"keeps my mind wandering deeply"
Pat Keen is a prolific singer songwriter, bassist, producer and multi-instrumentalist based out of Minneapolis, MN. His latest upcoming album "Cells Remain" drops August 21st, 2020 available on 12" red transparent vinyl, CD and digitally. Track 3: Screens captured me from the start. Reverse pulsations of sound fall away to a beautiful airy E6 to a AB6(11) or thereabouts and whenever a song has me grabbing my guitar to sort it out, I am forming a crush on it right away. The gentle yet forward strumming invites Keens first vocal, "making your way through the screen that linger in the air through the day" as nuanced bass notes and flits of percussion join the parade. Once Adelyn's disarming background vocals enter you feel other subtle strains of sound, more percussion, Korg synth and wonderful bass lines as an entree to ascending melodies of more guitars. It is beautiful and blissful.
Of the song, Keen shares:
Phone addiction is real. “Screens” is an attempt at balancing technology and nature. Getting out of bed and off my phone feels nearly impossible some days. I look at my phone instead of listening to conversations that don't interest me or require more thought than I’m willing to put in during that given moment; “Boring decisions” that “keep me far away” and “slow indecisions” that “stray me from the day”. It’s a flaw. This song suggests an alternative. The outro is set in the outdoors, on the other side, breathing, critically thinking about the connection between human and nature and feeling free from the grasp of the internet.
Wonderful poetry set to music that cajoles you in beautiful ways.
Players on the album:
Pat Keen - Acoustic Guitar, 12 String Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Bass, Piano, Mellotron, Vocals, Samples
Adelyn Strei - 12 String Acoustic Guitar, MicroKORG, Clarinet, Piano, Vocals
John McCowen - Contrabass Clarinet (all tracks except 1, 2, and 3)
Shane Leonard - Drums, Percussion, Drum Programming, Synths, Fretless Banjo, Bodhrán
Brian Joseph - Bird Samples (track 1), Airplane Samples (track 2)
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM - PRESS NOTES:
patkeenmusic.com
Pat Keen is a songwriter, bassist, producer and multi-instrumentalist living in Minneapolis, MN.
In 2015, Pat began his self-titled project. Grounded in folk and hinting at an underlying pop-sensibility, his sound comfortably volleys between quiet, tender moments and technical bravado. He continues to put out solo work amidst studio and performance commitments in the Minneapolis area and across the US.
As a player, Pat brings his roots in experimental jazz across genres, challenging folk narratives and reshaping traditional instrumentation. Pat’s improvisational influence and extended techniques shine through his ensemble work, finding comfort in mixed meters, sophisticated harmonies and inventive instrumental manipulation. Regardless of what he’s doing, Keen exudes a contagious enthusiasm and warmth when performing on stage.
Pat performs, records, composes and arranges in jazz, experimental rock, folk and indie settings. Having earned his bachelor’s degree in jazz performance from the New England Conservatory in Boston, Pat has studied with artists spanning a diverse spectrum such as Dave Holland, Cecil McBee, Joe Morris, Richard Davis, John McNeil, Don Palma, John Lockwood, Bob Nieske, Dominque Eade, Chris Weisman, Terry Burns, Jeremy Boettcher and Jon Sunde.
Increasingly sought after for his upright and electric bass expertise, Pat has performed and recorded with Humbird, Wei Zhongle, Dean Granros (58 Belvedere), Guerrilla Toss, IAN SWEET, Phil Cook, Ryan Power, JE Sunde, P-PL, Michael Richard Klics, Adelyn Rose, Hemma, Rivers, Undlin & Wolfe, Shane Leonard, Ben Lester, Brian Joseph, Dave Vettraino, Rob Jacobs, Phil Sudderberg, John McCowen, Dave Power, Her Crooked Heart, Moon Ruin, Jake Baldwin, Noah Ophoven Baldwin, Sam Lisabeth, Billy McShane, Alec Watson, Ethan Parcell and others.
He’s toured venues and festivals across North America and Europe including Cedar Cultural Center (Minneapolis), Constellation (Chicago), The Smell (LA), Union Pool (NYC), Shokoladen (Berlin), Eaux Claires (WI), State X New Forms (Netherlands), Mem (Spain), Waking Windows (VT), , Northside (NYC), Hopscotch (NC), Flourish (New Brunswick), Groundswell (MN), KAXE River Fest (MN), Fest Du Nord (MN) and the MN State Fair.
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