Jim Keller  - Spark & Flame

What would you get if John Lee Hooker quarantined with Kraftwerk? Jim Keller’s mix of industrial blues and industrial menace, ”Don’t Get Me Started,” could turn out to be the definitive song for the pandemic. Keller first got attention years ago when, as part of San Francisco group Tommy Tutone, he co-wrote and performed “867-5309” (“Jenny Jenny”), a classic power pop tune that made 80’s radio so listenable.

After migrating to New York, he jumped the fence, running Philip Glass’s publishing company and taking over management of Glass’s career as director of Dunvagen Music.
In 2005, Keller returned to recording and performing and with a voice aged by time, whiskey and promises, he’s got the sound of someone who could have been Tom Petty’s therapist. He’s made three solo albums to date Sunshine In My Pocket (2005), Soul Candy (2011) and Heaven Can Wait (2014).
A cult figure in the music business, Keller’s gigs at New York’s Lakeside Lounge and The Rockwood Music Hall are legendary. If the best players in town weren’t on stage with him, they were in the audience, singing along, playing along, making the sort of noise that would get you locked up in a lesser town.

The 2021 release By No Means produced by Mitchell Froom (Los Lobos, Crowded House, Randy Newman) and Backed by Los Lobos’ David Hidalgo on guitar, introduced Keller to European media and fans and was received with great enthusiasm.

For Spark and Flame, Keller penned 12 new songs and recorded them with many of his New York music friends,
Another impressive album. 

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