Kevin Morby

w/ Liam Kazar

For Kevin Morby, the “little wide open” is the big sky, the small lives, it’s his origins in the Midwest, & every duty and modesty and familiarity and isolation. “There’s something unintentionally musical about the Midwest; cicadas chirping in the trees, a train passing, a tornado siren going off,” explains Morby. “If you listen, there are these almost ominous sounds taking place beneath the wide-open sky—its ugliness and its beauty and how the two are often working together simultaneously. And while the Midwest isn’t technically the badlands, it’s my badlands.”

Little Wide Open is the title of Kevin Morby’s eighth studio album, produced by Aaron Dessner. The album, which includes a host of contributors such as Dessner, Amelia Meath, Andrew Barr, Justin Vernon, Katie Gavin, Lucinda Williams, Meg Duffy, and more, has been described by Morby as the third in a trilogy of releases, following 2020’s Sundowner and 2022’s This Is a Photograph, which catalogued his time in the Midwest after moving back to Kansas City.

Liam Kazar is a Chicago-born, Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter whose music finds folk, rock, pop, jazz, and alt-country within moments of each other. Raised in a rich musical community and performing from a young age, Kazar honed his craft through years of collaboration and touring with artists like Jeff Tweedy, Hannah Cohen, and many others. His solo work began in 2021 with his debut Due North, a boisterous offering full of existential fears and manic guitar arrangements.

Now, Kazar returns with Pilot Light, his long-awaited sophomore album and most emotionally candid release to date. Produced by Sam Evian and featuring contributions from close collaborators, Pilot Light finds Kazar exploring the enduring embers of love, heartbreak, and personal growth. Stripped-down and sonically direct, the album moves with a quiet confidence—its vulnerable songwriting and intimate arrangements illuminating Kazar’s evolution into a singular and resonant voice in indie music.