Combining his country folk twang with contemporary lyrics, Billy Keane is making a powerful statement about the ceaseless use of technology in our modern world in his latest release, “Tech Companies are Today’s Version of the Church.”
In this new live single, Keane wastes no time getting straight to the point of his message. As the honky tonk rockin’ chords begin and the groovy beat picks up, his piercing voice rolls in with the opening line, “Well my cell phone ain’t no good it brings me down,” to which he begins his diatribe against technology, which has quite frankly enslaved the masses for better or worse.
Maybe the reason Keane has so much to say about the modern world is because he truly has lived a thousand lives. From college dropout to world traveler, to commercial deep sea diver to touring musician, his character and thus his influence is derived from numerous different worldviews.
Despite the new release’s peppy and upbeat nature, the lyrics poignantly reflect on how technology swallows our lives and ultimately makes us unhappy, if not trapped. Keane also speaks on consumerism, calling out the head honcho behind Apple as he belts out, “Ol’ Tim Cook will sell you more, but what’s it for?”
Keane’s creativity and modern social commentary is an accurate and necessary sentiment that we can all afford to hear, and he does it with ripping electric guitar and a powerful sonic energy.
The Americana songsmith has performed at festivals across the country, sharing the stage with mega artists like James Taylor, Yo Yo Ma, The Gin Blossoms, and Blues Traveler to name a few.
Keane describes his sound as inspired by his life, his listening, and his belief that to be human means to experience the universe and our world, and to reflect it all back upon itself through artistic expression. He can be found performing his resonating songs either as a solo act or with a full band, and this past Friday February 10th he put out his newest single, a live version of his song “For Always.”
Photo by Megan Haley
