Erin McKeown: A Musical Work-in-Progress

Janet Reynolds — Sun, 03 Sep 2017 05:19:58 +0000

Massachusetts song sculptress Erin McKeown on New England’s influence on her music and her new work-in-progress—a musical.

The world is often a funny place, and the strangest little influences can end up opening up possibilities you never even could have conceived. If Erin McKeown had attended a different high school in Virginia or the same school at a different time, the quirky song sculptress may never have planted roots in Massachusetts. Lucky for us, she admired a soccer star.

“Growing up in Virginia, I always imagined I would go to the University of Virginia or William & Mary,” says McKeown, who was featured in the first Take issue. “But then, the valedictorian a couple of years ahead of me in school, he went to Brown on a soccer scholarship. I thought that kid was awesome; he was a great mix of artistic and athletic. He wasn’t a great follower of the rules but somehow, made it all work.”

So when it came time to visit colleges, McKeown insisted on touring Brown’s campus, and “loved it.” She’s been in New England ever since, and believes the area absolutely shaped her eclectic, pop-sensible sound. “The winters here align with my psyche, sometimes,” McKeown says. “Three or four years ago, we had a really bad winter; it was like living in an ice palace for six months, with five feet of snow in the front yard. That winter aligned perfectly with how isolated and alone I was feeling. But I also think there’s nothing better than a western Massachusetts summer.

“I think if I had gone to school in the South and lived in North Carolina or went to college in West Virginia, I would be a very different kind of musician,” she continues. “I’d likely be in a band and we would have written much different music.”

McKeown, a close personal friend of onetime WRSI jock and current MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, has issued over 10 collections of songs, including her 2009’s Hundreds of Lions, which was released through Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe Records. She’s been touring the United States extensively since the spring release of her latest EP, Mirrors Break Back, and has concerts planned this fall for Australia, New Zealand, and Europe.

McKeown’s socially conscious, exoteric music reflects the musician’s formative years as a fixture of the New England coffeehouse scene. “I grew up taking piano classes, in an attempt to be a well-rounded student,” McKeown says. “But I started playing guitar at 12. From the moment I picked up that guitar, I started writing songs. It came so naturally, because I had always written stories as a kid. What I’m doing now is about trying to create something new and finding my voice as a writer.”

McKeown says she’s already started thinking about her next opus, but intends to spend much of 2018 focusing on Miss You Like Hell, a musical she’s written with Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Quiara Alegría Hudes. “It’s the story of an undocumented woman and her citizen daughter driving across the country together, trying to repair their relationship,” McKeown says. “We’ve been working on it for seven years. Of course, immigration has been an issue in this country for a long, long time, but we had no idea it would spark such a vitriolic political moment.”

Want to hear what McKeown’s listening to? Check out our Take a Listen Spotify channel. While you’re there, check out the playlists from other musicians we’ve featured.

Erin McKeown, singer-songwriter
Northampton, Massachusetts
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Bandcamp

All images courtesy of Erin McKeown

The post Erin McKeown: A Musical Work-in-Progress appeared first on Take Magazine.

Busy as Bees

Janet Reynolds — Tue, 15 Aug 2017 05:43:52 +0000

Formed just a year ago, New London, Connecticut’s The BeeKeepers are creating a buzz in the bluesy folk music world.

Sometimes, it takes time for a band to break through—to build an audience or secure the support of a record label, be it an independent or corporate one. These dedicated acts often spend years on the road, sacrificing nearly everything for their art, usually with very little to show for it.

In that context, New London, Connecticut’s The BeeKeepers, a band that formed just a year ago, are on an unusually felicitous run. The bluesy folk band’s songs have been streamed more than 40,000 times online while dominating the playlists of more than 60 internet radio channels. This spring, Rotary Records issued The BeeKeepers’ debut EP, Songs from the Hive, Vol. 1, to critical acclaim. They have songs written for the second volume and plans to record them this winter.

In May, The BeeKeepers received an Akademia Music Award, as their inaugural offering earned a Best Folk EP nod. Plus, the classically-trained trio—singer, guitarist, and merlin and mandolin player Amanda Sullivan along with singer, percussionist, pianist, and accordion and ukulele player Phred Mileski and Sylvie Abate, who plays guitars, bass, and banjo—have also been chosen as representatives for the GINA Foundation, which will use The BeeKeepers’ music as the soundtrack to videos asking for information about missing persons.

“We have experienced a lot of success in short period of time,” Abate says, adding she’s thankful people are responding to The BeeKeepers—especially in New England, where all three women studied their respective crafts. “This whole area just thrives with so much culture and art … musicians to connect with,” Abate explains; The BeeKeepers were all in other bands before finding each other through the Connecticut music scene. “There are towns that are filled with culture and music. People are also progressive here and open, which makes you, as a musician, more open to exploring ideas in your songs. Living here has enhanced my creativity.”

The BeeKeepers’ music boasts beautiful harmonies and engaging melodies. Their songs would resonate with fans of artists like Joan Baez, Ani DiFranco, and Nick Drake. New Englanders will have ample opportunity to catch The BeeKeepers live. On August 18, they’ll play the Victoria Station Café in Putnam, Connecticut, and on September 24, they will take the stage at the Monroe MusicFest in Monroe, Connecticut.

The BeeKeepers’ lyrics often reflect their New England roots. “Sometimes you’ll hear metaphors about the seasons, and I am not sure I would be putting that in a song if I grew up in Los Angeles,” Abate says. “Nature, in general, is something I use a lot in my songs and that’s because of New England and the seasons.”

“The only place I could imagine myself living is in a cabin in the woods of Vermont,” she adds. “I would appreciate the solitude and when I am creating, I tend to like to be alone. I love the dichotomy of this area. You can go kayaking in Vermont in the morning and hear the symphony in Boston that same night. We have the best of both worlds here.”

Want to hear what’s on Abate’s playlist when she’s not listening to BeeKeepers’ music? Check out our Take a Listen Spotify channel. While you’re there, listen to what other musicians we’ve covered have on their playlist.

Sylvie Abate–musician, The BeeKeepers
New London, Connecticut
Website
Facebook
Twitter
Reverbnation

Top image, The BeeKeepers, courtesy of the BeeKeepers

The post Busy as Bees appeared first on Take Magazine.

Ani DiFranco – Take Magazine