 Courtesy of the Artist Nashville guitarist Tony Keats moves center stage with his debut album, Radio Sounds. Released on May 25th, the eleven track collection is a bright blend of horns, guitars, and steel that captures your ears at first listen. Here Keats answers his Essential 8 and talks about the album, the Ryman, the road, and more. What’s the story behind your album’s title? The album title comes from the first track of the same name. It was inspired by a recording artist who got a hit song late in her career. It's kind of a 'careful what you wish for' story. There is a great quote from a Miranda July short story called Birthmark where she said "winning is a lot of things but it is never the thing you think it will be. Poor people who win the lottery do not become rich people, they become poor people who won the lottery" I use this theme as a reminder that we should not be as concerned with end results and final destinations as we are with the pathways that lead us through change. What’s the best advice to give to a musician just starting out? Listening. It sounds pretty simple but the best players are the best listeners. Being aware of everything going on will ultimately make the group/song it’s best. I remember seeing Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas with Russ Barenberg and Edgar Myer play and they literally were like… “let me make you sound good”. Each of them do that for each other throughout songs. So that’s what I’d say to someone starting out. Be a good listener. What’s the most frustrating thing about being on the road? The waiting. I love the road but I really dislike getting there and having time to kill (unless it’s enough to explore the area). But 3 hours in a club before you play kills me. What’s your favorite venue and why?
Martin’s BBQ Joint Downtown Nashville. I mean… beer, BBQ and music. Plus they have a great sound system and a total pro (Paul) running the show. It’s great. If we get to play the Ryman someday this answer might change. What’s your dream venue and why? Ok, the cat is out of the bag on this one with my previous answer. There is something magical about the Ryman that can’t be manufactured. It’s in the soul of the room. It’s the mother church of Nashville. Who would you love to collaborate with? There are so many great players and writers in Nashville but I’d in term of new(er) bands I’m a huge Dr Dog fan. I’d love to get Scott McMicken to produce some songs. I just love the sounds and vibe they create on their records. What has been your biggest struggle so far? The music business is like the wild west out there. It’s not enough to put out a record and tour on it. There is so much music out there and it’s so saturated these days that you need to touch a person like…7 times before you even hit their radar. They need to see a flyer, see a FB ad, hear a friend say something, watch a video… and then (maybe) they are like “Oh, that’s a thing”. It’s exhausting and I’ve never been good a using a mega phone to talk about myself. It’s like that old Mitch Hedberg joke. “I spent all this time becoming a cook… and now they are like, “hey man, can you farm!?” Which song of yours gets the best crowd response? I love hearing what people like. It’s always a nice surprise. We have a song on our record called "Raining in New Orleans." I think of it as a slow song. When I see it come up in the set I always expect the crowd to mellow out but sometimes that’s the song that gets people up dancing. But we also do a pretty good version of "Odds and Ends" by Bob Dylan. It usually kills. Website/Facebook/Twitter/Insta
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