Kevin Morby and Mike Krol: Creating a Visual Universe for Music

Making Ways: The Art of Music

Today we’re joined by Kevin Morby, the Kansas City-based musician and songwriter, to discuss the art of the music for his latest album “This Is a photograph” and 2020’s “Sundowner” alongside the designer for those records, the multitalented Mike Krol. “This Is a photograph” is a brilliant career-standout record for Morby who has been releasing solo records since 2013 and started off in the bands The Babies and Woods. Krol, you might know better for his fantastic garage pop albums like “Turkey” and “Power Chords,” but he’s also a highly accomplished graphic designer who has worked with Waxahatchee, Blink-182, That Dog, Snail Mail, Violent Femmes, OK Go, St. Vincent, and Spoon. In this expansive conversation we talk about Morby’s creative process for songwriting and developing a visual universe for his records, Mike’s unique perspective as a designer and musician doing visual work for other bands, and the family ties these two share. We go deeper into the themes of “This Is a Photograph,” talk Jeff Buckley and Memphis inspiration, and discuss how both Morby and Krol are frequently inspired by visual art and film to create music.

Special thanks to Ben Lee for introducing us to Mike, and to Mike and Kevin for joining the series.

Hear more from Kevin Morby at https://www.kevinmorby.com.

See more from Mike Krol at https://www.mikekrol.com.

Original episode artwork by host Rob Goodman.

Visit http://www.makingwayspodcast.com for art, episodes, show notes, blog posts, and exclusive merchandise.

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