.

Biography

Early life, Woods, and The Babies

Kevin Morby was born in Lubbock, Texas on April 2, 1988; his family relocated around the U.S. due to his father's employment with General Motors before settling in Kansas City, Missouri.[5] Morby learned to play guitar when he was 10. In his teens he formed the band Creepy Aliens.[6]

17-year-old Morby dropped out of Blue Valley Northwest High School, got his GED, and moved from his native Kansas City to Brooklyn in the mid-2000s, supporting himself by working bike delivery and café jobs.[6] Morby has stated he had "loved New York from the movies" he'd seen, "I just wanted to experience it".[7] He later joined the noise-folk group Woods on bass. While living in Brooklyn, he became close friends and roommates with Cassie Ramone of the punk trio Vivian Girls, and the two formed a side project together called The Babies, who released albums in 2011 and 2012.

Harlem River, Still Life, and Singing Saw (2013-2016)

Following his move to Los Angeles, Morby recorded a collection of songs with Babies producer Rob Barbato that were intended to be an homage to New York City. Released in 2013 by Woodsist Records, the eight-song collection was called Harlem River and became Morby's debut as a solo artist. The album also features drummer Justin Sullivan (The Babies) as well as contributions from Will Canzoneri, Tim Presley (White Fence), Dan Iead, and Cate Le Bon.

While on tour, Morby wrote songs that were later featured on his second album, Still Life. The album was once again produced by Barbato and released on October 14, 2014.[8]

Morby worked with Sam Cohen (Apollo Sunshine, Yellowbirds) on his third album, titled Singing Saw, which was released on April 15, 2016.[9]

City Music (2017-2018)

Morby's fourth studio album was recorded with his live band, with guitarist Meg Duffy noting: "We all worked on the next record together, pretty collaboratively in terms of arranging and playing. We spent a week in a beautiful studio, up near Stinson Beach."[10] The album, City Music, was released in June 2017.

Officially launched his new label imprint, Mare Records in June 2017 with the signing of Shannon Lay & announcement of her new LP, Living Water. Mare will operate as an imprint of the Woodsist label, which also released Morby’s first two solo albums.[11] L.A. via Kansas City singer/songwriter Anna St Louis debut album, If Only There Was a River, announced on 8/8/18 for a 10/12/18 Woodsist / Mare release [12]

Oh My God (2019-present)

Morby's fifth studio album, Oh My God, was announced on February 27, 2019. The first single off the album, "No Halo" was released on the same day. Oh My God was released in April 26, 2019 via Dead Oceans.[13] On Oh My God, Morby’s fifth solo album, he continues to speak in rock’s vernacular, right down to crafting the kind of spare, remorseful album that sounds like the aforementioned artists’ attempts at gospel.“Oh My God” features little more than piano, organ, and Morby’s unanswered prayers to “come carry me home.” Celestial hums swoop down to accompany him and a filigree of saxophone takes over.[14]

Influences

Morby cites Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, and Simon Joyner among his favorite artists.[15][16]

Backing band

Morby's live backing band consists of the following:

  • Cyrus Gengras – bass guitar (2016–present)
  • Nick Kinsey – drums (2016–present)

Former

Discography

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Main article: Kevin Morby discography

Solo

with Woods

with The Babies

References

  1. ↑ "Kevin Morby announces debut solo lp stream first track Archived December 24, 2013, at archive.today", Woodsist. Retrieved on 2013-12-24.
  2. ↑ "Song Premiere: Kevin Morby - Parade", KEXP. Retrieved on 2014-08-26.
  3. ↑ "WATCH // Kevin Morby Shares Trailer For ‘Singing Saw,’ Out April 15th", Dead Oceans. Retrieved on 2016-02-22.
  4. ↑ Monger, Timothy. "Kevin Morby Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved on 2013-12-24.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "With Woods, and now the Babies, JoCo native Kevin Morby is inching toward indie-rock renown ", The Pitch. Retrieved on 2013-12-28.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ "Kevin Morby: The Best of What's Next", Paste Magazine. Retrieved on 2013-12-28.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

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