A Nashville-based singer-songwriter with an honest, plainspoken vocal, an eclectic-roots
sound and a knack for bringing crystalline characters to life, Jack McKeon is a different sort of
musician. A student of the greats drawn to the timeless, rather than the trendy, he hails from
Chatham, New York (a few hours north of New York City and a world removed from the
Americana and bluegrass scene he now inhabits), and harbors a deep love for the written
word. First inspired by literary music icons from Hank Williams and Guy Clark to Tom T. Hall
and John Hartford, McKeon arrived in Nashville in 2021 and has since established a
reputation for his own message-drive lyricism – a value which shows up in its full sonic
serenity on his 2024 album debut, Talking to Strangers. Full of understated depth, the 10-
song set of self-penned and co-written tunes was engineered by 4X Grammy-winner Sean
Sullivan (Molly Tuttle, Sturgill Simpson), and pulls its imaginative stories of a changing world
from a lifetime of patient observation – both in his academic former life and current travels as
a performing singer-songwriter (and guitar-wielding poet). Featuring a dream-team roots
ensemble and recorded live over three days at The Tractor Shed in Goodlettsville,
Tennessee, Talking to Strangers captures the warm, organic sound of contemporary
Appalachian soul, infusing folk rock with an easy-going bluegrass sway and speaking to his
long-held musical values. It’s a work of classic craftsmanship, sturdy and simple yet packed
with the nuance of a true, intentional wordsmith, and just the first significant step in what
McKeon see as “a lifelong pursuit.”