Kevin Morby

Kevin Morby
Kevin Morby playing with Woods, 2013
Background information
Birth name Kevin Robert Morby
Born (1988-04-02) April 2, 1988
Lubbock, Texas, United States
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. Formerly known as the bass guitarist of the folk rock band Woods and as the frontman of The Babies, Morby began a solo career, releasing Harlem River (2013) and Still Life (2014) to positive reviews.[1][2] In 2016, he released Singing Saw to widespread critical acclaim.[3][4] The following year, his fourth studio album titled City Music was released.

During live performances, Morby is accompanied by his backing band: Meg Duffy (guitar), Cyrus Gengras (bass), and Nick Kinsey (drums).

Biography

Early life, Woods, and The Babies

Morby learned to play guitar when he was 10. In his teens he formed the band Creepy Aliens.[5]

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.[5] Morby has stated he had "loved New York from the movies" he'd seen, "I just wanted to experience it".[6] 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.[7]

Morby worked with Sam Cohen (Apollo Sunshine, Yellowbirds) on his third album, titled Singing Saw, which was released on April 15, 2016.[8]

City Music (2017-present)

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."[9] 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.[10] 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 [11]

Influences

Morby cites Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Nina Simone, and Simon Joyner among his favorite artists.[12][13]

Backing band

Morby's live backing band consists of the following:

  • Meg Duffy – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals (2015–present)
  • Cyrus Gengras – bass guitar (2016–present)
  • Nick Kinsey – drums (2016–present)

Former

Discography

Solo

with Woods

with The Babies

References

  1. ↑ "Kevin Morby announces debut solo lp stream first track Archived December 24, 2013, at Archive.is", 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. 1 2 "With Woods, and now the Babies, JoCo native Kevin Morby is inching toward indie-rock renown ", The Pitch. Retrieved on 2013-12-28.
  6. ↑ "Exclusive Interview with indie legend Kevin Morby - indieberlin". indieberlin. 2016-05-11. Retrieved 2016-05-11.
  7. ↑ "Kevin Morby - Still Life". Woodsist. Retrieved 2014-10-16.
  8. ↑ "Kevin Morby (Woods, the Babies) Announces Solo Album Singing Saw and Tour". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2016-03-28.
  9. ↑ Lindsay, Andrew (28 February 2017). "Vulnerable Creativity: A Hand Habits Interview". The Reprise. Retrieved 28 February 2017.
  10. ↑ http://www.woodsist.com/introducing-mare-our-new-imprint-with-kevin-morby-and-its-first-release-shannon-lays-living-water/
  11. ↑ http://www.musicnewsnet.com/2018/08/anna-st-louis-announces-debut-album-if-only-there-was-a-river-out-1012-on-woodsist-mare-.html
  12. ↑ "Kevin Morby: The Best of What's Next", Paste Magazine. Retrieved on 2013-12-28.
  13. ↑ "Kevin Morby of the Babies on bodegas, beer and the background of the band". Fox and Sound. Archived from the original on December 30, 2013. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
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