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"I first met Dave just after I arrived in New Jersey, having ridden from Texas on a motorcycle. Dave was holding court in a Northvale, New Jersey pub where I walked in seeking shelter from the winter’s bitter night.
I had spent the last five years listening to Willie Nelson, Robert Earl Keene and Pat Green, and had been a regular backstage at Cory Morrow and Roger Creager shows.
Thousands of miles removed from Texas, I was shocked to enter a bar in the northeast and hear the country-rock standards played just as well as any of the musicians at home.
Dave’s voice was deep but razor sharp, not unlike Johnny Cash. He played the full stable of stringed instruments with a master’s touch; whether using a fiddle, a mandolin, an auto harp, or finger-picking an electric or acoustic guitar. I later learned Dave built many of these instruments himself.
Dave had crowd stopping showmanship—often jumping on tables mid-song—and played originals just as well as Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker, or any other outlaw country balladeers.
Dave was not an open book, and even if he was…he wasn’t the type that was easily read. All I knew was that he worked as a carpenter.
Later, Dave’s apartment floor would become like a second home to me and he like a brother. Dave had an English degree from Syracuse University and he had left Seton Hall law school somewhere in his second year.
I had left the confines of the classroom to become a story-teller of the oral and written forms. He had left to tell stories musically, a real troubadour.
Dave had never taken the easy road, even when it was offered to him, and we both wore the scars of our decisions: working ditch digging jobs to keep roofs over our heads.
As I left that winter, migrating west across the country, Dave’s music played through my head—the soundtrack of my life.
I always kept a crumpled picture of Dave in my pocket, ready for interviews when I was asked the question, “What’s the most amazing thing you’ve found in your travels?” At which point I would unfold the picture of Dave with his guitar and say, “This guy.”
When I needed a live soundtrack for my storytelling show at Wolf Trap in Washington, D.C., I knew I couldn’t be without Dave McKeon.
I can’t wait to see the full fruition of his musical abilities. "
-Woodrow Landfair (2007)
Biographical Sketch
Dave McKeon (a.k.a. Cousin Dave) began his musical career at the age of four playing mandolin with his father Jim and the rest of the family in the small town of Poplar Ridge, NY. Bluegrass was the staple genre in the Mckeon household but there was never a shortage of styles or instruments to influence Dave.
At age ten he picked up the Martin D28 guitar owned by his father, which as a rule was forbidden to be touched by anyone. Dave would sneak in and play it as often as he could. Apparently Jim didn’t mind, as once he caught him playing it, the guitar went upstairs into Dave’s room. It is, in fact, the guitar he plays at every gig to this day. After Jim Jr. left home Dave took over on guitar with his father.
During High School McKeon ventured into any style of music he could find. Jazz, Rock, Reggae, Blues, Folk, and even Heavy Metal found their way into his repertoire. Through it all Dave never lost his roots. Even after moving out, Bluegrass and Country became the mainstay musical styles influencing his music.
In the mean time Mckeon picked up Banjo, Dobro, Bass, Fiddle, and Piano as well as concentrating on Singing and Writing. Focusing on his own shows Mckeon still found time to play with other bands and sideman for songwriters as a multi-instrument hired gun. Dave has done shows with Jerry Jeff Walker, Award winning Songwriter Patty Keough, 60’s Icon Terry Reed, and The Gibson Brothers. This recognition has offered the opportunity to travel the country and generate fans nationwide.
Today, more focused on a country/bluegrass sound McKeon relocated from Bergen county, NJ and is theoretically co-producing his album with Producer/Engineer Steve Boyer (Eric Clapton, Peter Gabriel, Rolling Stones). Occasionally McKeon can still be seen in the greater NYC area with Tim O’Donohue as a duet, with Last Stand Playing Electric and Acoustic Guitars, Banjo, Mandolin, and Singing or with Arlon Bennett filling in mandolin and lead guitar.
Dave's latest venture (or Adventure) is a collaboration with up-and-coming writer Woodrow (Pack) Landfair. Mckeon adds musical background to Landfair's storytelling shows as well as sharing his stories through his songs.
A Musician for most of his life McKeon strives for the perfection of the song. Dynamics, Emotion, and conveying a story are the ultimate goal of this talented Songsmith.
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