Dan Keyes and his new ride
Dan Keyes is back with a new band, The New Rides, a new label and a brand new track, ‘London’. The debut release ‘London’ comes accompanied by a captivating music video, and marks the first release from the resurrected Wheatley Records, first established in 1980 by the late Australian music icon Glenn Wheatley. We caught up with Dan to chat about the new track, commuting between Los Angeles and Australia and why he is now classed as an Australian.
You have traversed the genre scape in your music career to date, so how would you describe this new project's sound?
This collection of songs has gone through many different phases sonically and musically, and we’ve landed here somewhere between country, alt, pop, rock, jazz. We feel like it’s a great introduction to country music if you haven’t been exposed yet. A nice warm bath.
Dan, you and your band The New Rides have just released your debut single together, titled ‘London’. Tell us about your new song. Where did the inspiration for writing this one come from?
It was inspired by the city of London, Madison County, Ohio. They speak with a very specific accent there and for some reason, people kept thinking I sounded like it. Either way, I met a sweet girl there and the rest is history.
Is there a favourite line or part of the ‘London’ that is particularly special to you?
There is something romantic about walking through the night just to be with someone. I’ve done it before, and I’ll do it again.
“We drove out to the desert and the director said ‘ok now walk… and don’t stop until you get back to LA’. ”
Who came up with the concept for the ‘London’ video? Were there any memorable moments during the making of it?
We drove out to the desert and the director said ‘ok now walk… and don’t stop until you get back to LA’.
So I just walked and walked just like the lyrics suggest. It was a great crew, we had great fun making it (even if it was a lot of walking).
‘London’ is the first release for the recently reestablished Wheatley Records, were you at all nervous about using your track to relaunch such an iconic Australian label?
I’ve been signed to a few majors in the past so I’ve had some experience with record deals and labels. We built a great team around this project with Wheatley Records. We’re all in it together and we’re all good friends. Was I nervous? Absolutely not. We could not be happier than to be where we are with this group.
Can we expect a full-length album or EP via Wheatly Records soon?
We’re going to release a few more tunes and then an EP. Maybe an album is to follow?
“I have a great band and live show, so we can’t wait to get out there in 2024!”
Are there plans to hit the road and showcase ‘London’ for fans live?
Absolutely. As mentioned above, we want to get a few songs out there so by the time we hit the road the fans have something to sing back to us. I have a great band and live show, so we can’t wait to get out there in 2024!
Dan, you’re a Texas native who now splits his time between Los Angeles and Australia, does the commuting take its toll or does it keep life interesting and inspiring?
I absolutely love Australia and in particular, Melbourne where I spend a lot of time. The commute is easy. It’s one flight. The world is so small these days, I’ve never understood why people think certain places are ‘so far away’. It absolutely keeps life interesting and inspiring.
“we thought how great would it be to launch this project out of Australia with an Aussie band and an Australian record label.”
What was the draw to come to Australia originally?
My partner in this project Tim Metcalfe is from Melbourne. We’ve been working together on various projects for almost 10 years. When he moved back to Melbourne from LA during Covid, I got on the first flight to Australia when the borders opened! The country music scene in Australia is so cool right now, and we thought how great would it be to launch this project out of Australia with an Aussie band and an Australian record label. I want to be a bogan. I also love VB and know all the words to ‘You’re the Voice’. I’m basically Australian by now.
What’s been the highlight in your career so far personally? And why?
With any artistic career, there are going to be highs and lows, but I have a feeling the next phase is going to be the highlight of my career.
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout-out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?
As I mentioned above, we have an amazing team working on this project and every person plays a significant role. But let’s go ahead and shout out our lapsteel virtuoso Jy-Perry Banks, and our mix engineer James Millar!
Interview by Michelle Symes
December 2023