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25 Feb 05 - 02:50 PM (#1420933) Subject: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: GUEST,Guest, Sandra I'm expanding my musical horizons, and I happened upon this guy. Love reading Mudcat! Thanks! Sandra |
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25 Feb 05 - 03:28 PM (#1420972) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Clinton Hammond Yes! Folkin' great folk at that too! 9/10ths of folkies should be HALF as good as REK Jr. |
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25 Feb 05 - 03:36 PM (#1420978) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Wesley S According to what Robert Earl said once at a concert : When he was booked as a folk act he was invited by his fans after concerts to join them for lentil soup and tea. But now that he's booked as a country artist his fans invite him to have some BBQ and bourbon. He says he prefers the treatment he gets as a country singer. |
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25 Feb 05 - 05:25 PM (#1421039) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: katlaughing **BG** good one Wesley! I agree with Clinton...YES! Love his stuff! |
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25 Feb 05 - 05:30 PM (#1421046) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: PoppaGator This guy was obviously in the wrong branch of folk music. If he had taken up Irish music, he could have been enjoying whiskey and Guinness all along, and wouldn't have to hang out with all those rednecks. ;^) |
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25 Feb 05 - 05:48 PM (#1421058) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: GUEST,Wesley S Rednecks have been responsible for Robert Earl being able to make his house payments. I'll bet he was able to buy a truck too. Their necks maybe red but their money is green. |
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25 Feb 05 - 06:58 PM (#1421116) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Clinton Hammond Ya... those 'rednecks' pay his bills! And they sure know how to have fun! And well, the world has more than enough frigg'n "Irish Folkies" already |
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25 Feb 05 - 10:48 PM (#1421207) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Q (Frank Staplin) Love those rednecks! |
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25 Feb 05 - 11:00 PM (#1421211) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: GUEST,punkfolkrocker i want to be payed with plates of prime sizzling sausages mashed potato baked beans and onion-gravy and a few gallons of traditional farmhouse cider.. ..money would be good as well... |
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26 Feb 05 - 12:04 AM (#1421236) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Scoville I'd call him country but the line can get really blurry. Not that it matters . . . |
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26 Feb 05 - 01:21 AM (#1421269) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: DADGBE Don't give a flying damn about the label, he's GREAT! |
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26 Feb 05 - 02:28 AM (#1421280) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: katlaughing I think he's right up there with the late Dave Carter and his partner Tracy Grammar, as well as the fellah in this thread. In fact McMurtry's voice reminded me a lot of REK when I first heard him. |
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26 Feb 05 - 02:43 AM (#1421288) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: GUEST Not even close to the GREATS. He is a wannabe. Some original material but the broken chording yeeechhhh! Good for the masses and well marketed. Comparable to the Kendal Jackson label among wines. |
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26 Feb 05 - 03:32 AM (#1421301) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Clinton Hammond DADGBE said it best, "Don't give a flying damn about the label, he's GREAT!" |
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26 Feb 05 - 06:24 PM (#1421818) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: GUEST,Art Thieme In that REK sometimes writes songs that tell interesting ballad-like stories, some of you might surely say that he is folk. He played on the old live NPR radio show that Larry Rand and I hosted in Chicago in the 1980s called the FLEA MARKET. We were billed as a folk festival of the air. So, again, some would say that he was folk. Personally though, if what you're asking for is my personal take on this, I don't think he's a folksinger. Aside from saying that, I really liked him a lot---and I still like his music. BUT that song about the "road never ending" with Sonny and Cher raising hell and moving on down the road like Hunter S. Thompson on an overdose of coffee, No Doze, and 300 ground-up Pearly Gates morning glory seeds---well, that's just one of the most evocative lyrics ever written from my point of view. That one song, when Mr. Robert Earl Keen did it that Sunday afternoon at the Old Town School Of Folk Music, made me a fan of his for life. I've not heard anything he's done over the last decade or so because cash is tight here and I won't take a chance on many CDs these days. But if anyone wants to send one of 'em to me, that'd be very cool!! Thanks in front, Art Thieme (Peru, Illinois 61354) |
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26 Feb 05 - 08:03 PM (#1421887) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Clinton Hammond The Road Goes On Forever... Damn fine song... The best song ABOUT REK Jr, in my book, is 'Beer Run' by Todd Snider :-) |
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26 Feb 05 - 08:08 PM (#1421896) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: katlaughing Consider it done, Art. One of my favs of his is Cristabel. |
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26 Feb 05 - 08:34 PM (#1421916) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Teresa Well, some traditional folks wouldn't consider him folk. Personally, I like him, and I don't like labels. The only time I saw him perform was at a bluegrass festival in the late 80s. Really liked that dry wit. Teresa |
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26 Feb 05 - 08:35 PM (#1421919) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: GUEST Didn't Dave Mallett write "The road goes on forever"? Or is that a different road? |
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26 Feb 05 - 08:49 PM (#1421930) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Joe Offer Ah, good excuse to publicize both songs: |
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26 Feb 05 - 09:04 PM (#1421942) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Arkie Both Mallett and Keen wrote songs called "The Road Goes on Forever". Keen does take some getting used to. You might say he is an acquired taste. The first recording I heard of his, I did not care for at all. He was on Austin City Limits and I watched a little. Then I began searching for a recording of Sonora's Death Row and was a bit disappointed that all I could find at the time was Keen's version, but I bought the tape anyway. To my surprise I liked well over half the songs on the tape. Since then I have enjoyed many songs done by Robert Earl Keen including, Shades of Gray, Jessie With the Long Hair Hanging Down, Armadillo Jackal, Then Came Lo Mein, and Whenever Kindness Fails. |
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27 Feb 05 - 12:10 PM (#1422272) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: GUEST "some traditional folks wouldn't consider him folk" Screw 'em! :-P |
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27 Feb 05 - 06:58 PM (#1422400) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: GUEST,Art Thieme Guest, Please. Let's just differ and leave it at that. No need to be rude. Art Thieme |
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27 Feb 05 - 07:58 PM (#1422442) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Once Famous I don't consider him folk either. Thankfully, he's a country artist. |
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28 Feb 05 - 06:18 PM (#1423341) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: PoppaGator No offense to country folk; sorry to have used the term "redneck." Also, I really wasn't suggesting that Mr. Keen would be better off being Irish (no more so than anyone else, anyway). Just trying for a laugh... |
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26 Apr 05 - 03:01 PM (#1471518) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: GUEST,SteerbySteer FYI Some of you may already know, but there is a type of music called Texas Music. It is a mix of Country, Bluegrass, Folk and Rock n Roll. REK is the King of Texas Music. Outside of Texas, I think they prefer to call of Alt. Country. REK is one of the best performers I have ever seen. This is what Robert has to say about it: "Lot's of people ask me what kind of music I play, I really don't know. I was lying in a motel room one night looking out the window, thinking about it and it just sorta came to me....I play...BEST WESTERN". - REK, House Of Blues, Hollywood, CA 2004 |
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07 Apr 07 - 10:00 PM (#2019523) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: PSzymeczek If "Feelin'Good Again" isn't folk, it comes darn close. |
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07 Apr 07 - 11:07 PM (#2019568) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: GUEST,Scoville in Texas SteerBySteer is right: He's in that weird folk/country/rock Austin thing. We consider it legitimately all of those at once (after all, country music is one of our traditions), and often a few other things as well. |
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08 Apr 07 - 07:38 PM (#2020148) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Arkie I would not consider Keen's music folk music and really do not know why anyone feels the need to force him into that category. But he writes some excellent songs and does not mind singing good songs by other writers. I see no need to put any label on his music. It should just be enjoyed. |
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08 Apr 07 - 10:32 PM (#2020240) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: GUEST,Texas Guest Doesn't matter what we all call Keen - he is what he is and what he is is what he says he is. Me, I like the "Best Western" tag; down here most folks would call him "Americana" and most of the airplay he gets (to my knowledge, anyway)is on stations that play a whole lot of Americana music. Throw him in a pot with Kevin Welch and Ray Wylie Hubbard and call him whatever you want - I'll call him "pretty damned good." Cheers. |
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09 Apr 07 - 10:56 AM (#2020469) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Scoville I don't care how he's tagged, either, but around here he's considered to be a similar vein as Guy Clark (who is, again, often considered alt country), who seems to be reasonably popular on this [folk] forum. Both have a lot of TVZ influence. |
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23 Feb 08 - 03:43 PM (#2270512) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: Lonesome EJ Keen has a very derivative style, one in which you clearly hear his influences. I hear Dylan, Springsteen, John Prine, Townes van Zandt, and James McMurtry. And that's some good company to keep! |
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23 Feb 08 - 04:37 PM (#2270530) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: SouthernCelt Chiming in late on this...Keen is one of the best out there today and crossing several genres in his various albums...some modern country, some folky ballads, some of what I like to term 'Southern Gothic" ("In Arkansas"), some that are clearly Texas-songwriter influenced and some that combine all forms such as his multi-song suite centered around "Carolina". He even does a few that can only be considered novelty songs, e.g., "Merry Christmas from the Family" and its sequel (that my memory fails on the title of), and then there's always "That Buckin' Song." My personal favorites include "For Love", "The Wild Ones", and "Ride", none of which have I ever heard of anyone else covering. ...just my 2 cents on REK, Jr. SC |
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23 Feb 08 - 04:47 PM (#2270534) Subject: RE: Robert Earl Keen, is he 'folk'? From: McGrath of Harlow Skimmed through this - "Their necks may be red but their money is green." That's a great line for a song! |