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For our U.S. Elections issue we take you back to a simpler sound: the mellow, poetic folk music of Gene Keller. Often accompanied by his acoustic band, 99 Names, Gene Keller takes his guitar, easygoing voice, and southwestern lyrics to tell us of the possibility of a better world: one filled with respect, friendship, and romantic love. When he writes of relationships he does so with sincerity, and when he writes of politics (as with these songs) he does so with optimism and hope.
His first song here, "The Gospel According to Woody," has become an anthem of a value system based on kindness. "Like the Big Boys Do" is a playful satire on the way Americans tend to thwart the capitalistic values we're so proud of. Our favorite, "Erase All the Borders," is about, um, erasing all the borders. —JP
Gene Keller has a recipe: "Serve up Acoustic Americana Folk Music with a poet's sensibility. Cook up a soup of elemental border rhythms with strong lyrics & powerful vocals. Throw in the pepper of intelligence & the sage of insight. Sprinkle on a dash of humor & a pinch of humility. Savor the flavors." Check out his web site, GeneKeller.com, to learn about his new musical project, Every Song the Mockingbird Knows: thirteen new acoustic Americana folk songs.
Gene Keller's songs remained on Unlikely 2.0 for a period of one year, then were removed for reasons of space and copyright. Please visit his web site.
