On the opening cut of his 2014 debut record, Kevin Morby sings about the metaphorical distances [Miles, Miles, Miles] he’d logged. “If you knew just how far I traveled/Maybe then I wouldn’t seem so odd.”
Kevin Morby at The EARL
So when Morby arrived at The EARL on Saturday night, there were hints of those miles. Morby confidently took the stage in East Atlanta donning a light blue suit, white shirt and bolo tie, but the duct tape holding together his left shoe only acted as a reminder of just how far he’s come.
Kevin Morby in Atlanta
Morby, now 28, is touring in support of his brilliant third album Singing Saw, his most polished venture full of piano, horns and rich instrumentations. How Morby would translate that to the stage with his four-piece band was uncertain. But Morby delivered, duct tape and all.
Kevin Morby
After a straight-forward opener (“Cut Me Down”), Morby and his three bandmates tore into “Dorothy”, a rollicking standout from the new record, followed by the hypnotic crowd favorite “Harlem River”, which built the crowd into a frenzy over seven minutes of crescendo that saw Morby bouncing side to side and playing off the incredible guitar play of Meg Duffy, a standout of the night.
Kevin Morby an band in Atlanta
On a previous stop in Atlanta in 2014, Morby toured behind his debut, Harlem River, in one of his first tours as a solo artist after spending time as bassist for Woods and co-vocalist of The Babies. On that January night, Morby was a relatively straightforward but promising opener at Eddie’s Attic for Welsh singer Cate LeBon (who sings backup on “Slow Train”, one of Harlem River’s more memorable songs).
Kevin Morby
Two years later, though, Morby was anything but unassuming in his hour-long set, captivating the crowd (the “most enthusiastic” of the tour) with both his subtlety on slower tunes, such as a Townes Van Zandt cover, “No Place To Fall”, through to the rocking finale, “The Ballad of Arlo Jones”.
Kevin Morby
Morby’s clearly come a long way as a solo artist, and his stage presence and polished performance on this night proved there’s no limit to how far his duct-taped shoes will take him. – Written by Drew Packham
All Photos by Amanda Tanner
Kevin Morby at The EARL
Jaye Bartell opens for Kevin Morby
Jaye Bartell in Atlanta
Jaye Bartell at The EARL
