Robert Earl Keen is a Texas troubadour that’s a larger than life artist that lives his life on the road that seems to go on forever.
Starting tonight, the Texas A&M Aggie starts the first night of three consecutive dates in Colorado that will see performances in Ft. Collins (Washingtons), Aspen (Wheeler Opera House), and Denver (Ogden Theater) respectively.
C=T had the privilege of catching up with one of the finest songwriters to ever live with the Houston native after nearly forty years of music-making and countless tour dates.
(Photo credit: Nick Doll Photography)
How’s the tour going so far?
It’s going well. Lots of fun dates and locations.
It’s been several years since fans have been treated to new material since “Ready for Confetti,” what plans do you have for any future projects on the horizon?
I am currently working on new music, but haven’t set a release date yet. Last year, I did a session with LR Baggs with two previously unreleased songs if you are just needing something new right now.
Most recently you recorded a “Bluegrass Sessions” release, how important is bluegrass in your day to day life?
I’ve been listening to bluegrass forever, I love it, and I feel I’m somewhat locked into it. Even my own songs sometimes are formatted — not instrument-wise, but verse-chorus-wise, like that. So I feel like I’m necessarily a happy prisoner of bluegrass. I went in with a great deal of apprehension from always loving bluegrass but never being a true bluegrass player. My desire, my passion sort of overrode my fear. I wrote down 100 songs that I knew, then decided we were going to record 38 of them. Then it was 28. There are 15 on the CD and the digital version has 20 songs on there. They’re all songs that I’ve known and loved for a long time. That album was me exploring something I have always loved.
Your larger than life stories ranging from burned cars at Willie Nelson’s picnic to the study sessions at the Dixie Chicken are fantastic stories that fans have memorized. Do you prepare them in advance or do you improvise?
Most of it is ad-libbing. For some reason, one of the wonderful things I get from stepping on stage is my brain works better than normally. I just start talking and if it works I take the basics of that story and then repeat it and ad lib from there. My friend and old bandmate, Bryan Duckworth, compares my onstage banter to watching someone crawl out to the very end of a long branch on an apple tree. He says sometimes I get an apple; sometimes he gets a seed.
Where did you meet Mariano and tell us about him?
With the Mariano song I tried to follow the thought and feeling of this person, and there is definitely characterization there. Mariano worked at my house in Bandera, Texas. Sad story.
How do you give back to your alma mater of Texas A&M and do you attend many home football games?
My education at A&M was a big part of making a transition from being a little kid to being an adult. During that process I felt that A&M was a strong, stable, vibrant environment to get started in life. Since then, because the Aggie Network is so strong and global, I continue to meet Aggies almost on a daily basis. It feels like you’re a part of a great society. And I give back when I can.
I was part of the “Deep From the Heart” benefit concert for Hurricane Harvey relief in October 2017 at Reed Arena, along with Lovett, Alabama, Lady Gaga, Sam Moore and Yolanda Adams. I also did the First Yell at Kyle Field in 2012 and have performed a few times. I was also part of the Bonfire Benefit Concert in February 2000.
In 2018 actually, I was a recipient of Texas A&M’s Distinguished Alumnus Award. That was a great honor.
Who serves the best Tex-Mex in Texas?
Herberts Taco Hut in New Braunfels is where you should be getting your Tex-Mex.
Robert Earl Keen Tour Dates
FEB 25, 2020
WASHINGTON’S
FEB 26, 2020
WHEELER OPERA HOUSE
FEB 27, 2020
OGDEN THEATRE
FEB 28, 2020
STIEFEL THEATER
MAR 7, 2020
CAILLOUX THEATER
MAR 12, 2020
THE LIBERTY
MAR 14, 2020
THE FREMONT THEATER
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CAINFOTICKETS
MAR 15, 2020
CORNERSTONE
MAR 17, 2020
FELTON MUSIC HALL
MAR 19, 2020
THE COACH HOUSE
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANOINFOTICKETS
MAR 20, 2020
THE CRESCENT BALLROOM
MAR 21, 2020
RIALTO THEATRE
APR 28, 2020
THE BLUE NOTE
COLUMBIA, MOINFO
APR 29, 2020
THALIA HALL
CHICAGO, ILINFO
APR 30, 2020
THE CASTLE THEATRE
BLOOMINGTON, ILINFO
JUN 18, 2020
MURPHEY PERFORMANCE HALL
SEP 13, 2020