Annie Keating Finds Her ‘Emotional Place’ in Brooklyn

Annie Keating’s music is, in her own words, “soulful, intimate and honest; a little bit country and a little bit rock and roll.” Always a noteworthy writer of “songs from an emotional place,” she tells Brooklyn Roads that, “I’m a stronger songwriter now, 10 albums in and 10,000 hours of working at it.”

Annie Keating -Up On The Roof / photo by Ehud Lazin / courtesy of Sideways-Media

There are 15 examples of Keating’s composing prowess on her brand-new album, Bristol County Tides, complemented by “the production work of [Brooklynite] Teddy Kumpel, and engineering and mixing by Matt Shane [who] helped create a wider, deeper and more impactful sound.”

Annie Keating- Strummin’ In The Yard /photo by Ehud Lazin / courtesy of Sideways-Media

Among her major musical influences is Neil Young who made a deep impact on Keating when she was young. “I found an honesty and vulnerability in his songs,” she tells us. Thanks to her brothers, she was also exposed to other great music that “made deep impressions,” including the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, The Band, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Al Green, Van Morrison, and Lucinda Williams. And in college, “I discovered Nina Simone and Nick Drake,” she adds. Over the last few years, however, the biggest influence on Keating has been the late, great John Prine.

“The way he tells a story, mixing humor and honest, true, deeply felt emotions knocks me off my feet,” she tells Brooklyn Roads, adding, “I’m inspired by songwriting that makes me feel something. If a song moves me, that’s what matters. Music that can connect and impact people inspires me to keep writing songs, even though writing is sometimes a hard and lonely journey.”

Annie Keating- On The Stoop / photo by Ehud Lazin / courtesy of Sideways-Media

She tells us that Brooklyn, her home for almost 25 years now, has shaped her musical career primarily because of “the unbelievably talented musicians who live here, that I’ve been lucky to play with over the years. Most of the band on Bristol County Tides lives in Brooklyn and my favorite recording studio, Atomic Sound (which used to be a fire station), is in Red Hook.”

Bristol County Tides Album Cover

She also praises the borough’s “diversity and energy” that “keeps me feeling young of heart and inspired,” as well as its tradition of “great live shows and creativity.” Among her many favorite “mighty little music venues” in Brooklyn are Barbès, Sunny’s Bar and Jalopy Theatre. She’s on the board of directors of the latter, where she’ll be doing a live, in-person show in support of Bristol County Tides in October.

Among the many other things Keating loves about Brooklyn are Prospect Park, where she walks her dog every day, and taking her kids to Coney Island, as well as “Great independent bookstores … fabulous favorite local coffee spots [and] lovely restaurants … Dumbo Park (the greenbelt there just keeps getting better) … strolls through the Botanic Gardens (just wrote a song there) … cobblestone streets in Red Hook.” The list, she tells us, “could go on forever.”