This page contains a brief overview on the album JIM KEAVENY: The Great Historical Bum. Learn more about the artist and explore the track lists and website. If you find any information that needs to be corrected, please let us know.

 
eh there, i'm a folk/country player more or less.i grew up in north dakota but live and play in austin texas at the present. if you went to see me play you'd see a solo act---me sitting there singing , playing guitar, and blow'in alota harp.this record , however (as well as my first "these old things") features other players.at least half the songs are in band formation:bass, banjo, percussion, etc......
i write alota story songs but not always.
recently a website in holland reviewed this cd...
more recently, a mag. in belgium reviewed it. both are translated into english below.

ok, thanks for visiting , and if you buy one i hope you injoy it!

ciao,
jim k


&&&ROOTSTOWN TIP&&& (march 04 , belgium)
Jim Keaveny / The Great Historical Bum / Blue Bonnet (www.jimkeaveny.com)
These last few weeks I?ve been totally pre-occupied with the Guthrie family. It started with a 2003 radio recording of grand-daughter Sara Lee Guthrie together wih her partner Johnny Irion, after which the records from the 70?s by son/father Arlo were taken out of the cupboard (they are now on cd thanks to modern-day technology). All this was followed by a listen to grandfather/father Woody, And what a joy it was. Arlo?s records from 1970-1978 especially hold very good, gorgeous music. So why this strange introduction into a cd review of an undoubtedly unknown artist from Austin, Texas named Jim Keaveny?
Simply because Woody Guthrie in particular is the big source of inspiration for this Keaveny. But the music is contemporary and really excitingly beautiful. Very good basic music. 55 minutes of it. With simple acoustic, but extremely effective accompaniment. Jim himself is responsible for the guitar, the harp, the bass and the percussion. His mate Cody Bonnett plays bass, dobro (one track), banjo (3 tracks) and percussion. All vocals are by Jim, with Cody doing backing vocals on 2 songs. Eric Roach plays the mandoline on one track while Ben Merrill is responsible for the ?river cheer? on the opening track. Ten numbers are written by Jim, there is one Woody classic (Gypsy Davy, same lyrics but totally different melody compared to the Woody & Arlo versions), one Bob Marley (!) and one Steve Earle number.
The opening track, Big Ol? Muddy Mighty, is a great starter, like a train starting its journey and it hails back to City of New Orleans and Six Days On The Road. Jim does his harmonica-thing for the first time here. Beautiful solo?s, a single note that continues to hang, followed by the next note, then some shorter ones and again a long one. You have to hear it though, it?s all in perfect place. Hearing by the way is possible via www.cdbaby.com/jimkeaveny.
Jim?s voice? Do we remember Mickey Newbury? Jim?s voice is a lot like Mickey?s. Husky and full. Obviously the music is totally different than Newbury?s. The songs are about bums (The Great Historical Bum) (a bum has no home, no job and begs money from other people), hobo?s (Hobo Sam) (a hobo has no job, no home and is constantly on the move), wanderers (The Worried Mama And Wandering Son) (a wanderer goes from place to place without any purpose), about women (Joanne Goddamn), about travels. We get a pretty good picture of some of Jim?s preferences.
Special mention has to go to the totally delightful Cliffs of Chihuahua, a gorgeous ballad with remarkable accompaniment of local crickets and of course again, the beautiful harp playing. Jim is planning to visit the low countries and other parts of Europe in May/June/July. Keep an eye out for him. And if, live, he can achieve the level of his cd (and there is no reason why he shouldn?t), you simply just have to go and see him. (FS)


Rootstown Music Magazine - 11th March, 2004.








Jim Keaveny

Review from www.altcountry.nl by Bart Ebisch (jan. 2004)

"Name a few of the covers on The Great Historical Bum and you'll know who Jim Keaveny sounds like: Woody Guthrie (the title track) and Steve Earle ("Dixieland", from his blue grass album The Mountain). With the aid of an acoustic guitar and a harp, Keaveny (from North Dakota but living in Austin right now) offers the listener fourteen roots songs with country and folk influences, beautifully sung in a hoarse voice that is slightly reminiscent of Steve Forbert/Bob Dylan and ,Joe Strummer (on the Bob Marley cover "Comma Comma"). Keaveny is not a real picker so he does dress up his songs where necessary. On the fast title track it's not necessary because your attention is automatically drawn to the story as the singer tells it. The same is true for the typical Dylan song (from the 60's) "Blown Away" and the very penetrating "Cliffs of Chihuahua" where the only sounds to be heard are crickets, a guitar and a harp solo.
Conversely, the Earle track is given something extra by adding a near joyful base and some good banjo licks. This strategy is used a number of times on this simple production. Like on the best track "I Think You Might Be Blind", a love song performed in a Dylanesque way with tambourine and slide dobro. This storyteller (road songs, portraits, social criticisms) writes easily and is very convincing in his art, which means there is absolutely no need to use the fast-forward button".

Check out the artist's website:
http://www.jimkeaveny.com

Track List:
1. Big ol' Muddy Mighty
2. The Great Historical Bum
3. For You
4. Joanne (Goddamn)
5. Cliffs of Chihuahua
6. I Went Down to Texas (Slight Return)
7. I Think You Might Be Blind
8. Gypsy Davy
9. Blown Away
10. The Worried Mama and the Wandering Son
11. Comma Comma
12. Hobo Sam
13. Dixieland
14. So Far Away

Suggested CDs:

• Majors Junction

Other Genres:

• FOLK: Angry
• COUNTRY: Country Folk
• SOLO MALE ARTIST