Kevin Morby
| Kevin Morby | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Kevin Robert Morby |
| Born |
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 |
| Associated acts | Woods, The Babies |
Kevin Robert Morby (April 2, 1988) is an American musician. He is best known as the former bassist of Woods, and the songwriter and guitarist of The Babies.[1] He released his debut solo album Harlem River in 2013,[2] and his second album Still Life in October 2014.[3]
Biography
Morby learned to play guitar when he was 10. In his teens he formed the band Creepy Aliens.[4]
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.[4] 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.
Following his move to Los Angeles, Morby recorded a collection of songs with Babies producer Rob Barbato which 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 Lead, 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.[5]
Influences
Morby cites Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Simon Joyner among his favorite artists.[6][7]
Discography
Solo artist
Studio albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Harlem River |
|
| Still Life |
|
Singles
| Title | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|
| "My Name"[8] | 2014 | N/A |
Split singles
| Title | Year | Other artist |
|---|---|---|
| "Solo Family Creeps"[9] | 2009 | G. Lucas Crane |
Album appearances
| Title | Year | Artist | Album | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Danger Bird Blues" | 2008 | Ad Astra Per Aspera | Danger Bird Blues/RRRip-It-Up[10] | Vocals in chorus |
| "RRRip-It-Up" | ||||
| "Mary" | 2013 | Dennis Callaci & Simon Joyner | New Secrets[11] | Electric guitar |
| "Let's Make History Bleed" | Backing vocals | |||
| "Beat By Beat" | ||||
| "San Antonio" | Percussion | |||
| "Lost Invitations" |
Music videos
| Title | Year | Director |
|---|---|---|
| "Harlem River" | 2013 | Adarsha Benjamin[12] |
| "If You Leave and If You Marry" | 2014 | N/A[13] |
| "All of My Life" | Patrick O'Dell[14] | |
Woods
- Songs of Shame (2009)
- At Echo Lake (2010)
- Sun and Shade (2011)
- Bend Beyond (2012)
The Babies
- The Babies (2011)
- Our House on the Hill (2012)
References
- ↑ Monger, Timothy. "Kevin Morby Biography", Allmusic. Retrieved on 2013-12-24.
- ↑ "Kevin Morby announces debut solo lp stream first track", Woodsist. Retrieved on 2013-12-24.
- ↑ "Song Premiere: Kevin Morby - Parade", KEXP. Retrieved on 2014-08-26.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "With Woods, and now the Babies, JoCo native Kevin Morby is inching toward indie-rock renown ", The Pitch. Retrieved on 2013-12-28.
- ↑ "Kevin Morby - Still Life". Woodsist. Retrieved 2014-10-16.
- ↑ "Kevin Morby: The Best of What's Next", Paste Magazine. Retrieved on 2013-12-28.
- ↑ "Kevin Morby of the Babies on bodegas, beer and the background of the band.". Fox and Sound. Retrieved December 30, 2013.
- ↑ Bowe, Miles (June 18, 2014). "Kevin Morby – "My Name" (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
- ↑ "G. Lucas Crane / Kevin Morby – Solo Family Creeps". Discogs. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- ↑ "Danger Bird Blues / RRRip-It-Up". Discogs. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- ↑ "Dennis Callaci & Simon Joyner – New Secrets". Discogs. Retrieved November 20, 2014.
- ↑ Breihan, Tom. "Kevin Morby – "Harlem River" Video". Stereogum. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
- ↑ DeVille, Chris (February 20, 2014). "Kevin Morby – "If You Leave And If You Marry" Video (Stereogum Premiere)". Stereogum. Retrieved November 9, 2014.
- ↑ Boilen, Bob (September 15, 2014). "Kevin Morby, 'All Of My Life'". NPR Music. Retrieved November 9, 2014.