Keegan James – An Xperience Interview

Photo by Stephanie J Bartik

Summer Personified

Keegan James talks with Sara Busone about “Sea Level,” supporting local artists, and Jive Hive

By Sara Busone.

RRX: I am very taken by your inherent creativity. I find it interesting that for your merchandise, you offer vests instead of, like, the traditional T-shirt, pin, etc. What was your inspiration for that?

KJ: Thank you!  So, the vests are actually the clothing that I have on my website. When it comes to selling merchandise and trying to make money as an artist, you really gotta do everything you can to pull in every dime. So, I’ve had a lot of comments from people on my style and … expressing their envy and admiration for the clothing that I pick out. So, when I am putting together my outfits for different shows, I often will grab a couple extra pieces that stand out to me. And they’re usually, like, vintage pieces that are very unique. I decided that, in efforts of creating a business around being an artist, it could be a good idea to put some different things on the site that are not as traditional. I feel like it’s a lot harder to market when you’re just trying to be like, “Yup, here’s a shirt with my name on it and a pin with my name on it,” versus like, “You can go to my website, and I have this curated collection; you can buy clothes directly from my closet.” I don’t know, it feels a little more personal to me.

RRX: I agree. I think it’s such a good idea. Another person that I think, like you, just seems inherently creative is Shannon Tehya, and I’m just curious how you guys met.

KJ: So we met just by fate of crossing paths. She and I were booked to do the Troy Farmers Market on the same day a few years ago. And we ended up chatting with each other because I was trying to find the event organizer, and I had my boyfriend with me and I told him who I was looking for, and he got his wires crossed in his head and he goes up to the tent where Shannon was performing and goes, “We’re trying to find Shannon,” and she looked up and was like, “That – that’s me,” and I walked over and I was like, “No, I’m sorry, Shannon, we’re not looking for you, we’re looking for somebody else.” And ever since then, we got coffee a few days after that, and yeah, we’ve been besties ever since then!

RRX: I was looking at your website again, and it gives you ideas for how to spread the word three different ways, and you mentioned word of mouth. I was so taken by the line, “it costs nothing to be kind.” And I love that you gave people these suggestions. Do you feel that a lot of interest in you has come from those channels, from people spreading word of mouth? 

KJ: Absolutely. Especially in an area like the Capital Region where people have a sense of, I’m gonna use the word nationalism, but I’m sure there’s a better word I could come up with.  But basically, what I’m trying to say is, people are very protective over their hometowns and the places where they grew up. And so when it comes to trying to establish yourself, especially in art, in an area like this… I’m from the area, but I didn’t really expand musically in the area until recently. So, the most organic and solid way, the most effective way in my opinion, to stand your ground is to have other people who will root for you. So that word of mouth, having people who you’ve worked with before, people who saw you in shows, mention your name and build that familiarity, helps you get that rapport.

RRX: Right.

KJ: And I think it is the most valuable asset when it comes to building yourself up.

RRX: Talk to me a little bit, if you can, about “Sea Level.”

KJ: “Sea Level” … I am really so happy with that song.  I wrote it in a night. It really just, without even a hesitation, just one line after the next came out of me without even needing to second-guess or touch anything up.  The lyrics that you hear in this song are the lyrics that I wrote in that moment. Often when I write music, I’m trying to create a sense of either release or escapism, and with this song in particular, I was trying to build a world in my mind where everything had already worked out, where I didn’t need to worry because I knew that everything was going exactly my way. A song that, when I played it, brought a sense of peace over me and a confidence that can easily be replicated.

RRX: That’s really cool! I wanted to ask you a little bit about Jive Hive …

KJ: When it comes to the Jive Hive, I believe I got into it because of Keith Morales, the head of No One You Know Presents. He was doing a series called The Tortured Poet. And I believe Shannon Tehya was performing, and I was invited to come see the show then. The way Jive Hive works is like once you’ve been there, it’s like that’s your automatic ticket in.  So, if you know of events, you’re always welcome back once you’ve already been there. And then at that point, I made friends with Mikey, who is a guitarist and vocalist for the Sugar Hold. He reached out to me, and he has been such an awesome supporter, and he’s gotten me so many opportunities, and I’m so very grateful for everything that he’s done out of the kindness of his heart to help support local artists, just as he is one too. 

RRX: Sure.

KJ: Then I got to perform there for the first time … that’s pretty much how I ended up getting into there.

RRX: If someone had never heard of you before, how would you describe yourself?   And do you find people create an identity for you without getting to know you?

KJ: Oh, this is actually a question that no one’s ever asked me before. I’d say people often describe me as “Summertime Personified.”

I really like when I hear that … it makes me feel as though I have a calming presence for people.  I definitely don’t think that I am what meets the eye for a lot of people.  You know, like being a gay man in the arts in a small town, I’m often met with stereotypes. It’s like people create an identity for me without even knowing who I am. So, I’d say when it comes to seeing who I am … what was the wording of the question that you asked?

RRX: If someone had never heard of you before, how would you describe yourself?

KJ: This is what just came to me – I would describe myself as sand on the beach being warmed by the sun.  Very grounded. But also energized and seeing the bigger picture.   When you’re on a beach, there’s not a lot of things obstructing your view.