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LABOR DAY WEEKEND
Robert Earl Keen
IN CONCERT
Friday August 29, 2008
8pm
Best known for his storytelling lyrics, the Texas singer-songwriter’s signature tunes, “The Road Goes on Forever,” “Gringo Honeymoon” and “Merry Christmas From the Family,” all tell offbeat tales of ordinary people caught in extraordinary, sometimes funny situations.
Among the large contingent of talented songwriters who emerged in Texas in the 1980’s, Robert Earl Keen struck an unusual balance between sensitive story-portraits (“Corpus Christi Bay”) and raucous barroom fun (“That Buckin’ Song”). These two song types in Keen’s output were unified by a mordant sense of humor that strongly influenced the early practitioners of what would become know as alternative country music. From his debut album, “No Kinda Dancer” that made a splash in Austin in 1984, to his album “What I Really Mean”, Keen’s musical personality has grown in depth and control. The Houston-born, Bandera, Texas-based artist fills his songs with introspection and reflection, cushioned by dobros, banjos, steel guitars, pianos, saxophones, organs and even violas. “That life-of-the-Texas party known as Robert Earl Keen has grown up without growing dull,” says Entertainment Weekly. His album, “What I Really Mean” shines as his best vocal performance,” proclaims The Dallas Morning News. In addition, “the CD also boasts his most accomplished collection of songs and his expert command of varied instruments to augment his folk-country sound.”
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