"Well, if you want to be a hero / not a rock and roll zero / even you can have a hit sound..." sings songwriter John Paul Keith on "Anyone Can Do It", a track from his new CD, The Man That Time Forgot. The release is his confident, follow-up to 2009's debut "Spills and Thrills."
Keith makes songwriting sound as easy as scribbling graffiti on a bathroom wall after a few too many. But, success took time and some hard knocks. The tongue-in-cheek essence of "Afraid to Look" shows the leaner side of the Knoxville--born, trucker's son's trajectory.
"How many bucks do I have in the bank? I'm afraid to look."
Keith's rough and tumble take on life is tempered with humor and rockabilly buoyance. Thankfully, his early days don't so much haunt him as provide opportunities for succinct story telling. With "liquor on tongue" and "mist on the lungs" he gets by, like the rest of us, only he says it so much better.
Back in Knoxville, he played with the Viceroys, but needed to move on, musically and literally. After meeting up with drummer, John Argroves, bassist, Mark E. Stuart and keyboardist Al Gamble, Keith formed The One Four Fives - the moniker is based on the easily, recognizable chordal progression that underscores so many Americana and rockabilly tunes. The combination is pure alchemy.
The Man That Time Forgot yields dynamic bass lines, barrelhouse piano, and vintage guitar that, hooked up to a piston, would screech down 66, shouting Holly and signifying Cash.
WHO: John Paul Keith & The One, Four Fives
WHERE: The Hideout, 1354 W. Wabansia, Chicago, Ill.
WHEN: September 22, 2011, 9 PM
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