Keegan McInroe combines Americana and heartfelt lyrics
Posted: July 29, 2011 - 12:01am
By BRITTANY HOOVER
FOR GO!
Texas-based singer/songwriter Keegan McInroe is known for weaving together threads of his favorite genres of music. From old country to blues and from gospel to rock ‘n’ roll, 28-year-old McInroe combines a wide range of original music with heartfelt lyrics to create his own unique Americana sound.
Growing up, McInroe said, he listened to a lot of country music, but never thought about a career in the industry until ninth grade when he first heard the album that inspired him most. It was “American Beauty” by rock band Grateful Dead, also known for its eclectic style and fusion of genres.
“It’s got that real Americana (sound) — a lot of acoustic stuff on that album. I thought it was just a beautiful album,” McInroe said. “A lot of the country I was listening to was ’90s country, and this album went back to early Americana music, which I got into more and have taken to more.”
McInroe, who grew up in Lubbock and graduated from Coronado High School in 2001, calls the moment he heard that album the “precursor” to thinking about a musical career. The Americana roots sounds he heard resonated with him, he said.
In 2003 McInroe took part in founding rock ‘n’ roll band Catfish Whiskey in Fort Worth, which toured in Texas and Louisiana. Since graduating from Texas Christian University in 2005, he uses his degree in religion and philosophy when songwriting.
And it’s his writing that reels in the audience and turns them into longtime fans, said local fiddle player Tina Turner, who met McInroe at a concert in 2009. She has played gigs with the artist and has performed on his albums.
“He’s very eclectic, with a dynamic energy with his audience, and heartfelt,” she said. “He’s somebody you want to come back and listen to over and over again because he draws you in. It makes you wonder what the next song is going to be. He’s such a great storyteller.”
McInroe spends his time playing shows in West Texas, Fort Worth and Austin venues, and one of his favorite parts of performing is finding the niche of people in various places that understand his writing.
When studying abroad during his time at TCU, McInroe was surprised by the reaction to his performances. He said people were excited about his music and very complimentary, and he knew they were too far removed from life in Texas to be saying nice things only to be polite.
“That’s the best feeling when someone says ‘I could feel that,’ or ‘I could feel what you were doing on that,’” he said.
The artist has distributed two solo albums since 2009. He said his debut album, “Mozelle,” is a stripped-down story album with limited instrumentation and was nominated by The Fort Worth Weekly for Album of the Year.
“From the Wall and In the City” was released the following year and is a much more dramatic production dealing with politics and spirituality, McInroe said. It displayed the talents of 28 musicians from the Fort Worth area and earned three nominations in the 2010 Fort Worth Music Awards.
His third album, which he hopes will be released by the end of the year, shows a more somber side to his talent, McInroe said. “A Thousand Dreams” features finger picking and lyrics centered on relationships and loss.
The artist has several upcoming shows during July and August in Lubbock and recalled his all-time favorite moment as a performer taking place in Hub City. He was playing with Catfish Whiskey at a fraternity party and local musician Scuba Steve was performing alongside them.
“We were both jumping up and down, and our energy just seemed to be in pocket with each other,” McInroe said. “There’s a different feeling playing with a band and playing solo. When you’re playing with a band you have good energy, and any moment like that would be high energy.”
McInroe said he enjoys the energy he receives from the large crowds when playing shows in his hometown, and he especially likes the paycheck Lubbock venue owners offer performers.
“It’s a great music town, obviously. A lot of people come out to see music there, and you know, it’s a different kind of place that way,” he said. “I love playing in Lubbock, and they still have a pretty good idea of paying an artist. It’s hard to turn a buck in Austin.”
Posted: July 29, 2011 - 12:01am
By BRITTANY HOOVER
FOR GO!
Texas-based singer/songwriter Keegan McInroe is known for weaving together threads of his favorite genres of music. From old country to blues and from gospel to rock ‘n’ roll, 28-year-old McInroe combines a wide range of original music with heartfelt lyrics to create his own unique Americana sound.
Growing up, McInroe said, he listened to a lot of country music, but never thought about a career in the industry until ninth grade when he first heard the album that inspired him most. It was “American Beauty” by rock band Grateful Dead, also known for its eclectic style and fusion of genres.
“It’s got that real Americana (sound) — a lot of acoustic stuff on that album. I thought it was just a beautiful album,” McInroe said. “A lot of the country I was listening to was ’90s country, and this album went back to early Americana music, which I got into more and have taken to more.”
McInroe, who grew up in Lubbock and graduated from Coronado High School in 2001, calls the moment he heard that album the “precursor” to thinking about a musical career. The Americana roots sounds he heard resonated with him, he said.
In 2003 McInroe took part in founding rock ‘n’ roll band Catfish Whiskey in Fort Worth, which toured in Texas and Louisiana. Since graduating from Texas Christian University in 2005, he uses his degree in religion and philosophy when songwriting.
And it’s his writing that reels in the audience and turns them into longtime fans, said local fiddle player Tina Turner, who met McInroe at a concert in 2009. She has played gigs with the artist and has performed on his albums.
“He’s very eclectic, with a dynamic energy with his audience, and heartfelt,” she said. “He’s somebody you want to come back and listen to over and over again because he draws you in. It makes you wonder what the next song is going to be. He’s such a great storyteller.”
McInroe spends his time playing shows in West Texas, Fort Worth and Austin venues, and one of his favorite parts of performing is finding the niche of people in various places that understand his writing.
When studying abroad during his time at TCU, McInroe was surprised by the reaction to his performances. He said people were excited about his music and very complimentary, and he knew they were too far removed from life in Texas to be saying nice things only to be polite.
“That’s the best feeling when someone says ‘I could feel that,’ or ‘I could feel what you were doing on that,’” he said.
The artist has distributed two solo albums since 2009. He said his debut album, “Mozelle,” is a stripped-down story album with limited instrumentation and was nominated by The Fort Worth Weekly for Album of the Year.
“From the Wall and In the City” was released the following year and is a much more dramatic production dealing with politics and spirituality, McInroe said. It displayed the talents of 28 musicians from the Fort Worth area and earned three nominations in the 2010 Fort Worth Music Awards.
His third album, which he hopes will be released by the end of the year, shows a more somber side to his talent, McInroe said. “A Thousand Dreams” features finger picking and lyrics centered on relationships and loss.
The artist has several upcoming shows during July and August in Lubbock and recalled his all-time favorite moment as a performer taking place in Hub City. He was playing with Catfish Whiskey at a fraternity party and local musician Scuba Steve was performing alongside them.
“We were both jumping up and down, and our energy just seemed to be in pocket with each other,” McInroe said. “There’s a different feeling playing with a band and playing solo. When you’re playing with a band you have good energy, and any moment like that would be high energy.”
McInroe said he enjoys the energy he receives from the large crowds when playing shows in his hometown, and he especially likes the paycheck Lubbock venue owners offer performers.
“It’s a great music town, obviously. A lot of people come out to see music there, and you know, it’s a different kind of place that way,” he said. “I love playing in Lubbock, and they still have a pretty good idea of paying an artist. It’s hard to turn a buck in Austin.”