 | Some of this article'slisted sourcesmay not bereliable. Please help improve this article by looking for better, more reliable sources. Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed.(February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Erin McKeown | |
|---|---|
 McKeown in Helsinki, 2017 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1977-10-15)October 15, 1977 (age 47) Fredericksburg, Virginia, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation | Singer-songwriter |
| Labels | |
| Website | www |
Erin McKeown (pronounced/məˈkjoʊn/mə-KYOHN[1]) is an Americanmulti-instrumentalist andfolk-rock singer-songwriter. McKeown's music encompassespop,swing,rock, folk, andelectronic music, as well as several other genres.
They grew up inFredericksburg, Virginia,[2] and now live inMassachusetts. McKeown began their career in thefolk scene. They released their first album,Monday Morning Cold in 1999 on their own label (TVP Records), travelling throughout New England while a student atBrown University in order to promote the record. Although they had begun studyingornithology, they graduated from Brown with a degree inethnomusicology. Early in their career, they collaborated withBeth Amsel,Jess Klein, andRose Polenzani; the four of them performed asVoices on the Verge.
McKeown's 2005 album,We Will Become Like Birds (produced byTucker Martine), served as a departure from their earlier work, with a more rock-oriented sound. At a September 1, 2008, concert at The Gravity Lounge inCharlottesville, Virginia, McKeown told the audience that they wrote this album "in an attempt to write myself out of the worst heartache I'd experienced up to that point." Their next studio release,Sing You Sinners, was released in Europe on the 23 October 2006 and in the United States on January 9, 2007 byNettwerk. It consists mostly of covers ofjazz standards from the 1920s through 1950s.
McKeown's record,Hundreds of Lions, was released underRighteous Babe Records on October 13, 2009. McKeown is currently member of an unsigned band known as "emma", which they created with their friendAllison Miller.[3] McKeown has plans to write a book of poetry.[4] McKeown released "Manifestra" on January 15, 2013. Physical copies also came with a bonus album, "Civics", where they performed the entirety of "Manifestra" solo acoustic in an historic library.
McKeown performs regularly, spending much of their time touring throughout the world with artists such asAni DiFranco,Josh Ritter, theIndigo Girls,Martin Sexton,Andrew Bird,Thea Gilmore,Melissa Ferrick, Allison Miller,Welcome to Night Vale, and others. McKeown also took part inQueerstock, a music festival dedicated to promotingLGBT musicians.[5] McKeown is noted for their energetic stage presence and their habit of wearing tailored suits, often with ties andFluevog shoes, to performances.
They occasionally performbig band music with theBeantown Swing Orchestra.[6]
McKeown was selected to be a 2011–2012 fellow atHarvard University'sBerkman Center for Internet & Society. There, they will "work to connect the worlds of policy, art, and technology while considering questions about how to make a creative life a viable vocation."[7]
In October 2016, a new musical McKeown wrote with the playwrightQuiara Alegría Hudes titledMiss You Like Hell opened at theLa Jolla Playhouse directed by Lear deBessonet and starringDaphne Rubin-Vega.[8] The show opened Off-Broadway, April 20, 2018 at thePublic Theater. A cast recording of the project was released October 5, 2018 onGhostlight Records.[9]
 | This article'suse ofexternal links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Pleaseimprove this article by removingexcessive orinappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate intofootnote references.(February 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
