Texas singer/songwriter Robert Earl Keen writes what he knows, and sings what he sees. More than three decades into his career, with an audience calling-card anthem of “And the party never ends!”, Keen’s songs have spotlighted coarse characters living the high-life; arrogant fools falling into the down-and-out, and the humbling struggles of mid-life. His tunes reside in the category of Alt. Country, a literate songcraft style that lies between folk and country, a genre filled with razor sharp wit and freewheeling Americana spirit – all shared with flawless musicianship.
A Houston native who’s long lived in Kerrville, Keen is a songwriter’s songwriter with 18-full-length albums to his name. Early in his career, not long after his first album Some Kinda Dancer (1984) came out, the buzz of his credentials was as loud as cicadas, and Keen became a veritable household name in Texas. He was inducted into the Texas Heritage Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2012.
Considered to be one of the most influential songwriters in Texas, Keen returns to the Spencer with his band. Patrons will get a dose of Keen’s best-loved staples, many of which appear on his 2016 Live Dinner Reunion, such as “Corpus Christi Bay,” “Gringo Honeymoon,” “This Front Porch” and “The Road Goes on Forever,” and sizzling samplings from his 2015 release, Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Sessions, which charted as Top 5 album at Americana Radio and was Billboard’s No. 2 Bluegrass album of the year.
You can also expect him to share his masterful stories and engage in a musical conversation among his outstanding band that he has toured with for over 20 years: Rich Brotherton on guitar, Bill Whitbeck on bass guitar, Tom Van Schaik on drums, Marty Muse, on steel guitar, and the expert Charles Ray on sound.
Join us for a night of cinematic tunes about small-town Texas living, Keen style!
Saturday, March 24 at 7pm, $39 - $69
Deep Fried Catfish Buffet at 5pm, $20