|
|
|
 |
Information |
 |
 |
| Classifieds | | FAQs |  Contact Us |
 Home |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
News, Articles, Resources |
 |
|
|
John Keane (July 2005)
|
 |
Date: Saturday 23 July, 2005
|
|
|
|
John Keane is a professional musician/studio owner as well as a proud father and family member with his wife Jo and family here in Athens. He is a really nice person who treats all people and bands the same way - with respect and courtesy. He has written a book called "The Musicians' Guide to Pro Tools" [available in our store] and has the most renowned studio this town has to offer at 165 Hillcrest Avenue.
It was not that long ago you could drive by his house in Cobbham and see members of R.E.M. or Widespread Panic playing acoustically on his porch swing. His list of bands reads like a who's who of everyone popular in and out of Athens over the last 20 years:
10,000 Maniacs, Allgood, Art In The Dark, Bar-B-Que Killers, Billy Bragg, Bloodkin, Bob Mould, Chickasaw Muddpuppies, Concrete Blonde, Cowboy Junkies, Daisy, Dashboard Saviors, Dayroom, Dreams So Real, Drivin'N'Cryin, Five Eight, Fleshtones, Fuzzy Sprouts, Go Figures, Guadalcanal Diary, Harvey Milk, Hetch Hetchy, Hillbilly Frankenstein, Hindu Love Gods, Indigo Girls, Insane Jane, Jack Logan, Jack-O-Nuts, Jackpot City, John Berry, Kevn Kinney, Kilkenny Cats, Little Red Rocket, Love Tractor, Madder Rose, Marlee Macleod, Men In Trees, Mercyland, Michael Guthrie Band, Michelle Malone, Mishap, Mystery Date, Nanci Griffith, Nikki Sudden, Normaltown Flyers, Opal Foxx, Pylon, R.E.M, Rack Of Spam, Ralph Roddenbery, Randall Bramblett, Redneck Greece Deluxe, Richard Butler, Robert Earl Keen, Robyn Hitchcock, Scott McCaughey, Seven Simons, Slobberbone, Smoke, Snatches Of Pink, Syd Straw, T. Graham Brown, Taj Mahal / Toumani, The Bottle Rockets, The Jesters, The Jody Grind, The Primates, The Woggles, The Troggs, The Squalls, The Grapes, Time Toy, Uncle Tupelo, Vic Chesnutt, Vigilantes Of Love, Warren Zevon, Widespread Panic.
But this is not so much about John Keane's studio as it is about a couple of bands he used to play with and is resurrecting for this next weekend's performances. The following is a brief Q and A with the Athens producer/engineer:
Q: To someone who is not familiar with either band, how would you describe the difference musically between Strawberry Flats and Phil and the Blanks?
A: When I joined Phil and The Blanks around 1981, we were doing a mixture of swing (a al Dan Hicks) and an eclectic mix of laid-back covers - everything from Stevie Wonder to the Grateful Dead. We were also performing a lot of Keith McBurnett's original material. A main focus of the band was vocals - lots of tight three part harmonies. Later on when Marianna Pace (now Marianna Landau) joined the band, we gradually dropped the swing stuff and evolved into more of a New Wave direction. We were listening to a lot of British artists at the time like Squeeze, The Police, Elvis Costello, and the Clash.
After I left the Blanks around 1986, I started Strawberry Flats as a fun cover band. It's sort of a tribute to the psychedelic music that came out between 1967 and 1972, stuff by Hendrix, Doors, Zeppelin, Cream, Steppenwolf, Santana, Deep purple, and The Beatles. There's also some oddball stuff, one-hit wonders like "Hot Smoke and Sassafrass" by Bubble Puppy. Overall it's a lot louder and more testosterone driven than the Blanks stuff.
Q: What was your first band?
A: My first band was a jazz combo in high school called "Blue Ice." Boy, did we suck.
Q: What are some of the songs you intend to do with Strawberry Flats?
A: "Moby Dick" (Led Zeppelin), "Freedom" (Jimi Hendrix), "Venus" (Shocking Blue - we're going to get Marianna to come up and sing that one), "White Room" (Cream), "Black Magic Woman" (Santana).
Q: What made you want to record music?
A: I started playing guitar at age 9, and I got a cassette recorder on my 12th birthday. Later I got another one and figured out how to overdub by bouncing tracks from one machine to the other while playing along. I'd do stuff like play both lead guitar parts to Allman Brothers songs, and layer vocal harmonies. When I got a 4 track, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.
Q: What session are you most proud of?
A: Probably R.E.M.'s "Out Of Time." It was a very exciting 6 weeks of recording some of my favorite R.E.M. material.
Q: Is it more difficult to perform live music now than 20 years ago?
A: We're probably all a little rusty, but we make up for it in enthusiasm. It's a lot harder to find time to practice, now that most of us have kids and jobs.
Q: What, if anything, inspired this get together?
A: I've been looking for an excuse to get the Flats back together for a reunion, since we haven't played together for around 10 years. Then Lee Pilgrim called me up about doing a Blanks reunion and suggested pairing it with a Flats reunion. It sounded like a good idea at the time. Then I realized I'd have to relearn about 40 songs to pull it off. It's been good to get those calluses built back up, though.
| Article Statistics: |
| Viewed:8919 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|  |
|
|
|
| 0 items |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
