Americana music encompasses elements of country, folk and rock music while celebrating freedom and, well, America. Robert Earl Keen is a pioneer of the genre, and is considered one of Texas’ finest singer-songwriters. He has written and performed his songs for audiences around the country for over 30 years. Some of his most famous tunes include “The Front Porch Song,” “I’m Comin’ Home,” “Merry Christmas From the Family,” “Gringo Honeymoon,” “Feelin’ Good Again,” and the rollicking anthem “The Road Goes on Forever.”
Keen is a native of Houston, Texas, and taught himself to play bluegrass music on the guitar, layering his poetry over his strumming. While at Texas A&M University, he was roommates with now-legendary country singer Lyle Lovett, and the two musicians have often collaborated. Their most famous co-written song is “The Front Porch Song,” which appears on both of their debut albums and Keen’s 2014 bluegrass album, Happy Prisoner.
Keen’s musical style is different from today’s Nashville country. Featuring sharp wit and an unconventional songwriting style that spotlights instruments such as the mandolin, fiddle and harmonica, Keen’s authentic approach to music has attracted devoted fans of all ages.
In 2023, Keen released his 21st album, titled Western Chill, as a box set with a physical album, a 92-page graphic novel, a play-along/singalong songbook with all 14 songs, and a DVD of the Robert Earl Keen Band performing the album. On June 7 of this year, he released Western Chill digitally and on streaming platforms for fans who prefer to listen on those mediums.
The album is a “band-centric” project, and singles include “Let’s Valet” and “Waves,” which was written and fronted by REK Band violinist Brien Beken.
Although Keen has stepped back from the frenetic touring pace of previous years, he’s still performing at select venues each year. And he’s got other projects he’s been working on, including a years-long podcast series simply called “Americana Podcast,” which explores the history, culture and future of Americana music.
Keen sat down with Western Life Today prior to his concert in Grand Prairie, Texas, this summer, and shared his philosophies about Americana, his songwriting process, and what he loves about his latest album.
Western Life Today: Mr. Keen, you’ve influenced so many artists—but who would you say your influences have been?
Robert Earl Keen: There are a lot of people I really admire. Willie Nelson is one of the heroes that I’ve had, but I’m always a lover of the spoken word, novels, short stories and plays. I love music, and I love songs, but I really take a lot of inspiration from books as opposed to music. I’ve got a big collection of Cormack McCarthy books, and a lot of poetry.
WLT: How do you come up with your songs?
Keen: I’ve always been confident about the words, and I’ve gotten a lot more confident about the music. Putting the words together is of utmost importance to me. But when I’m sitting in a chair or laying on a couch, strumming a guitar, if it brings a feeling of the idea of a setting, like a big, beautiful sunset and purple sky behind it, with some mesas in the background and some kind of cactus in the foreground, it’s easy for me to start putting characters in that particular scene.
WLT: Why has the Americana genre captured your attention for so many years, to the point where you have done a podcast about it?
Keen: The Americana Podcast is really born of roots music—anything from country and blues to bluegrass, even punk. It’s one of those things that you [plant] the ground with all these seeds, and they all pop up. In general, there are no real stringent rules about music in Americana. This is different from some other genres that tend to restrict music to fit the confines of the genre. I think Americana still is the freest form of music. It’s a very broad spectrum in the way that you can send a message, or say what you want to say.
WLT: Western Chill was released digitally summer 2024, and I love having both physical and digital versions of an album. What do you want folks to know about this album?
Keen: This was a band-inclusive record. It was born of one idea that I had, a song called “Western Chill,” which is basically the prologue. It sets up the scene of what’s going to happen. My band members brought their own songs to the table, and we put them all together. I have tremendous respect for my band, and they are just so talented. I know what they are and what they do, and I wanted other people to hear it. The songs they brought to the table fit so well with my song “Western Chill,” so we added them to the record. When we were finished, I feel like the whole record flows from A to Z. It’s really, truly, a record. You won’t be skipping songs, you’ll just let it flow.
WLT: Your single “Waves” features Brian Beken. Can you talk about this song?
Keen: It’s Brian’s song, and he brought it to the table. I loved it, it’s unbelievable. How does a musician like this exist in the world? He stands there and plays guitar all the time, but his writing is as good as his playing, as good as his musicianship, as good as being a band member. He is the best band member I’ve ever had. He plays the fiddle and electric guitar and an acoustic guitar, and he can play with a mandolin. And he’s got a beautiful voice and writes great songs.
WLT: OK, I think this is a hard question. Of your music, what song is your favorite, and why?
Keen: My favorite is kind of the antithesis to the song that everyone loves, which is “Feelin’ Good Again.” The antithesis to that song, and it’s similar in its musical properties, is called “Not a Drop of Rain.” I like that one particularly because of the lyrical quality. Not so much the musical quality. It has a great ending. But every verse just fell in this great sense of loss and loneliness. I’m kind of an explosive person, but I’m not really that emotional. Sometimes I worry that I’m not digging deep enough. But that song digs deep.
WLT: Looking ahead, what are some things you’re excited about on the horizon?
Keen: There was a bluegrass record I made in 2014 that I always really liked. But I had a number of songs we left off the record. So one of the things we’re going to do shortly is get together and complete that record. And I’ve got some live records we can make out of my exit tour in 2022 that are stunning. They were really great shows, and we’ve got them recorded. And thirdly, we are talking seriously about resurrecting the Christmas show, which has always been a fan favorite. We’ve got some new ideas we want to implement into the presentation. I’m looking forward to that.
This article about Robert Earl Keen appeared in the August 2024 issue of Western Life Today magazine. Click here to subscribe!
