Keith Michael Cantrell – A Metamorphosis
I put forth this hypothesis concerning Keith Michael Cantrell. Though he is human now, he was not in the past. I believe he morphed from an ancient statue created eons ago. I say this because of his stance. It is perfect. It is natural. It is consistent. Only a statue comes close to such consistency. If A = B and B = C then A = C.
This amazing player of the bass has a look that photographically, I cannot get enough of. I first encountered Keith, November 20, 2020 with the group LuvGunz. He has and continues to be a friend. Some may not know that he was a sous chef. I know he periodically give cooking classes. Lead singer and bassist of the group Friends of Friction, he has recently become the bassist for the Rock group, Roc Holiday. Keith what do you have to say?
1) Who is Keith Cantrell?
Well, as a direct descendent of Bonnie Parker, most of my ancestors are from Texas but as fate would have it, I was born and raised in the bay area of California. I discovered the power of music when I was five years old, hearing Johnny Cash on the radio and became obsessed with music in general, mostly R&B, Funk, and music acts I watched on soul train.. My mother put me in a theater group which I stayed in for most of my preteen years. In eighth grade, I discovered new wave, punkrock, and heavy metal. I was able to see dozens of life shows big and small from Black Flag and the Dead Kennedys to Iron Maiden and Dio. I bought a bass guitar with my paper route money and began to write songs. Once I graduated high school, I packed up my guitar and a few sentimental belongings and got the hell out of California to follow my dream of being back on stage but this time as a musician . I met some incredible musicians in my travels and followed them to Austin Texas, where I obviously belonged from what I heard about the “live music capital of the world”. I was greeted with open arms by the amazing music community, and put a few bands together that indeed put me back on stage, on the radio and television which evolved into Internet streaming and iTunes, playing for crowds as big as 20,000. In the meantime of all of this, I became an executive chef, a painter and a father, with five grandkids So far….
Every dream I ever had came true in Austin, Texas .
2) What are your current projects?
My current projects are with Roc Holiday(bassist for an original hard rock band),Luv Gunz(bassist, and back up singer for hard rock and classic rock covers), and Friends of Friction,(front man Singer and bassist for old-school punk, classic metal and heavy alternative covers)
3). Give me your interpretation of the Austin Music Scene of the past, present, and your hope for the future.
When I got to Austin in 1990 the music scene was alive and well with countless clubs to play any genre of music up and down 6th Street. It was a paradise for musicians and music lovers, but seems to have fallen into more segregated sections of north and south Austin. Now, you can’t pay me enough to park my car anywhere near sixth Street. Though the music scene has changed so dramatically and politically over the years, I still think we have it better than anywhere else for live music. We are literally surrounded by incredible talent doing original and cover music. The future is as bright as we want it to be in my opinion.
4). A.I. and music, your thoughts.
AI in music… I’ll make this one short. Imitation has always been the sincerest form of flattery. However, nothing will ever beat the original artist and soon these artists that are being re-created will find a way to legally prevent lucrative fraud but for now it’s just another form of entertainment.
5). What is the question you are never asked?
No one has ever asked me why I stay humble and modest given the fact I’ve been extremely successful at just about everything I’ve tried my hand at. Most successful artist, chefs and musicians become very arrogant and pompous. My answer would be because I’ve always been thankful to God for my blessings.
