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[megankeely]

► Share Pencils and Paper:

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[megankeely]

The final song on the album came as a commitment to myself amidst pressure to be more professional and "successful."  I was feeling convinced that in order to continue a lifetime of songwriting, I need to stay in touch with my beginner's mind.  Over the holidays in December 2021, I’d watched the Get Back documentary at least twice.  The scene where Billy Preston joins the Beatles in the studio brought me to tears.  It was as if I could breathe Billy Preston’s joy, excitement, and genuine love for making music through the television screen.  After struggling to make magic on command, to function as a business together while also trying to play with heart, the Beatles were transported back to the mindset that made them so magnetic in the first place.  The latin etymological root of Amateur means to love, and I strive to continue growing a professional lifelong music journey without compromising my ability to love it.  I wrote this song in January 2022 to remind myself of that commitment.  It also happens to be a silly inside joke with myself that in creating this album and tinkering with the vast and intimate sonics of tiny noises, I became an amateur "ASMRtist..." I am particularly soothed by the sound of pencils scrawling on paper, and I’m not sure why but it calms my anxiety and clears my mind.  I had so much fun recording tiny noises, crumpling up paper, closing old books, flipping pages in a journal, and used them as the primary percussion sounds for this song.  My hope is that people listen to this album to wind down and take a nap, and that by the last couple songs the quiet noises of Pencils & Paper help them doze off into a rejuvenating, restful sleep.

► Share Amateur:

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Amateur I wanna be an amateur forever Wanna do it all for fun But simple living is expensive And without money I might come undone I wanna make my songs for the love of it And never burn out And still be treated as a professional And stand behind my work without any doubt Oh nobody else can tell you How to make the most of it Ooh nobody else can tell you How your puzzle pieces will begin to fit Amateur (Do it for love) Amateur (Gettin just enough) Amateur (Make the gig pay) Amateur (Don’t forget how to play) I wanna be the old lady at the coffee shop Playin songs about her past With a glimmer in the corner of her eye Cus she figured out how to make the magic last Amateur (Do it for love) Amateur (Gettin just enough) Amateur (Make the gig pay) Amateur (Don’t forget how to play) Oh nobody else can tell you How to make the most of it Ooh nobody else can tell you How your puzzle pieces will begin to fit Amateur (Do it for love) Amateur (Gettin just enough) Amateur (Make the gig pay) Amateur (Don’t forget how to play)

[megankeely]

When I tried reading Zlata's Diary as a kid, I cried so much that my mom had to confiscate the book from me.  It’s a heartbreaking journal written by a young girl living in Sarajevo during the Bosnian war.  I picked up the book again in January 2022.  About half way through, I dropped the book and wrote this song in an effort to process the sadness I felt for the many children living through war and conflict, past and present.  Around that time, my friend was working on a documentary that had her watching hours upon hours of footage of wartorn Bosnia.  She told me about her experience shaking in empathy after wrapping up a day sifting through traumatic archival footage.  I wrote this song for myself, but also for her.

It’s now pretty clear to me that songwriting plays a self-soothing role in my life the way nothing else can.  Take that unseettled angst and turn it into something beautiful.  Put the feeling somewhere and allow it to do its thing.  Just a month after writing In Another Time, Russia was invading Ukraine and we were watching the news as Zlata's reality became commonplace for so many more children just like her.  

Writing this song didn’t change anything or do anything actionable, but I could take comfort knowing that this song will live its own life, and perhaps it will play its own role in cultivating empathy during times of conflict and strife.

► Share In Another Time:

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In Another Time You’ve been looking at the Pictures on the screen Everything you’ve seen Happening before our eyes And someone far away has Memories to share An apple and a pear From trees they planted in another Time when setting roots Was the bravest thing Anyone could do

Now we’re turning into Something we don’t know On and on with the show Play it again, press rewind And distance is a wound that needs A remedy to heal A hearty home cooked meal From seeds we planted in another Time when growing Was the bravest thing When knowing Was the strongest thing When trusting Was the kindest thing Anyone could do

[megankeely]

I wrote Old Companion in December 2021, during the first months of a cleansing effort to rewire my relationship with alcohol.  I’d noticed that over the course of 2020 and 2021, my habits around alcohol had gradually changed. By the end of 2021 I rarely went a day without having at least a beer or glass of wine.  Common story.

When I began to feel I wanted alcohol to be less present in my life, it didn’t really seem like an option in our alcohol-obsessed society, particularly amidst our alcohol-obsessed entertainment industry.  I feared I’d be judged, left out, or perceived as “less fun.”  Approaching my 36th birthday, I decided to take a break from alcohol full stop.  Despite societal pressures and expecations that made it seem difficult, no one was actually stopping me but me.  I first decided to try a month, and when that went well I decided to go for 6 months.  I liked the clarity I’d gained, and eventually decided to do a Dry 2022. 

It wasn't easy at first, but I am certain that the decision to take a break from alcohol was a crucial step towards making this record.  I replaced one companion that had taken over and claimed a prominent role in my social routines and habits (beer/wine) with the tried and true companions that had kept me company for years (writing, recording music, hiking).  The first few weeks, I replaced my happy hour glass of wine with a glass of cranberry juice.  I swapped my beer/cider cravings with a crisp sliced apple.  I brought a canister of hot tea to shows and social events.  I realized that I’d learned to lean on alcohol during times when I felt socially anxious, awkward, shy, or just not in the mood to be social.  So now in this shifted reality, instead of forcing myself to be social and charismatic when I wasn’t in the mood, I simply went home and went to bed early (easier said than done).  To my surprise, I found I had more energy to be present with people when I was choosing to do so, and didn’t need alcohol to bring me into the moment.  When I wrote Old Companion and eventually performed it for the first time, the taboo and secrecy around this struggle evaporated. 

I wasn’t sure if I’d ever play the song because I didn’t want people to see me differently, to think of me as someone labeled by a struggle with alcohol, or to assume I’d hit some horrible rock bottom of alcohol dependancy.  In truth, I am just like the millions of other people whose relationship with alcohol gradually changed over time, beginning in social settings that are centered around alcohol, anchoring around duties and rituals as a musician being asked to entertain, and eventually creeping into day to day life, end of day routines, and invisible habits that go unnoticed.  I had zero interest in sipping a cup of tea, I remember thinking “What’s the point?”  I’d go for a hot toddy, but not a mug of tea alone.  But when I allowed my brain to unwire from the impulse of “just add alcohol” to make things fun or relaxing or better, then and only then did the actual finer things in life become even finer.  A walk in the park or a quiet moment sipping tea while looking out the window – alcohol used to claim credit for making these kinds of moments feel like a "treat," but it turns out they are nice in and of themselves once alcohol’s no longer taking center stage.  There are so many activities that I used to associate with a bottle of beer or glass of wine - cleaning the kitchen on a Sunday evening, cooking dinner, hanging out with family and friends… but once I did those activities a few times without alcohol, I got a whole new glimpse into what my life could feel like.  

People sometimes ask me if/when I’ll start drinking again.  At times it bothers me because it makes me feel like they prefer me drinking, that it makes them uncomfortable when I don’t drink, or that they feel they can’t trust me if I’m not drinking with them.  There’s a lot of bonding that happens when people are drinking together, but I’ve realized that the bonding that happens without alcohol as a crutch is just as rewarding if not more so.  I can’t tell you how much energy I’ve spent this year trying to make sure that my choice to not drink isn’t making other people feel uncomfortable or judged.  I’m not judging anyone for their drinking, and yet I feel immensely judged for my choice to not drink.  Who knows how long I’ll continue this break, if I’ll continue past 2022 or go back to social drinking on occasion.  I don’t know, and I don’t really need to know right now.  All I know is that writing this song was a big step in the right direction for me.

► Share Old Companion:

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Old Companion Six months from now Will I be free From this conflicted part of me

After a year Will I have a new way To relax my mind at the end of the day

Without my dear old companion Who soothed me all these years

I had a feeling That started to grow Til I pushed it down too far below

But while I still can I just have to try Before all my chances pass me by

Without my dear old companion Who soothed me all these years

Before the show, and after too To pass the time, to start a new To make it feel magic, to make it feel true To turn off my mind, to just make it through To just make it through Without my dear old companion Who soothed me all these years

[megankeely]

► Share One More Dinner Alone:

Bandcamp Spotify TIDAL Apple Music YouTube Instagram TikTok One More Dinner Alone One more dinner alone Waitin for my baby to come back home Oh I made him a plate but his train’s runnin late So tonight I’m eatin one more dinner alone

Sun’s hangin low in the sky Watchin the fog as the birds fly by Oh my days have been long without my love’s morning song So tonight the sun’s hangin low in the sky

You could say I’ve got a weakness for comfort and You could say I’m just a homebody love junkie But I know this is the feeling that I was lookin for

One more evening to myself Takin it easy for my heart and my health When my baby comes back can we let this longing last Oh tonight I’ve got one more evening all to myself

[megankeely]

► Share Moving On:

Bandcamp Spotify TIDAL Apple Music YouTube Instagram TikTok Moving On  Morning light at the lagoon Looking for some clarity Letting go of what I’ll lose When I find a brighter me Something gained, another gone Nothing comes for free Moving on Slowing down and eating well Being who I wanna be No compartments on the job Boundaries or niceties The perfect sun will pass on by Nothing stays the same Moving on Living someone else’s life To take a break from my own Opens up a peace of mind A home away from home Take the dogs out on a hike Watch the birds communicate See the chaparral in bloom In its native natural state Not sure why it took me so long Moving on Moving on Moving on

[megankeely]

► Share Surviving:

Bandcamp Spotify TIDAL Apple Music YouTube Instagram TikTok Surviving  Now that I’m sturdier, I can try  To put it into words and answer why 

Those countless hours I wasted, day and night  To make myself feel empty inside Empty and clean, surviving, unseen He got away with it in the dark How many more still carry his mark And we push it down, we wash it away As if we could lose invisible weight Empty and clean, surviving unseen And I started to wound myself When I was too confused to ask for help Looking for control, to find the crossed line To take back my body as if it wasn’t mine Just a little girl on a trundle bed When he took something from me because he could But finally I know there’s a boundary And I know the difference between bad and good Between can’t and should and wish you would  So many moments misunderstood Empty and clean, surviving unseen  Empty and clean, I’m surviving, I am seen

[megankeely]

It was the summer of 2021, and I was challenging myself with a writing exercise aimed at exploring the omnipresent question thrust upon many 30-something-year-olds: “Will I have kids?  Do I want to have kids?  If I choose not to have kids of my own, would that make me a dead end on a family tree?”  The uncertainty was weighing me down, the hormones were surging, and the pressure was stifling.  No one was specifically inflicting that pressure, but society was pummeling me with reminders of the conditioning and expectation that surround such a crucially personal decision.  Then I remembered the concept of mycelium.  An invisible, interconnected helper, the mycelial network is essential to the overall health of the forest.  Trees flourish and bloom, and there is more to it than meets the eye – this vast network of fungal fibers extends beneath the forest floor like an immense brain and has immeasurable impact.  I took comfort in the non-linear definitions of family, community, and a thriving ecosystem.  When I finally sat down to record the song, I layered take upon take.  Suddenly I was singing with past, present, and future versions of myself, layering harmonies and oohs and little tiny guitar embellishments.  It felt like a physical resonance of “we” all alone in my room, alone with my song, seeking a deep sense of connection with the future. ► Share Leaves:

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No matter what happens next I know None of us is a dead end dangling From a sprawling treetop canopy None of us is a dead end dangling Fleshy fruit or brittle twig in the breeze We all fall down eventually Care for the soil and the little seeds Immeasurable mulching of our leaves Oooh ooooh No matter how dark it gets I know I can see the violet in the rainbow Piercing through the haze in the winter I can see the violet in the rainbow Set my anchor let my kite soar Intertwining roots on the forest floor Take a little, give a little more No one can tell you what your love is for Just care for the soil and the seeds ...oooooh Brittle twig in the breeze ...oooooh Mulching over our leaves ...oooooh Mulching over our leaves ...oooooh

[megankeely]

Thank you to j. poet and East Bay Express for such a generous, thoughtful interview and writeup!  Read it here.

[megankeely]

Introducing... Companions!  A playlist of albums that have kept me company over the years, influencing my brain in the creation of my newest album Companion.

Lost and Safe - The Books

José González - In Our Nature

Nick Drake - Pink Moon

Elliott Smith - Figure 8

Shawn Colvin - Live

Wolf Larsen - Quiet at the Kitchen Door

Bonny Light Horseman - Bonny Light Horseman

Kelly McFarling - Water Dog

Christian Lee Hutson - Beginners

Laura Marling - Song For Our Daughter

Elizabeth Cotten - Shake Sugaree

Anaïs Mitchell - The Brightness

José González - Vestiges and Claws

Juana Molina - Tres Cosas

Jackson Browne - Jackson Browne (Saturate Before Using)

Crosby, Stills, & Nash - Demos

Beck - Sea Change

Avi Vinocur - Hindsight

Bert Keely - Take Me Home

Sometimes Why - Sometimes Why

Bach - Unaccompanied Cello Suites

[megankeely]

I spent some time with the ocean filming a series of lyric videos for each song on Companion. The first is out now for you to zone out and chill. ► Share Missing You: Bandcamp Spotify TIDAL Apple Music YouTube Instagram TikTok Missing You

It’s a feeling in my chest That I’ve never felt before Glad for what we’ve got Still wanting more Wishing you would just show up right now At our front door I’m missing you It’s okay that I’m missing you It’s a knowing in my gut That you’re good for me And I’m good for you Without even trying to be And for once I am just fine With let’s just wait and see Still I’m missing you It’s okay that I’m missing you Try not to blame Try not to claim that there’s a reason But just the same Listen to the changing seasons It’s a trust in all of this The pleasure and the pain Storms and fog Sun and rain You’ll take me there And we will know what we became While I was missing you So many days missing you It’s okay that I’m missing you But I’m still missing you

[megankeely]

[megankeely]

Introducing... Companion!

Companion is my first self-recorded solo record.  Without the option to lean on other musicians in the studio, it turned out to be a welcome chance to listen to my quirkier inner instincts and elaborate from a deep well within.  I like to describe this record as a cozy mug of tea, meant to be digested with eyes half-closed while dozing off for a blanketed afternoon nap.  I hope Companion helps bring sleep to the restless and offers a moment of calm to those who need it most.

During times of stress or unrest, I’ve turned to a handful of resources that have helped me calm my mind and fall asleep at night.  YouTube is full of weird but calming ASMR videos, my podcast feed includes several quiet, mumbly bedtime story podcasts, Netflix has an interactive meditation movie called ‘Unwind the Mind,’ and Audible & Libby are both full of great books that help direct the rambling late night train of thought.

While creating Companion, I found myself drawing inspiration from all of these sleep resources without even realizing it.  I was seeking self-soothing through my own music every step of the way, from writing to recording to listening back during the mixing and mastering process.

I hope you enjoy the new record, and that you literally use the lyric video above as a resource to help you relax, nap, meditate, sleep, slow dance, or whatever it is you need.  There are few things more calming than the ocean, its grandiose scale and its unending waves lapping at the waters edge.  So when I was looking for visual material to complement the album, I knew exactly where to go.

Thank you for being here.

► Get the album here: Bandcamp: https://megankeely.bandcamp.com/album/companion Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6IdiXIHDjZNVDS1s2wbMby?si=lAvCJhA5QCyGnJujCELMWw  TIDAL: https://store.tidal.com/us/album/248847007 Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/az/album/companion/1645589422

► Follow Megan Keely: YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/megankeely1?sub_confirmation=1 Instagram: http://instagram.com/meganmkeely TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meganmkeely Facebook: http://facebook.com/ilikemegankeelysmusic Tumblr: http://megankeely.tumblr.com   Twitter: http://twitter.com/megankeely   Website: http://www.megankeely.com   

► Merch: https://megankeely.bandcamp.com/merch 

© ℗ 2022 Megan Keely Music

#MeganKeely #Companion #alternative #indiefolk #singersongwriter #indie #folk #americana #indiepop #acousticrock #bedtimesongs #sleepmusic #sleep #naptimemusic #ASMRfolk #accidentalASMR

[megankeely]

We Will Be Fine

[megankeely]

Mother’s Day Booklist

For Mother’s Day this year, I’d like to celebrate by sharing a syllabus from the academic institution that is Cynthia Keely.  

For as long as I can remember, my mom has played an instrumental role in nurturing a vast community of students on their educational journey.  Much of this work has been through the non-profit College Track, initially based in East Palo Alto, CA and now established nationwide, which has created a bedrock of support for young people from low-income communities to become the first in their family to graduate from college.  Through her mentorship the message has been clear -- these students have known that they could count on her to be a resource, they were not alone, and they could take on challenges knowing they had a community of people who believe in their potential.  As her daughter, witnessing her dedication to these students has been one of the deepest gifts I could ever receive.  And in parallel, she has inspired and influenced me through the ever-growing list of recommended books, articles, films, events, and resources -- feeding my brain and helping me continue to learn and grow forever.  Dream it Now and Define American are two of many songs I wouldn’t have written if it weren’t for the gift of witnessing my mom’s sustained commitment to social justice and humanizing the immigrant narrative.  

Anna Malaika Tubbs closed her KQED discussion yesterday with a poignant suggestion: rather than focus on the typical “thank you mom for putting yourself behind everybody else” this year, “thank her instead for her influence in your life, for showing you the way to do something, whether that’s your career or researching the opportunities that you were afforded.  Or being your first leader.  Or for her maintaining her passions.  Turn the question back and ask what she needs and wants from you.”

So thank you, mom, for being an astounding example of how to lead with strength and grace.  Thank you for the nutritious ways in which you have fed my mind and body.  Thank you for the patience with which you teach so many of us, never force-feeding a lesson but rather showing and letting us learn from what we observe in you.  Thank you for bringing people together around the hearth of beauty, joy, and love.  Thank you for your commitment to your work, ever strengthening the magnet in the invisible compass that guides me to continue living my life by the values you’ve instilled in me.  

♥

Chicha’s Digest:

Define American - Jose Antonio Vargas

And Still I Rise - Maya Angelou

Bird By Bird - Anne Lamott

The Three Mothers - Anna Malaika Tubbs

The Deeper The Roots - Michael Tubbs

The Master Plan - Chris Wilson

The Lemon Tree - Sandy Tolan

Zlata’s Diary - Zlata Filipović

Girls Who Run the World - Diana Kapp

Dear Madam President - Jennifer Palmieri

America is in the Heart - Carlos Bulosan

Haiti After the Earthquake - Paul Farmer

Mountains Beyond Mountains - Tracy Kidder

The Overstory - Richard Powers

Dreams From My Father - Barack Obama

Becoming - Michelle Obama

The Fifth Risk - Michael Lewis

On Tyranny - Tymothy Snyder

The Color of Law - Richard Rothstein

Angle of Repose - Wallace Stegner

[megankeely]

Next Sunday! Let’s celebrate life and the givers of life in a beautiful backyard under the afternoon sun. Thanks to Echoes in the Valley for inviting John Elliott and me to serenade you on Sunday May 8th at 2pm. Tickets: echoesinthevalleyconcerts@gmail.com

[megankeely]

New Song: Old Companion, performed live at Great American Music Hall on February 24, 2022

Watch here