Larry Keel and Jon Stickley—two master guitarists with distinct, complementary personalities—join together to independently release their eponymous debut EP today, September 5.
Keel says, “This project with Jon Stickley is a very progressive collection; we wanted to really challenge ourselves and see how these original tunes would come out with just the two-guitar treatment. Jon’s composing and his playing techniques make me rise to my best, most concentrated self. I mean it with all my heart when I say he is a true inspiration to me as a guitarist and as a human being. I am honored to have created this unique piece of art with him.”
“The music flows out so naturally when we jam together,” says Stickley. “From the moment I sat down and started trying to flatpick the guitar, Larry has been one of my biggest inspirations. We’ve become friends over the past 20 years, and I’m thrilled and honored to have this opportunity to collaborate on a deeper level. As soon as Larry and I started playing shows as a duo, we knew it was something special, and we started talking about recording. We have both worked so hard to follow our own unique paths and create our own original styles, but this project has given us a chance to get back to our roots in the style of Norman Blake and Tony Rice, Doc and Merle Watson, and the Monroe Brothers.”
While the pair love the traditional tunes, the focus here, with the stripped-down guitar, gives them a chance to express themselves in an intimate way that is fresh, exciting, and entertaining for everyone involved.
Keel and Stickley have been mainstays within the bluegrass, Americana, and jamband festival circuits for years, sharing stages and late-night jams at festivals like Strings and Sol, Jam Cruise, DelFest, Hulaween, Suwannee Spring Reunion and Roots Revival, Hoxeyville, The Bender Jamboree, WinterWonderGrass, and Billy Strings Renewal, among others.
With bold acoustic guitar music, the 5-track EP is filled with depth, energy, and inspiration. It includes three lyrical tracks—two written by Keel and a cover of “Sailor Suit,” written in the 1990s by Acoustic Syndicate's Steve McMurry—along with two cosmic instrumentals written by Stickley.
A Word from Other Musicians:
“Hearing these two guys play together sounds like a new age Tony Rice and Norman Blake musical work. Larry and Jon are so inspiring to listen to, and together they complement each other’s playing so well. Everyone needs to check this music out.”
—Cody Kilby
“Goddamn I love the Bach influence with the new apron! This record is sugar to my ears. The close influences of both players are amazing. I hear brothers in sound.”
—Jake Cinninger [Umphrey's McGee]
“Jon and Larry have created a glimpse into a guitar world less traveled… It is accessible to all players but full of information that will be soaked up by the new school of guitar that incorporates the old and the new. A brave new world that I hope catches on in great numbers. This is intelligent guitar at its best.”
—Jerry Douglas
larrykeel.com | jonstickley.com
Track Listing
1.) Future Ghost (2:34)
2.) Sailor Suit (4:07)
3.) Pioneers (3:24)
4.) Take the Air (2:56)
5.) Starborn (4:03)
Larry Keel - 2008 Andrew White handcrafted parlor style guitar (all), vocals (2,3,5)
Jon Stickley - Preston Thompson D-EIA acoustic guitar (1,2,4,5), 1956 Martin D18 acoustic guitar (3), vocals (2)
Produced by Larry Keel and Jon Stickley
Recorded/Engineered by James McLaughlin
Mastered by Crystal Mastering
Artwork/Design by Luther Blevins
About the Songs:
Playing off of each other in a manner that Stickley calls “freeing and exhilarating,” the instrumental Future Ghost showcases a shredding melody that juxtaposes their individual styles.
Stickley takes lead vocals on Sailor Suit. Keel says, “Jon’s voice is full of purity and abandon, capturing the spirit of adventure and imagination that Steve wove into the story of his boyhood daydreams as a sailor on the high seas. And I love the big, open, syncopated rhythm of the song.”
Reflecting on and inspired by the route taken long ago by settlers looking to find their place in the new American West, the Keel classic, Pioneers, was written while on a long tour (mostly camping and the occasional mom-and-pop motels) in the late 90s along the 2000-mile stretch of the Oregon Trail.
Stickley wrote the elaborately laid-back and lively Take the Air as he pondered the melodic inspiration from David Grisman and Tony Rice while exploring an odd time signature (7/4).
With upbeat confidence mixed with deep melancholy and a spacey outro, Starborn is a tribute to and release of an extraordinary soul into the universe. It sounds like classic Keel. Keel says, “It’s about the performing life of a very dear friend and groundbreaking musical artist—Jeff Austin—who inspired me and countless other people.”
