THIEF

2010 / KELLER &THE KEELS

This record was made simply because I was looking for a reason to hang out with the Keels. So I thought, lets make a record. We had a few of these songs in our repertoire already so they were a given and I wanted to document them. While others we had to learn. A lot of these songs, I like better bluegrass than the originals and that is just plain fun. I strongly feel that playing bluegrass versions of songs like this brings people, who ordinarily would not give the genre a second thought, closer. — Kw

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What the paid professionals say:
Many musicians have side projects to keep them amused and Keller Williams is no exception. With buddies Larry and Jenny Keel, Williams turns up bluegrass-inspired arrangements of songs that don’t exactly make you think “bluegrass.” Sure, Drive-By Trucker Patterson Hood’s “Uncle Disney” isn’t too much of a stretch and the Grateful Dead’s “Mountains of the Moon” makes perfect sense, but Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab”? Cracker’s “Teen Angst”? The Butthole Surfer’s “Pepper”? It’s great fun, actually.

The playing is first-rate. The harmonies are as serious and sincere as any old tune from Appalachia, and who’s to say that this won’t lead to fans of alternative or pop music discovering the charms of traditional music or vice versa. If anything this playful trio have started a conversation where one rarely exists. Nothing is played for cheap laughs and that makes all the difference. If this excites you, be sure to check out their other release, Grass, where they take on Pink Floyd, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers and Beck.

THIEF

2010 / KELLER &THE KEELS

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