Larry Keel and Jon Stickley will independently release their eponymous debut EP in September. Keel and Stickley have been called two of the finest flatpicking guitarists of this generation, and with this act, the two celebrate the pure joy of playing acoustic guitar music as a duo, effortlessly complementing each other’s rhythm and lead playing while never losing their own individual personalities. At the core of the Keel Stickley duo is an intimate conversation between two guitars and two voices in dynamic harmony, done with superior skill and taste, with more than a hint of explosive late-night jam vibe.
The two have been mainstays within the bluegrass, Americana, and jamband festival circuits for years; shared stages and late night jams at festivals like Strings and Sol, Jam Cruise, DelFest, Hulaween, Suwannee Spring Reunion and Roots Revival, Hoxeyville, The Bender Jamboree, WinterWonderGrass, and Billy String Renewal, among more.
Keel says, “I’ve wanted this project to happen for so long! Jon and I have been on many of the same bills all over the place for so many years, teaming up in jams, sit-ins, and campfire pickings, and yet we’ve never gotten our fill of playing together as guitar players—which we both seem to crave. So, now we’ve put this guitar duo act in motion, playing shows and making a record, and it feels great getting to scratch that itch.”
“The music flows out so naturally when we jam together,” says Stickley. “From the moment I sat down and started trying to flatpick the guitar, Larry has been one of my biggest inspirations. We’ve become friends over the past 20 years, and I’m thrilled and honored to have this opportunity to collaborate on a deeper level. As soon as Larry and I started playing shows as a duo, we knew it was something special, and we started talking about recording. We have both worked so hard to follow our own unique paths and create our own original styles, but this project has given us a chance to get back to our roots in the style of Norman Blake and Tony Rice, Doc and Merle Watson, and the Monroe Brothers.”
Both share a lifelong love of acoustic bluegrass guitar music made famous by these aforementioned masters. Keel, Stickley, and other modern flatpickers like Billy Strings grew up studying these legends. These masters were the role models who provided the inspiration for both Larry and Jon to pursue careers as professional guitar players. Each has gone on to establish his own distinct interpretation of the bluegrass artform, as well as fusing genres from roots, jazz, prog, and beyond.
Keel says, “This project with Jon Stickley is a very progressive collection; we wanted to really challenge ourselves and see how these original tunes would come out with just the two-guitar treatment. Jon’s composing and his playing techniques make me rise to my best, most concentrated self. I mean it with all my heart when I say he is a true inspiration to me as a guitarist and as a human being. I am honored to have created this unique piece of art with him.”
While the pair love the traditional tunes, play a lot in their live shows, and will probably return to the studio at some point to have a blast recording their cherished favorites, the focus here, with the stripped-down guitar, gives them a chance to express themselves in a very intimate way that is fresh, exciting, and extremely entertaining for everyone involved.
With bold acoustic guitar music, the EP includes three lyrical tracks—two written by Keel and a cover of “Sailor Suit” written by Acoustic Syndicate’s Steve McMurry—along with two cosmic instrumentals written by Stickley. The EP was recorded and engineered by James McLaughlin at Mountainside Studio in Charlottesville, VA, mastered by Crystal Mastering, and produced by Keel and Stickley.
Today, Glide is excited to premiere the video for the standout track “Pioneers” (PRE-SAVE) along with its accompanying lyric video. The song is a delicately picked work of bluegrass-folk that finds Keel revisiting a song he wrote many moons ago and breathing fresh life into it with the contribution of Stickley. From a lyrical and song standpoint, this feels as much inspired by country music that glorifies the old West alongside songwriters like Gillian Welch and Townes Van Zandt. The song’s themes of travel are complemented by the cascading, interwoven guitars that convey a sense of excitement and momentum. For these two talented pickers, it is a perfect vehicle to showcase their intricate musical chemistry.
“‘Pioneers’ was written on the Oregon Trail, while the band and I were on a long tour across the country back in the late 1990s. The Trail is about 2000 miles long, starting in Missouri and traversing westward up to Oregon, and we took this route to get to our shows, mostly camping and occasionally staying in mom-and-pop motels through Kansas, Wyoming, Idaho, and Washington state. LOTS of time to take in the landscape and get inspired by the route taken long ago by settlers looking to find their place in the new American West. My song is an account of some features of these travelers’ experience: the rough and challenging landscape, the hope of new opportunities and planting roots, the living and the dying as they staked their claims.
Stylistically, the song really came together as I performed it live on many occasions with Tony Rice, who really dug playing it. He stamped his signature on the kick-off, and it’s what I play to this day. I picture him every time I perform this song, the stance of a man with a determined, strong, iconic wild-west vibe about him. I wish Tony could hear Jon play. They’re both pioneers, in my book.” —Larry Keel
“‘Pioneers’ is one of my hands-down favorite songs. I first heard it on a live recording of a show that Larry did with Tony Rice and Vassar Clements. I wore that recording out as an aspiring flatpicker, and it was a formative inspiration to me. Giving this song the guitar duo treatment was one of the first suggestions I made when we started discussing this project, and I’m so happy with how this Keel classic turned out.” —Jon Stickley
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