Larry Keel and Natural Bridge
Larry Keel and Natural Bridge is bringing a fresh and spontaneous new look, sound, and energy into the season! Keel is described by some reviewers as the most powerful, innovative and all-out exhilarating Acoustic Americana flatpicker performing today. Period. Keel has weathered the changing tides of traditional bluegrass, country, jam rock, roots reggae, and even the currently emerging indie-alt scene always honoring the pioneers that introduced Bluegrass and Mountain Music into popular culture. He is an ever evolving musical force that stands in ongoing defiance to all genre expectations. Don’t bother trying to pigeonhole the music of Larry Keel. He’s untamed and untamable! The mission is always clear: to let technical skill, honest emotion and fearlessness connect the playing and singing to audiences, to entertain and to thoroughly ENJOY the experience!
Keel has absorbed the best lessons from his Bluegrass family upbringing, both sides deeply steeped in the rich mountain music culture and heritage of Southwest Virginia. From there, he has always integrated that solid musical grounding and natural-born talent with his own incomparable approach to flatpicking the guitar and original music. The combination is pretty irresistible, and has earned Keel the highest respect and billing among the top acoustic musicians alive, and some now gone: Tony Rice, Vassar Clements, Sam Bush, Del McCoury, John Hartford, Bill Monroe, Mike Marshall, and Darol Anger to name a few. And his fierce, high-spirited energy also appeals to young rockers, jammers and alt country pickers and fans who are equally drawn to Keel’s deep rumbling voice, his earthy and imaginative song-writing, and his down-home-gritty-good-time charm. Keel regularly collaborates with JamBand and Rock giants Yonder Mountain String Band, Keller Williams, Jorma Kaukonen, David Nelson, Jim Lauderdale, members of String Cheese Incident and Leftover Salmon, amongst others.
Joining the award-winning Flatpickin legend to make up Natural Bridge are the vastly talented Mark Schimick on mandolin and vocals, Larry’s life-long picker pal (and fishing phenom) Will Lee on soulful, blues-grass style 5-string banjo and penetrating lead vocals, and wife Jenny Keel with her impeccable timing and solid, yet imaginative bass lines as well as tenor vocal harmonies. Keel has a variety of formats swirling around the calendar for the whole year; look out for Larry Keel solo, Keels duo, Keller and the Keels, the Keel Brothers, Keel with Danny Barnes and Drew Emmitt, Keel and Adam Aijala (YMSB), an occasional Keel trio, and many other special guests added to the mix.
Throughout his career, Keel has released 13 albums and is featured on 10 others. The most recent release, May 2010, is a second Keller and the Keel‘s album. This all-covers collection amusingly titled Thief includes songs originally written and recorded by as wildly diverse an assemblage as anyone’s ever likely to dream up, from Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” to Patterson Hood’s “Uncle Disney“. Keller and the Keels are on tour with each other at select shows throughout the summer and fall.
Keel recently launched a new website, Fishin and Pickin, which combines 2 unique but thoroughly complementary pleasures: the satisfying thrill of sports fishing, and the energizing intensity of live music. The musician fisherman or even the fishin music-lover will find up-to-date, useful and amazingly entertaining music tips, tablature, show calendars and links to like-minded acts and artists, plus new music downloads. Larry’s also been involved in the development of Fishin N Pickn Workshops and Camps, hosted on live water properties, that teach pickin musicians how to advance their ‘chops’ on their instruments, and having the chance to catch some big fish in the process. Bass and Grass has been taking place in Georgia for three years in the fall and keep on the lookout for the debut of Trout and Tunes in West Virginia towards the end of April 2011.
Larry Keel’s talents as a guitar genius, as an innovative and expressive singer-songwriter and as a visionary bandleader place him as a living legend in Acoustic Americana Music.
Larry Keel Timeline History
1968 born in Manassas, VA
1975 begins to seriously play guitar (taught by older brother, Gary, and father James)
1976-1985 played in numerous semi-professional situations including bluegrass and fiddlers conventions, barbeques, community events, social organizations, etc..
1986 was hired as a contracted musician for Disney Corporation, Tokyo Disneyland for 1 year
1989 meets bluegrass musicians John Flower and Mark Vann in Fauquier County, VA and begins to explore progressive string music in their band, “Farmer’s Trust”
1990 Mark Vann moves to Telluride, CO to join ultra progressive electric Bluegrass band, Leftover Salmon
1990 Larry and long-time musical friend Will Lee (son of guitar legend Ricky Lee from Ralph Stanley’s band in the 1970’s) start progressive string band “Magraw Gap”
1990-1993 Magraw Gap travels throughout the Shenandoah Valley competing in Bluegrass Band competitions and wins first place at several festivals
1993 Larry travels to Telluride Bluegrass Festival and enters in and wins first place in the guitar competition
1994 Magraw Gap begins to tour regularly and plans first studio CD recording
1995 Magraw Gap wins band competition at Telluride Bluegrass Festival- Larry also enters guitar competition and wins first place again
1996 Keller Williams records CD “Buzz” with Magraw Gap as supporting musicians
1996 Magraw Gap releases their self-produced, self-titled CD
1996 (Sept.) Larry splits from Magraw Gap and starts “The Larry Keel Experience”
1997 L.K.E. releases “Miles & Miles” CD with some 20 special guests
1998 L.K.E. releases “The Sound”- all original material composed by Larry Keel
1998 Larry meets Curtis Burch, recent Grammy Award-winner for “The Great Dobro Sessions” produced by Jerry Douglas and Tut Taylor
2000 L.K.E. releases “The Larry Keel Experience” with Will Lee and Jason Krekel
2001 Flatpicking Guitar Magazine releases their “Best of 2001” CD including Larry Keel’s original instrumental, “Jerry’s Farewell”
2002 L.K.E. releases “Larry Keel, Curtis Burch & the Experience” with Billy Constable
2002 L.K.E. plays numerous shows with legends Vassar Clements and Tony Rice, in particular at Suwannee Spring Fest and Merle Fest- to standing ovations every show
2002 (April) Flatpicking Guitar Magazine releases their “Doc Fest” CD, a tribute to guitar legend Doc Watson- Larry records “Matty Groves” in a duet with cellist Rashad Egleston
2002 (July) Release of the Big Daddy Bluegrass Band’s self-titled, studio-recorded CD (the band/project led by Acoustic Syndicate’s Steve McMurry and including Curtis Burch, Billy
Constable, Larry Keel and Jenny Keel)
2003 (Jan-March) Keel hones his skills as a solo performer and featured guest guitar player, sharing bills in major venues to sold-out crowds with bands Yonder Mountain String Band, Leftover Salmon and Acoustic Syndicate
2003 (spring-fall) Played major Bluegrass and Americana festivals coast-to-coast, involving 2 separate month-long tours to the central and Pacific Northwest regions
2003 (fall) Flatpicking Guitar Magazine releases “Hot and Spicy” CD, a guitar compilation project including a duet performance by Wyatt Rice and Larry Keel
2004 (January) Keel releases “Journey” CD, recorded at his home in Natural Bridge, VA… includes 8 original compositions and 6 tracks reflecting his connection to Southern Roots Music. Guest artists include David VanDeventer, Danny Knicely, Will Lee, Gary Ruley, John Flower, Robert Mabe, Slinky Cobblestone, Morgan Morrison
2004 (spring) Keel appears on the cover of “Flatpicking Guitar Magazine” for their May/June issue, with a 5-page feature article and included therein.
2004 (spring) History is made at that year’s Merle Watson Memorial Festival when Film Director Ryan Gielan is invited to show his full-length film “Larry Keel: Beautiful Thing” as a featured performance at the festival; until that showing, Merle Fest had never before used film as a performance medium at the event.
2004 (spring) The “BlueBrass” CD project is released, featuring Larry and Jenny Keel and members of The Rebirth Brass Band, Dirty Dozen Brass Band, members of Acoustic Syndicate, Wild Magnolia’s Big Chief Boudreaux, Jason Krekel, Woody Woods and others.
2004 (summer) Keel realizes a life-long dream with the release of the “Keel Brothers” CD project, featuring the duet guitar team of Larry and his older brother Gary (who taught his 7-year old sibling to play guitar, and who bought him his first guitar).
2005 (January) Keel embarks on his new journey and new band, “Larry Keel and Natural Bridge”.
2005 (Early Spring) Keel launches red-hot Bluegrass band “Natural Bridge” and releases their ultra energized traditional CD recording
2005 (Late Spring) Keel and brother Gary release the 2nd volume of their “Keel Brothers” guitar album series in late Spring.
2005 (fall) Keel’s hit single Mountain Song is featured on Del McCoury Band’s album, “The Company We Keep.”
2006 (Jan) Keller and The Keels release “Grass” featuring Keller Williams, Larry Keel, and Jenny Keel.
2006 (Feb) Del McCoury Band wins a Grammy for Best Bluegrass Album of 2005 for “The Company We Keep” which features Keel’s Mountain Song.
2007 Keel and Natural Bridge tour continuously across America, and abroad, playing major festivals and venues
2008 Keel and Natural Bridge tour, collaborate with world-class musicians across the country: Tony Rice, Keller Williams, Fred Tackett, Paul Barerre, Hot Tuna, Yonder Mt. String
Band, Steep Canyon Rangers, Davisson Brothers Band, Infamous Stringdusters, etc.. gaining larger audiences everywhere. The band finalizes work on their latest CD recording with Jeff
Covert at legendary Wally Cleaver Studio in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
2009 Larry Keel and Natural Bridge release long-awaited CD “BACKWOODS”, co-produced by Keller Williams and mastered by Bill Wolf. Rave reviews follow, in major music publications. Almost entirely original, the album is considered one of the most powerful, fresh and innovative projects ever to be released in acoustic music.
2009 (winter) Keel’s music involved in documentary film and to promote environmental protection in the Southern Appalachian Mountains.
2009 (spring & fall) Keel hosts guitar instruction and bass fishing techniques seminar/camp in south Georgia. So successful, it’s sure to become the first of many “Bass and Grass” events that Keel will promote.
2009 (summer-fall) Keel debut’s in his first acting role, in an independent film, ‘John Lee: The Man They Could Not Hang’ , playing a jail warden in late 19th century England.
2009 (fall) Keel and Natural Bridge feature the great Tony Rice in a series of short tours across the country. These fully acoustic shows received rave reviews for the incredible chemistry that Larry and Tony Rice share.
2009 (fall) Keel continues to develop his flatpicking guitar instruction programs, hosting a 2nd Bass and Grass event in Georgia, and conducting three days of teaching at the famed ‘Fur Peace Ranch’- Jorma Kaukonen’s Guitar Camp in Ohio
2009 (winter) Keel and Yonder Mountain’s Adam Aijala team up for a run of acoustic shows on the West Coast including Seattle, Arcata, San Fransisco, Portland, & Ashland, Oregon. These 2 young icon guitar players dazzle audiences with monster pickin and soulful singing.
2009 (winter) The Keels return to famed Wally Cleaver Studio in Fredericksburg VA to record the next Keller and the Keels album “Thief”. Release set for Spring 2010.
2010 Keel launches new website Fishin’ and Pickin’ as well as a facelift of LarryKeel.com. There will be a steady stream of new music single releases and daily fishing reports, so stay tuned.
2010 Keel plays a full summer schedule, hitting the biggest and best festivals and events across America, performing as Larry Keel and Natural Bridge, Keller and the Keels, Keel and Adam Aijala, Jeff Austin and The Keels, Magraw Gap, and other interesting and irresistible collaborations.
