Rocking at the Piano
with Keyth Lawrence

by Ernest Barteldes

eyth Lawrence is a rock musician who, like predecessors such as Elton John and Freddie Mercury, is a singer/songwriter who chose the piano as his stage instrument, and his choice reflects clearly in his sound.

On his latest album alongside his Purple Circle band, the piano is prominent instead of being in the background, as happens with many pop bands.

Keyth's sound mixes his classical training with theatrical influence and straight-out rock and roll which can be compared to the sounds of another New York City Band, M-LAB. Other influences you can hear are early Queen, The Cure and Tori Amos(among others), and a strong presence of Cabaret-style songs.

His lyrics seem to come from a very personal place which he masks through metaphors such as "You've got Vegas eyes it's no surprise/While your garlic kills. my garlic cures/I bet you never gambled for this/You dissed my trip,I fell for yours" (Another Evening)

I conducted an interview with his through e-mail on the week of January 17th, which is reproduced below:

Ernest Barteldes: Musical theatre seems to influence your sound a lot, do you have any background in that?

Keyth Lawrence: My father used to take me out of school and we'd go to the matinee quite often. I was blessed to see Annie on Broadway when I was eight. I had already been studying classical piano for a year at that time. I can vividly remember my mouth hitting the floor, and not closing for the duration of the performance. It was the first time in my life that I understood the transcendesence of music - the inherent capabilities of storytelling through rhythm and tone. My love and understanding of music morphed into something so much larger that evening. I knew that not only would I spend my life creating music, but the stage had to be the power station from which it was delivered. I studied a bit of musical theatre after that between the ages of 9 and 12, which gave me an incredible understanding of HOW to communicate through music and movement. It provided me with a pretty solid emotional and mental stage to deliver the songs I would begin to write a year later.

Ernest Barteldes: Speaking of background, what is your musical background?

Keyth Lawrence: I ingested a great minestrone of musical genres in my home. In one room I was playing Chopin while my father had ABBA going in the living room. Perhaps my mom would spin a Kenny Rogers record. As I look back now, there seemed to have been an unspoken rule that only "quality songwriting" was allowed. I'm infinitely grateful. God knows what would have happened...I could've ended up writing tunes like Stacy Q's "Two of Hearts"... a good song in it's own right, but one I'm glad did not come to visit me.

I studied classical piano, beginning at age 7. My private teacher relocated when I was 12 and I thought my life had ended. I didn't touch the piano for about a year, which became very significant. I returned to the instrument at 13 as a composer. I was not exactly cognizant of it, but I had been writing profusely in my head during that year. This was a whole new animal for me. I again began to study theory through high school and college, knowing the importance of getting all the theoretical rules down, so that I could toss them out the window. The first batch of songs - the ones that were capable of independent life (some of which I still play) really came to fruition when I was 19.

Ernest Barteldes: There is a band in Williamsburg called M-Lab that seems to have drunk from the same fountain of inspiration that you did. Are you familiar with them?

Keyth Lawrence: Funny, I believe they just played Crash Mansion here in NYC last night. I wouldn't at all be surprised if the same Muse visits us. M-Lab's ability to twist the formula of a conventional rock band, and succeed, is something that is not necessarily easy to do. I think it takes a lot of balls and innovative musical backgrounds that can co-exist to do this successfully. I was never comfortable with the piano in the shadows - you know, how people cover it with picture frames and relish trays?

Ernest Barteldes: Which performers have inspired you?

Keyth Lawrence: Truthfully, everyone and EVERYTHING inspires me. There's so much to watch, and I've learned the secret to composing is awareness. You've got to really stay tuned in to what's going on around you at all times - not always easy, but musical or rhythmic ideas can come from the strangest of places. Bruce Springsteen's "Born in the USA" was the first rock show I attended. He is one of the few performers I've seen that can go as long as he does on stage. I'm convinced he must plug himself into some sort of power supply on stage. I've always dug Elton's theatrical antics and hearty piano playing. The late classical pianist, Glenn Gould is someone I really enjoy watching in old footage. His relationship with the piano is very specific and otherworldly - absolutely unparalleled. Charlie Chaplin, Meryl Streep, Johnny Depp...the ones with the courage to take that extra step - the step that brings them into the ethers.

Ernest Barteldes: Your words, do they come from personal experiences?

Keyth Lawrence: One of the biggest lessons I've learned, from a lyrical standpoint, is that not every story can work from an autobiographical vantage point. So, although, a large part of my work is in fact drawn from personal experience, sometimes the trick to telling the story is to flip the script. Often times, I can't tell the story correctly unless I actually become another character...you know, sort of channelling the essence of them. The Native American belief in Shapeshifting is ia vital tool for all writers.

I write words everywhere - in books, on my hands, on scraps of paper. I have to treat them the same way in which I would puzzle pieces. Sometimes they sit there for years before I can configure the right formation. The songs, in turn become the puzzle. I've been known to not even know what I'm singing about at times. I compose in a way that is challenging and fun for me, as well as for the listener. I'd be bored to tears if I knew what I was talking about all the time.