Welcome Keats Conlon, to my column Seeing Shows On The Road With Deb Draper, which is a direct extension of The Wire MEGAzine as it’s Blogcast. I am a proud volunteer and photojournalist, now Music Editor, for 7 years for owner Michael Bell and his awesome Wire Megazine. It is 1 of Canada’s longest-running, non for profit music, fashion, and political tabloids that’s been on the scene, free for 32 years, since 1989.

It was a pleasure to have made your acquaintance at the 1st ever virtual 18th Annual Indie Week Canada turned global virtual conference in November of 2020. It is my pleasure to dig a little deeper and find out all there is to know about your talents and your craft.

Deb: Keats Conlon is an up and coming singer/songwriter who takes after her poet namesake. Keats Conlon paints pictures in thin air and spills her heart to any audience she encounters. Check out her newest release ‘Pastel Portraits’ available on all major music platforms!

Keats: Deb, I was so excited and grateful to get to meet and talk with you, thank you so much for following up!

Deb: (Q) 1.  What does success mean to you, as well, what is your secret to longevity? Keats: (A) For me personally, I think the secret to success and longevity go hand in hand. I will feel successful for the rest of my life, as long as I can share my music with people who connect with it. Whether that’s selling out stadiums and touring worldwide or performing regularly for small groups at cafes, as I will play and write until my voice gives out and my fingers stop moving, feeling successful all the while. In a more monetary/career-focus, since I also love the idea of writing for others. I love performing my own songs but, I also love the idea of making a comfortable living, despite my own artist persona’s ups and downs, by creating music other artists can take and make their own.

Deb: (Q) 2.  Highlight aspects of your cultural background that makes your music unique? Keats: (A) I was born and raised in the cultural melting pot that is Canada and I think that is evident in my music. I started in Windsor, Ontario, taking inspiration from indie/alternative acts like Lights and Michou, moved to Toronto and integrated the loud and bustling city streets into more lively pop-leaning songs, and finally found my heart in Halifax, NS, singing along to dirges and fiddles in friendly bars and connecting with my own Celtic roots.

Deb: (Q) 3.  What do your songs aim to say as they are instrumental? Keats: (A) The instrumentals in my songs range quite a lot depending on the story I am trying to tell, although my main instrument is the guitar. I try very hard to match whatever is at the heart of the song, such as matching my song “Cute” with more quirky and cute instruments like glockenspiel and ukulele, versus my song “Only Distance” which is a more melancholic and sweeping romance story so I included a solid grounded guitar sound as well as, the sweeping violin that gives the song a more epic ton. I couldn’t have accomplished all these nuances without the help of some of my talented musical friends who helped with a lot of various instrumentals on my most recent release “Pastel Portraits“, such as Joesie Palmer, Cody Degaust, and Gene Huh just to name a few. Deb: Here is a sample of these hits Cute and Only Distance for your viewing pleasures, truly soothing sounds that fill your heart and lift your spirits. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb4QfaloFZU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyTTG9LkrtM

Deb: (Q) 4.  Contrary to popular belief, making it is the art of music isn’t merely a game of luck, as it requires talent, strategy, dedication, and determination based on your vision and goals.  Share with your fans your creative studio process, and share any awards or accolades you have received and how you are developing your career during Covid -19? Keats: (A) I’ve worked both in professional and home studios and I think I can now confidently say I prefer working from my own home studio. I’m sure there are music purists who would argue my bass isn’t as deep or my room throws off my tons (and to be fair to them, they’re probably right) but for the type of music I’m making it doesn’t need to be perfect and I find I have much more creative control. As a generally anxious person and people pleaser, I have a tendency to say “Yes that’s fine” even if I hate a vocal take because I don’t want to waste anyone’s time or inconvenience anyone, but if it’s just me in my room and I have all the control, I’ll redo that vocal line until I feel it’s absolutely perfect, and I think the end result is better even if the quality of the recording isn’t quite as good. As far as awards go, my most recent accomplishment was when I received FACTOR‘s “Artist Development” grant for my 2020 EP “Pastel Portraits”! It really helped me pay all the talented artists that helped me put the album together such as the session musicians, mixers, and videographers that helped me with my music videos for the project. As far as how I am developing my career over COVID, it’s given me the chance to focus on my recordings, online presence, and honing my business skills (there have been so many incredible virtual online educational sources!). Hopefully, this will all help me burst through the post covid doors, a more fully rounded musician who’s ready to tour and laugh and cheers with everyone. Hurry, don’t delay tune in, upload and or pick up your copies of her EP, Pastel Portraits today, https://open.spotify.com/album/0xUSxPnfwlLzegEAuypPJv https://keatsconlon.bandcamp.com/

Keats is a 28-year-old singer-songwriter who was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario Canada. Her style has been described as folk, alternative, pop, indie, and/or acoustic, and she’s been singing longer than she can remember, playing the guitar for over 10 years, and dabbling in other instruments on and off her entire life. She was lucky enough to live near an arts high school, Walkerville Collegiate Institute, and she went there and entered into the vocal, guitar, and drama programs. where she met many talented people in her four years, teachers and peers alike, and she feels so privileged to have had the chance to learn and work with them. FYI, Keats was only 14 years young when she started writing her own material! She got her first taste of success when she submitted a song she wrote to a local music compilation CD called “The W” at the age of 16. Ever since then she has been connecting to other local musicians and playing around as much as she can. She was only pursuing her music part-time until she graduated from the University of Windsor with a Bachelor of Arts degree (specializing in Psychology with a Minor in Ancient Civilizations). With some secondary education under her belt, she decided to take some time off to exclusively focus on her music career. It was at this time that she moved to Toronto, where she lived for two years, meeting and playing with even more talented people, and honing her craft. She then took a journey out east to Halifax where she has lived on and off for the past five years playing in and learning from the amazing maritime music scene.

Deb: (Q) 5.  Some of the most historical and revered music has always played a deep role in the transformation of society.  Some consider how their art relates to the current social-political landscape or how their music can address these themes.  Does your music touch on social or political issues??   Keats: (A) This is a difficult question for me and something I’ve struggled with throughout my artistic career. In my personal life among friends and family, I am very vocal about my thoughts and opinions about social and political topics, however, I’ve always been hesitant to explicitly outline things in my music for fear of being misunderstood or seeming like I was only using those political causes to further my own career. It is something I am working on integrating into my public persona more as I grow bolder and see the need for louder voices calling for kindness, care, and when necessary, revolution. All this being said, although I have rarely written explicit political or social activist anthems, every song I write is imbued with my heart and hopes for myself and the world and I hope people can find the inspiration they need in , them. She released 3 Albums with details below.

Like The Poet and Pastel Portraits, are both available on Spotify, iTunes, and all other major music platforms!

Deb: Thanks so much for your time today Keats, sure hope Covid-19 gets under control or disappears so I can travel and catch you perform live!! Merry Christmas and Happiest of blessings come the new year 2021.

“Deb, I am so humbled and honored by your kind words and enthusiasm regarding my music, it means so much to me to have someone so entrenched in the industry be so friendly and encouraging. So incredibly pleased to have met you! Let me know if you need anything else from me, thanks again so much for this opportunity, so excited and honored to be a part of your great Wire Megazine! Always happy to chat again or collaborate on anything else in the future, take care!” ~ Keats Conlon.

Keep up to speed with this gal, she is a fast-moving train that is going places! Hop on board and keep in tune by visiting her at https://www.facebook.com/keatsconlon/ http://www.keatsconlon.com http://keatsconlon.com/contact-information https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/keats-conlon/983853722 https://www.youtube.com/keatsconlon https://soundcloud.com/keatsconlon

Keats Conlon Singer-Songwriter She/Her  Phone: 902-809-8225   Email: keatsconlon@outlook.com