Tim Keegan

Tim Keegan is an English singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Keegan has recorded and performed with various bands and as a solo artist. He has worked with a number of noted musicians including Robyn Hitchcock – he can be seen in Jonathan Demme's film about Hitchcock, "Storefront Hitchcock" [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120219] IMDB entry for "Storefront Hitchcock", retrieved 25 June 2008.] [cite journal| last =Reece | first =Doug | authorlink = | coauthors = | title =Popular uprisings | journal =Billboard | volume =110 | issue =42 | pages =24 | publisher = | location = | date =1998-10-17 | url = | doi = | id = | accessdate = ] – and played guitar on the Blue Aeroplanes' "Rough Music" album. [ [http://www.softshoe-slim.com/lists/b/blue_aeroplanes.html#10] Blue Aeroplanes discography, retrieved 25 June 2008.]

Keegan's first band was Railroad Earth, formed in 1988 in Guildford, Surrey. Keegan sang and played rhythm guitar. The other members of the band were Patrick Ranscombe (lead guitar), Andy Prins (bass guitar) and Graham Russell (drums).

In 1992, Railroad Earth changed their name to Ringo and released their only album, "Call It Home". The album was recorded by noted alt-rock producer Gary Smith at his Fort Apache Studios. The album was released on Dog Gone Records, a label owned and run by R.E.M.'s former manager Jefferson Holt.

Ringo split up due to musical differencesfact|date=January 2008 and Keegan continued to work solo and in combination with a number of other musicians. His first post-Ringo band was Homer, consisting of Keegan, Andy Metcalfe (of the Soft Boys and Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians), Patrick Hannan (of The Sundays), Jake Kyle and Andrew Claridge. This line-up also recorded under the name Tim Keegan & the Homer Lounge. [cite journal| last =Horkins | first =Tony | authorlink = | title =Studio eye | journal =Melody Maker | volume =75 | issue =11 | pages =47 | publisher =Holborn Publishing | location =London | date =1998-03-14 | url = | doi = | id = | accessdate = ]

Homer released two singles in 1995, "Lucky Thirteen" and "Superkeen". During this period, the band served as the backing band for Robyn Hitchcock, and played on several of the tracks on Hitchcock's "Moss Elixir" album. [ [http://www.robynhitchcock.com/detail-pages/rhonmosselixir.htm] Robyn Hitchcock's notes on "Moss Elixir", retrieved 25 June 2008.] cite news| last =Considine| first =J.D.| title =Leaping head first into songs: Robyn Hitchcock brings a winning formula as he pops into town with Moss Elixir| page =E1| publisher ="The Baltimore Sun"| date =1997-03-05| ] Additionally, the band toured with Hitchcock, and played small dates throughout the south of England in the summer of 1995. The shows typically featured an opening Homer set, followed by a Robyn Hitchcock set. During the late 1990s, both Tim Keegan and Jake Kyle accompanied Hitchcock, including the 1997 and 1998 fan shows.

Keegan's next and most critically successful band was Departure Lounge. [cite news| last =Edwards| first =Mark| title =Record of the week: Tim Keegan and Departure Lounge| page =18| publisher ="The Sunday Times"| date =1999-06-13| ] [cite news| last =Aston| first =Martin| title =Out of Here: Tim Keegan and the Departure Lounge| page =11| publisher ="The Times"| date =1999-06-19| ] cite news| last =SFO| first =| title =Tim Keegan| page =46| publisher ="The Sun"| date =2007-08-03| ] Keegan, with Departure Lounge, supported Robyn Hitchcock on a US tour in 1999. [cite news| last =| first =| title =The best of What's Out There| page =14| publisher ="Austin American-Statesman"| date =1999-10-21| ] They have now disbanded and Keegan is working on solo projects. His first solo album, "Foreign Domestic", was released in 2007. He continues to perform with Hitchcock, including on the latter's recent tour, reviving his "I often dream of trains" album.

Keegan lives in Brighton and has a young son called Quincy.

References

External links

* [http://www.myspace.com/timkeeganmusic Tim Keegan's Myspace page]
* [http://www.departureloungemusic.com Departure Lounge website (no longer updated)]