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Event
An Evening with Danny O'Keefe
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Native Washingtonian, since the 1960s Danny O'Keefe has written and performed, alone and with others. He will perform new work and familiar favorites With multi-instrumentalist side man Joel Tepp (slide guitar, harmonica, mandolin, and clarinet) in an intimate concert at Vashon's Blue Heron Art Center.
Called 'master of melody' O'Keefe writes all kinds of songs and they're always good songs. As a contract songwriter on Nashville's Music Row, O'Keefe's songs have been recorded by Judy Collins, Elvis Presley, Jackson Browne, Willie Nelson, Alison Krauss, Alan Jackson and Nickel Creek and many others. In a recent conversation, O'Keefe talked about life, music and current projects...
It's been two years since your last performance at the Blue Heron; what have you been up to?
I've been working on a new project for the past year-Dreamers. It deals with the Nez Perce, what happened to them, the wars. It includes video, music, photographsa multimedia project.
What was the inspiration for the project?
It started a long time ago. In 1968, I was flown to LA to audition; I woke up from a dream with the line: 'Looking Glass, in Oregonsoldiers slowly riding in a solemn, endless stream. And that's how it began. I didn't know what it meant and someone suggested it might be Nez Perce Native American, Chief Looking Glass. I read a book by Will Henry, and became immersed in what happened to them.
Are you still involved with the Songbird Foundation? No, we retired Songbird last year; now you can find sustainably grown everywhere you go. The coffee industry seems to be stabilized. We were part of a movement that changed an entire industry.
It's been 40 years since your initial mainstream album release. How have you evolved and what would you do differently?
I would've had better management. I would've gone out and worked the circuit to a much greater degree to establish a stronger fan base and perfect my performing skills. And I would have written with other people earlier. Collaboration is fun; it's great to trade ideas back and forth, you grow though that.
Who do you enjoying listening to these days? What's on your iPod? All kinds of different stuff, old classic boogie woogie, Neal Larsen, Ben Webster
What is one thing you hope to do in your lifetime you haven't yet accomplished?
Get this next project out! It's difficult writing about people who were so abused by European-American people. Those wounds are still very sensitive for the people. Great wealth was stolen from them. They were threatened with imprisonment and death, so they tried to get to Canada. They were mostly destroyed. What has been done to the Native American population is criminal. You can have the land as long as you can hold it.
If you could give young musicians any advice, what would it be? Listen to the old masters and to all kinds of music, read poetry and listen to you inner voice, understand the metaphoric process and what relates to others.
How long have you lived on Vashon? And why did you move here? 30 years. I was born in Spokane, grew up in Wenatchee. I lived in Seattle and part time in L.A. I had friends who lived on Vashon-I moved here largely because it was one of the pieces of the old Northwest still left. In many ways it still is.
When not writing music, what do you most enjoy doing? Outdoor stuff, but this project has been all consuming. I've been spending time in Montana, Idaho, etc. trying to feel this project in the right way. It's a quintessential American story that needs to be told. Putting the story with music, video and photographs gets the message out in a different way to many more people.
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LocationBlue Heron Art Center
19704 Vashon Hwy SW
Vashon Island, WA 98070
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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