Rising Artist Jack McKeon: “I’m as independent as they come.”

“It’s been an interesting year,” says singer-songwriter Jack McKeon, who, just a few years back, hitched his Honda Civic to a five-by-eight U-Haul trailer and headed to Nashville in pursuit of getting his songs heard.

Armed with a talent for storytelling, he left behind his small hometown of Chatham, New York. Three years later, McKeon self-financed his debut album, Talking To Strangers, earning praise for its song lyrics, musical arrangements, and blend of bluegrass, country, and folk-rock.

To keep things afloat, he works as a carpenter while balancing his schedule with writing, touring, and, more recently, playing with other artists.

“I kind of stumbled into playing in other people’s bands,” says McKeon, who just finished a string of shows on the West Coast. “I was out there [California] for a week playing guitar and singing harmony for Fancy Hagood. It’s crazy because in the middle of the tour, I flew to South Carolina to do one of my shows.

“It’s tough playing in a bluegrass band,” shares the Nashville resident. “This is not a dis on Americana or country, but the bar is so high for instrumentalists in bluegrass. I kind of left that door closed,” says McKeon, who also plays mandolin.

McKeon is grateful for the invitations.

“I was like, ‘I’m gonna say yes and if I blow it, then that’s that.’ I can learn how they run their band, how they book their shows and how they book their tours,” shares McKeon. “All these opportunities are coming from artists who I really respect and appreciate.”

Being independent has its ups and downs.

“I’m as independent as they come these days. I think it’s difficult to grow as an artist when you are juggling so many things. It’s a rite of passage for so many artists, though. Honestly, I’m not very good at it,” explains McKeon about being his own booking agent. “It’s one of the hardest things for an independent artist.”

McKeon says he benefits from house shows.

“Those shows are so important, especially when you are at a [lower] level. I was down in Kerrville, Texas, playing the Kerrville Folk Festival when I met a guy who hosted me at a house show in Austin.”

Going on, “There was a lady at the show who really loved it, and she ended up inviting me and another Austin songwriter to perform at her house show. It was only fifty people, but it was a great way to connect to a new audience.’”

The songwriter says he is always welcomed in Texas when traveling around the country.

“I’ve always done decent in Texas. They love songwriters, and I have always had a receptive audience there.  I have done a lot of songwriter contests in Texas, like the Kerrville Folk Festival. Texas is just one of those states that cares about live music in general—especially anything country or country-leaning.”

McKeon’s storytelling lyrics and rural North American accent combine to create his unique style; something he admits that he never worried about.

“I think it’s more intuitive to let the songs that you are writing lead you to your style. The first record, Talking to Strangers, has straight-ahead bluegrass moments, stripped-down singer-songwriter moments, and songs that probably could have had pedal steel and drums on them.

“I want my style to be defined as something that remains fluid,” shares the independent artist. “This batch of songs that I hope to have finished in the next month is a departure from my first album. It has a wider range of influences.”

McKeon cites John Hartford as a major influence on his music.

“My best friend’s parents were hosting a picking party, and there was a band there that played the John Hartford song, ‘Up on the Hill Where They Do the Boogie,’ and it blew my mind! The music was rooted in a history I knew nothing about.  I would listen to John Hartford’s Aereo-Plain album and hear Norman Blake, then find out that Blake made a record with Tony Rice. It was amazing!”

The native New Yorker doesn’t regret moving to Nashville.

“If you expose yourself to other writers, you are going to get better by osmosis. I am so grateful and lucky to fall into the group of songwriters I met here in Nashville.  I took the same crappy Honda Civic I’m driving now and moved my whole life down here. It’s just an amazing place!”