Premiere: Jack Keyes "I Am The Ground"
Artwork by Manon Crespin.
We first heard about musician Jack Keyes from our dear friend Paul Kintzing, better known to Furhoof fans as German Error Message. Keyes is a singer-songwriter from Louisville, Kentucky who has recorded his new album ‘Dissolving in Dusk’ with Kintzing in Nashville, Tennessee. “I Am The Ground” is the fourth single from said album, set to be released later this year.
Keyes actually wrote “I Am The Ground” when he was 18 years old in 2016 and recorded it himself on GarageBand. “The song dealt with themes of grief and mourning, as it was the first time in my life I was starting to know some people who had passed away.” Keyes explains, “the song also tackles ideas of wanting to feel ‘grounded’ so to speak in the wake of negative feelings that kept me from feeling present. I started humming the melody again a couple of summers ago, and my sister recommended I re-record it. So, when I was with Paul one day I decided to make a new version with him, changing some lyrics and slowing it down a bit.”
We can’t speak for the original version Keyes recorded, but this new version is both soothing and somber. A gentle plucking of a guitar guides Keyes’ vocals through the song like an early morning stroll through some dew-glazed trees. It’s a dark folk type of song that brings to mind the likes of Nick Drake or even Elliott Smith.