Keith Carruthers speaks on his recent album, Done and Dusted, and more
Born in Prince Edward Island and raised in Pictou County, N.S., Keith Carruthers has spent the last few years living south of the border just outside of Nashville, Tennessee, and most recently in the home of the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland, Ohio.
After a successful career in business and higher education, Keith has turned his focus to becoming a full-time songwriter. Drawing on over 30 years of experience as a guitarist and keyboard player with several Nova Scotia rock and country bands, Keith has released his debut album – Done and Dusted.
Produced by David Rashed at the Studio at the Guild in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Done and Dusted is comprised of 10 tracks that draw on the musical influences that form an integral part of Keith’s DNA. Influences range from the classic country artists his parents listened to, to 70s rock legends like the Doobie Brothers, Bad Company, and the Police, to the game-changing sound of the Beatles.
Keith has always considered himself a songwriter first and a guitarist second.
“For me, it has always been about the song. Without a great song, the musician doesn’t get heard”.
The tracks on Done and Dusted offer a first glimpse at the songwriting style that Keith has crafted through years of playing and the influences who’ve inspired him.
Listen to Done and Dusted below, and learn more about Keith Carruthers in our full interview.
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Well, I have been a Nova Scotia musician for the past thirty-five years, playing primarily in cover bands as a guitarist, mostly Rock. I did spend some time playing Country in the early ’90s when that seemed to take over the music scene. For much of my life, music has been a part-time activity, although it has always been my passion. Songwriting, in particular. It has only become the main focus in recent years, which has led up to my debut release with Done and Dusted.
You have unveiled your debut solo album, Done and Dusted. What can you tell us about the writing process behind the release?
It was a very interesting process, as this is the first time that I have had a focused effort in writing material for a specific project with established deadlines, which was quite different for me. I must say, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the process.
This focus led to me rethinking the writing process, which involved not only an effort to write the best material possible but to do so in an efficient manner that would allow for meeting the deadline to enter the studio. What that meant for me personally was to shift focus away from “producing” and “arranging” a quality demo. And to shift my focus on writing songs and recording demos of acoustic guitar and vocal. Then moving on to writing the next song.
This allowed me to write thirty songs for consideration on the album. The evaluation, selection, production, and arrangement decisions were all left until it was time to enter the studio. In the end, I think the album benefited greatly from this approach.
You worked with Atlantic Canadian producer David Rashed on the album. How was that experience?
Living in the US in close proximity to Nashville during the writing of the album, I had a lot of options available to me for producers and professional studios. For me, though, it was important to return to Atlantic Canada, and I really wanted to utilize the talent here to make this record.
The more I considered this, the more interesting I thought it would be to return to where I was born, the province of Prince Edward Island. To work with someone like David on a project like this was really the icing on the cake. We come from the same era of music and have similar musical tastes.
Initially, I thought this was “nice to have,” but the more I got into the project, the more I realized a similar background and musical taste was extremely beneficial in crafting the album. His experience over the years, first as a successful recording artist with Haywire and then as a studio engineer and producer over the past few decades, was also instrumental in guiding me through the process. He did a fantastic job and made a significant contribution to the final result. He also brought a great group of musicians together for the project.
You unveiled “San Antone,” “Leave A Light On,” and “Father and Son” ahead of the album release. How did you choose which tracks would become singles?
That was also an interesting process and a very difficult decision. My experience in business has led me to a team-based approach to solving problems and making decisions, so I began by polling those involved in the project and those close to me on what they thought. The belief was that I could simply come up with a “team consensus” on what the singles would be. I did the exact same thing when trying to determine which of the thirty songs I had written for the project were worthy of being on the final record.
The difficulty in this approach, however, is that musical taste and opinion is a deeply personal thing and what one person sees as good, others may not see. That is why it is so difficult for even the most seasoned musical professionals to predict what songs will do well and what songs will not.
In the end, while I did give the opinions of others due consideration, I kind of had to go with my gut on which songs I thought were the most worthy of being released as singles and would be most popular with the listeners.
Where do you tend to pull influence from when writing?
I find that a difficult question to answer. I think for myself and most people, our influences are very subtle, lurking in the background away from conscious thought. When reflecting on it, however, thinking about the artists I listen to the most and understanding my bias towards the artists who craft the songs, and not necessarily those who are performing them, a few artists truly stand out.
People like Tom Petty, John Mellencamp, and Bruce Springsteen are all artists who not only deliver as performers but are true craftsmen in the songwriting process.
And then there’s the Beatles…I think it all starts and ends with them. I still listen to them all the time and enjoy the songs today as much as I did the first time I heard them. There has never been anyone else like them, and I doubt there ever will be again.
I would also have to include the Canadian artists who have been a mainstay on my turntable over the years, Bryan Adams, April Wine, Chilliwack, and the great artists in Atlantic Canada. I think there is a little bit of all of them on this album
You’ve been in the music industry for over 30 years, playing in several bands. What is the highlight of your career so far?
While I have enjoyed every minute of performing live over the years, to finally make a purposeful decision to focus on writing has really been a game-changer for me. I think focusing my attention on writing the songs is the biggest shift and the most exciting aspect of music that I have experienced in a long time. I am looking forward to a continued focus on writing in the coming years. It is very much who I am and different from my previous experience as a guitarist.
While the Pandemic was taking over our lives, how did you stay up to date with your fans?
For me, this wasn’t much of a challenge. In 2014 I took a bit of a hiatus from music to pursue doctoral studies in the U.K., so I was away from the industry for a while. I was just coming back into music, with a focus on writing and recording my debut album, when the pandemic hit. Being away from the industry for a while, and the fact that this was my debut release as a solo artist, meant that I didn’t have much of a fan base to be concerned about.
What would you say the main difference in the music scene is between Atlantic Canada and Cleveland, Ohio, where you are currently residing?
Well, I have only recently relocated from the South to the Cleveland area, but my initial impressions are that the music scene is strong, with a vast of variety of things to be involved in. I guess for me, though, I am an Atlantic Canadian and have very high regard for the industry here. I think the music scene in Atlantic Canada is an integral part of who we are as a community, and because of that, carries more weight and more importance to this region and those of us who grew up here than maybe it does elsewhere, particularly in the larger centres. When I listen to the artists from Atlantic Canada and the talent we have here, I am truly amazed. The decision to focus on this project here was the right decision, and I am so happy that I did so. We are very fortunate in Atlantic Canada.
If you could collaborate with any Canadian artist, who would you choose, and why?
Wow, that’s a tough one. There are so many. I think to work with any of the artists that I’ve spent years listening to would be an amazing experience. I don’t think I could narrow it down to one specific artist.
What can we expect from you for the remainder of 2022?
Right now, I am focused on writing my next album, “Two,” which will be released in 2023. I have about half of the material written and am looking forward to focusing on completing the writing this fall. Once the new album is released, I’ll likely shift my attention to playing some shows, but for now, getting prepared for the studio again is my focus.
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