Dave Keller

It’s Time To Shine

Montpelier, Vermont’s Dave Keller has been schooled by the very best. He studied acoustic blues with guitarist Paul Rishell, and soul blues with guitarist Robert Ward. After releasing the Dave Keller Band debut in 1998 he began to be mentored by Mighty Sam McClain who lived in nearby New Hampshire. After his

2011 album “Where I’m Coming From” won the award for Best Self-Produced CD at The International Blues Challenge, Keller began to back Johnny Rawls and was also mentored by him.

In 2014 Keller released “Soul Changes” recorded in Memphis at Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell’s Royal Studios and the album resulted in his first Blues Music nomination as “Soul Blues Album of the Year”. Keller followed-up with 2016’s “Right Back Atcha”. Keller signed with Bob Trenchard’s Catfood Records in 2018

and followed with “Every Soul’s A Star” receiving another BMA nomination. He has since released “Live at the “Killer Guitar Thriller” and “You Get What You Give”. This new album is Keller’s tenth.

When talking about “It’s Time To Shine” Keller states “I really wanted to capture the energy of the band…

so I thought, what if we find a cool place that’s not a studio and just play everything in one room, live, without headphones and all that other stuff?” Produced by Keller and engineered by Huck Bennet (whose credits include Ronnie Earl) the band is super tight.

Keller, vocals and guitar, is accompanied by keyboardist Ira Friedman, bassist Alex Budney, and drummer Jay Gleason. The horn section includes Mark Earley, tenor and baritone saxes, trumpeter Tom Palence, and backing vocalists Annika Chambers and her husband Paul DesLauriers. Highlights include “Waiting for The Sunrise”, “The Truth of The Blues”, and “789-0133”.

“I think folks are gonna be surprised with this new album”. This is another shining winner.

Richard Ludmerer
Contributing Editor/Making A Scene