Keen on Country: Artist's folksy twang coming to State Theatre

Robert Earl Keen has made a career spinning pure Texas tales, tall and otherwise.

Since his record debut in 1989, the Texas native has helped to pioneer in the alt-country sound -- blending country, folk, blues and rock. Known for his anthemic hit, "The Road Goes On Forever," Keen has spent the past 20 years blazing his own Texas trail through music.

The Texas A&M University graduate started writing music back in school when disappointed by his college radio station's offerings. In 1974, he moved into a house next to then-unknown fellow aspiring singer/songwriter Lyle Lovett. The two become lifelong friends and co-wrote "The Front Porch Song," which they both perform.

Now on the 20th-anniversary tour for "The Road Goes on Forever," Keen keeps proving the song title right as he performs some 140 dates a year with his longtime five-man band. Keen just finished recording a new studio album, which should be released in the late summer, early fall.

The 53-year-old spoke with The Bee from his home in Kerrville, Texas.

Q: You're on your 20th-anniversary tour. Do big, round numbers like that give you occasion to look back?

A: I think numbers influence us all to some degree. On this occasion, I kind of look back and wonder where all the time went.

Q: You're still a very prolific live performer. Do you ever think of slowing down?

A: It comes and goes. Sometimes I just feel like I can be out there all the time, 365 days a year. A lot of times, though, I have a really good home life and a great family and I enjoy that as much as anything in my life. I certainly would like to spend more time at home. It doesn't mean I don't like what I do. I always feel like I was born to do what I do.

Q: You're intricately associated with Texas music. How do you define the Texas sound and what makes it different?

A: Well, I would say Texas country has a real independence of spirit. The music is relatively straightforward. I'd say it has a heavy dollop of attitude in some of it. What you're going to get is different, some things with edge, something that surprises you or makes you laugh. It has, compared to other music out there, it has its own sweet drama and happy edge to it.

Q: Why do you think Texas has such a rich musical tradition all its own?

A: Texas has always been a really musically friendly state. I'm not sure how it all developed, but I know it started early and has an extremely rich musical heritage. It never mattered if there was a music industry to support it or not, it just carried on on its own in every direction from blues to rock and hip-hop. There are no boundaries here.

Q: Last month, you released "The Road Goes on Forever and the Music Never Ends," a songbook scrapbook of sorts. What inspired you to write that?

A: I had a songbook I put out about 12 years ago. And so we cobbled together another songbook and it was a little fuller and friendlier in nature. Right before were going to put it out, the people of University of Texas press came to us. So what is out there now is a really great looking, beautiful book. All the songs are in there and it has a CD that will tell you how to play the music. It also has some anecdotes and insights. The reaction I've gotten from people who know the book is they all say it's great for giving (you) an idea of what it's like to be in the music business and carry on for so many years.

Q: Some of your music is famously autobiographical and some is not. Where do you find your inspiration?

A: Many of them are autobiographical, and you can tell which ones are. They are pretty much love songs and travelogues. But a lot of it is venturing into the surreal unknown. I've always had a great admiration for other writers and fiction. I like to spice it up, challenge my audience and provoke thoughts. I never play down to who I think I'm playing to. I always try to hold the line on the quality of the song. A lot of times, the fun is the puzzle of the message. I borrow from all categories as far as subject matter; however, there is a pretty heavy percentage of things that happen in my life.

Q: Speaking of the "The Road Goes on Forever," why do you think that song has become such a signature for you, and at the time you wrote it, did you think you had a hit?

A: No, I really didn't. When I wrote it, I was trying to complete a record. The producer at the time said I needed a song that had a real ring to it -- an everyman song that people could take to. I said, "Well, give me a few days and I'll come up with it." He seemed to like it, but, frankly, I was surprised by it. I felt like I was good, but not that I'd created a masterpiece. I didn't realize how people would react to it. I'd play the song and people's reaction were always, "Oh, that's a great song." "The road goes on forever and the party never ends" has an open and free message.

Q: What can people expect from the live show?

A: I guess they can expect the unexpected. Most people think they'll come to the show and think this is a guy who plays country music. Although we have a country setup and instrumentation, it's anything but. They can expect to have a good time. Our shows are pretty much a big singalong.