Music INSIGHT
KEYTON
by Benjamin Nunnally
K
eyton Fike stands beneath towering
photos of Elvis Presley at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tenn., clacking out
a rhythm on muted acoustic guitar strings
as the band Keyton leads into “Sleepless,” a
tune from their new album, “Postmark My
Heart.”
This is the spot where Presley cut his very
first record, paid for with his own money
before he turned even 19 years old. Johnny
Cash recorded in this room; he’s in one of
the photographs looming over Fike, paired
with Elvis, Carl Perkins and Jerry Lee Lewis.
20
To say the sense of history is overwhelming
might still not be enough.
“It was really humbling going into that
room,” said Fike.
As the acoustic guitar keeps tempo, guitarist Jonn Medders plays a melody in octaves
on an electric guitar lightly dusted with distortion; longtime fans of the band might be
surprised to hear its inclusion, as Keyton has
long been an acoustic act. Medders is lead
singer and guitarist of Anniston band Secondhand Jones as well as a solo musician,
November 2014
INSIGHT