Jim Keller Talks New Album, Album Recording And More

When did you begin songwriting and recording music?

I started writing songs in earnest when I moved to San Francisco in the 70’s.  I realized that I would never be a brilliant guitar player and that songwriting was a path in.  I started recording those songs around the same time.  Trading carpentry work for studio time. 

Your new album ‘Daylight’ is released on 31st May 2024. How did you want to approach the making of the record?

This is the 2nd of 3 albums that Mitchell Froom and I plan.  Both this album and the last we did, By No Means, are very simple, built around my acoustic guitar and voice.  On DAYLIGHT, with the same band, David Hidalgo, Bob Glaub and Michael Urbano, we were all familiar with what we were going for, so there was little if any pre-production. We recorded in a very small studio and cut live.  The simplicity is a product of great players who know how not to play.  It is not easy to do and can feel very unnerving for me as a singer and songwriter but in the end it created an intimacy that we all loved.

Where did you record the album and who produced it?

We recorded the album in a very old studio in LA call Valentine which opened in the 60’s and was used by Brian Wilson, Bing Crosby and others.  The place had been boarded up for years and much of the same gear is still there and that’s what we used.  Mitchell Froom (Crowded House, Paul McCartney, Suzanne Vega) brought in David Boucher to engineer and co-produce with him.

One of the tracks is the first single ‘She’s The One’. What was the story/inspiration behind the song?

Like much of the material I write there is a direct vein to the stage of life I am in.  Turning 70 recently it is impossible to avoid looking at the limited time the road ahead has to offer and the choices left available.  How’s that for a vague one….  Let’s just say sometimes you meet someone and your imagination loses its brakes and you head 90 miles an hour down a one way street.

The single is accompanied by an official music video. What was the thought process behind the video and who directed it?

The video was directed by LaDonna Myroth who did a brilliant job of bringing the song to life.  She used images from the album shoot by photographer Jimmy Fontaine.  I love that it’s so simple but engaging.

Do you have any favoured stage instruments, effects, pedals etc?

My guitar of choice these days is a Duesenberg Star Player. Mike Campbell was the first person I saw using one.  I rely heavily on a Timmy overdrive and play old low wattage fender amps (Pro Jr with a 12 inch speaker in a custom cabinet) or my new Lazy J made by Jessie Hoff in the UK.

Where is your hometown and could you please describe it in five words?

I have lived in Brooklyn for 25 years. Old, gritty, neighborhoods, loaded with musicians (I know, that’s 3 words) charming.

Do you have any plans for live shows in Europe/UK in 2024?

I do not have plans for a tour yet but certainly hope to be there this Fall or Winter.

You are given the opportunity to write the score for a film adaptation of a novel that you enjoy. Which novel is it and why?

Having spent enough time around composers writing music theater works or film scores, I know how incredibly hard it is.  The only work I ever actually started on was based on the poem The Highwayman by Alfred Noyes from 1906.  I knew it as a child and re-discovered some years ago and loved enough to imagine living with for the 3 or 4 years it would take to develop.

Which of your new album tracks hear you at your a) happiest, b) angriest and c) most reflective?

Happiest: Daylight: Even though it’s about a man whose lover has left him, there is a sense of acceptance in the end that I like

Angriest: If You Love Me.  Even though it’s a love song, it’s painful at the core

Most Reflective: Pebble In My Shoe.  Unrequited desire

Who is in the band with you on the album?

The band is David Hidalgo-guitar, Bob Glaub-bass, Michael Urbano-drums, Mitchell Froom-keyboards and me on acoustic guitar and vocals.

Who are some of your musical influences? Do you have any recommendations?

It’s always songwriters.  Ray Davies, Dan Penn, Doc Pomus, Tom Petty, Bill Withers, Roger Miller…..it goes on and on.  Pick any of them.

Was it a difficult album to write?

It was not a difficult album to write but that is not to say the songs just show up.  Writing is something that takes a lot of time and work. It is a process I love but as they say, you have to show up.  It’s doesn’t happen on its own.  I also have a secret weapon with my co-writer Byron Isaacs (Lumineers, Levon Helm, Ollabelle). He lives down the street and honestly he comes up with many of what I consider the best lines.  He’ll walk in and just throw something at me that can turn the corner on a song.  It’s a gift whenever it happens.

Who designed/created/photographed the album artwork?

The album was designed by David Calderley, an English designer who has done my last 5 CDs and the photographer is the wonderful Jimmy Fontaine.

How do you look after your voice?

I don’t really do anything to look after my voice.  I think if you listen to it you can figure that’s the case.  On the road, though, I try not to talk too much.

What makes Jim Keller happy and what makes you unhappy? 

I consider myself a happy person in general, so as long as I have a balance in my life with my music I’m OK.