COMPARISON: Nick Cave & Kylie Minogue, The Byrds, The Clash, Lou Reed, Richard and Mimi Farina
LOCATION: San Francisco, CA
Another very
talented and rising star, who originates from New Zealand but now resides in San
Francisco, is Keith Dion. His is the
most amazing story, again one of bullying and an abusive background, leading up
to the present when he is emerging as a musical force to be reckoned with.
While
he is also a songwriter, Keith has not actually written the lyrics for any of
his own music to date. He is making the
statement of his lifetime, though, with his band, The Great American Robber Barons, through the darkly cathartic
debut: ‘Reno Nevada’, ‘Other Songs of Gambling, Vice and Betrayal’. This has been done in collaboration with
former ‘Jefferson Starship’ lead
vocalist, Diana Mangano.
Both
his parents passed away in Reno, Nevada, after which Keith found a whole new
dimension to his musicality. His
feelings go some distance to explain why the songs on the album are about
gambling, vice and betrayal – and they are heartfelt. The deaths of his parents made their son face
a lot of things and as the layers continue to be peeled back so more dark
aspects are being exposed.
This
CD/DVD bundle contains a dark side of Reno, along with the same of the 1960s
and the Vietnam war. Keith’s lyrics are
political, poignant and literate. His
laidback cool low register vocals combined with the impassioned vocals of Diana
Mangano – masterful songcraft is nothing but sensational.
In
the past Keith has worked as an ace guitarist in the New Zealand cult band, ‘The Ponsonby DC’s’ as well as such
groups as ‘The Ophelias’, ‘3.05 AM’
and ‘Corsica’. To add several more strings to his bow he
has also recorded or performed with famous names such as members of ‘The Kinks’, ‘Thin Lizzy’ and ‘Santana’ to name but a few. He was also the producer and bandleader for
the late Noel Redding of ‘The JimiHendrix Experience’.
His
upbringing and the sadness therein is brought forth through his talents. This includes gun control, the sadness of
war, animal and women’s rights and the fact that his father was a Vietnam
veteran.
Keith
got his start in music playing in all original groups. He was not remotely interested in cover
bands. Two early bands which had a
lasting impression on Keith were Arthur Lee and Love from LA and The Jimi
Hendrix Experience from London – both bands being very innovative and stylish
and played a variety of music. Many
years later Keith ended up working with members of both groups and actually
produced several albums of Noel Redding, bass player in ‘The Jimi Hendrix Experience’.
One thing led to another and he finished up producing two albums for
Arthur Lee and then touring with him afterwards.
As
Keith said, it all started when he was growing up in New Zealand in his early
20s. He has since been fortunate enough
to land record deals of his own in both New Zealand and later in San Francisco.
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He
is inspired by people, by situations and by experiences. By listening to and having
conversations. Having spent his
formative years in NZ after Southern CA, he had a somewhat different exposure
to music. Different songs, different
people in each setting. He also feels
that having been around famous, talented and successful people has all helped
him to understand and appreciate the importance of self – and not trying to
copy others.
Like
most in this industry, Keith has certainly encountered his share of obstacles
on this road. For a start, he was
forbidden, as a child, to have a guitar or anything to do with his music – by
his parents. So he had to do it all in
secret. But growing up only presented
further problems – as his music and voice grew, so did the criminals he had to
deal with – professionally.
Keith
is also in the process of writing a book about his experiences in both NZ and
San Francisco in the late 1980s. ‘Snapshots
of Heaven and Hell – Surviving the Music Business and Living to Tell the Tale!’
– is an amazing recount of part of his life to date. It includes landing multiple record deals and
having multiple hit records with several groups – then losing all that hard
earned money. The book describes the
North American record industry in very interesting detail.
 |
| Diana Mangano |
Keith
credits the group’s wide range of ‘hits’ – music, songwriting, record
production, filmmaking, poetry and writing – as being the factor that sets them
apart from other artists. Naturally he
also credits Diana Mangano from ‘The
Jefferson Starship’, who is female vocalist with Keith, as being a pretty
big attraction for the group too.
Looking at the immediate future, Keith can see them having more exposure at Film Festivals. The visual effects produced by the use of his father’s vintage 8mm home movies from the 1960s also sets them apart from other artists.
There is an incredibly complex amount to the amazing Keith Dion. This is a group to watch for and will be explored further as we venture down this road. Keith was good enough to send me a copy of their CD so I have been fortunate enough to hear some of their music – and I like it and recommend it. The lyrics are deep, meaningful, probing and interesting. I am really looking forward to hearing more.
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| New release: cover of 'Reno Nevada and Other Songs of Gambling, Vice and Betrayal |
Story Source: Lannah Sawers-Diggins and Keith Dion
Links: Cyber PR
The Great American Robber Barons
The Ophelias
The Kinks
Thin Lizzy
Videos: At The Hands of the Robber Baron
Conquistador
Diana Mangano's story, in her own words, to be posted here soon.
Stay tuned.
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