Patrick Keenan

Patrick Keenan is a musician who writes challenging songs and performs them with conviction. It's been a defining characteristic of his music that it not be easily categorized, and while this is often discouraged in the music marketplace, Keenan is convinced that this is embraced in the greater musical world. Citing maverick and diverse individuals like Syd Barrett, Joni Mitchell, Don Ellis, Lou Reed, Sinead O'Connor, Toots Hibbert, Dmitri Shostakovich and Jeff Tweedy as inspirations, Keenan has spent the better part of his solo career convincing others that it is wrong to talk down to an audience for the sake of mass appeal.



One glance at the title of his first record, As Constant As The Northern Car confirms this. There is a reference to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar buried in its title, and through that quote there is also a reference to Joni Mitchell's song "A Case Of You." And yet there is also a sense of playfulness underneath the lofty pretensions. Whatever your interpretation, this album has resonated with nearly everyone who has heard it. Critical acclaim and a distribution deal with Universal Music Canada combined with audience praise to make for a very encouraging start. But as with all adventures, there were bumps along the road.



"What do you get when you combine rain, self-doubt, stolen master tapes, and financial hiccups? Washed Out Roads."



This sums up the unpalatable conditions surrounding the recording and release of Keenan's second record Washed Out Roads. Not only did the record take over a year and a half to record and mix, the hard drives with the final mix were stolen by someone close to the project. It was blind luck that Patrick happened to have a roughly final mix of most of the work, and through the wizardry of mastering engineer Scott Pinder he was able to salvage most of the album.



This is a much more straightforward work than his debut, but there is nothing stopping this "pianoman of a different sort" from allowing a two-minute guitar battle to emerge out of nowhere on his album, like in the alt rocker "If You're Curious." You'll find songs whose arrangements emphasize the musicality of guests, like "Cloud Formation" which features a brave and scorching solo from Twilight Hotel's David Quanbury. Renowned producer, songwriter and performer Mike Petkau (Les Jupes) also achieves a minute and a half of guitar glory with his shining solo in "Roof Rack Attack." As chief producer, Patrick gave each song their own space, flavour, and attitude, and feels the songs have rewarded him with his best recordings yet. This is the little album that could, and it emerges, if not unscathed, with boldness and originality.



Patrick Keenan is also a composer for film and stage, having produced over a dozen scores to date. He has written over 900 songs, and at least over 75 good ones by his own assessment. He has also performed on stage as an actor, most recently starring in a production of the classic Canadian play "Billy Bishop Goes To War" in 2008. Currently he is working on a musical about cannibalism and is working on another tour of Canada for the winter. Clearly Patrick is a man of conviction, drive, and talent to boot.