Last night I had the pleasure, yes pleasure, of going to a Robert Earl Keen show @ Joe's Sports Bar in Chicago. Here's a guy who's been writing master storytelling songs, touring and living life by his own terms for over 30 years. It was inspiring. He was totally in the moment, the crowd LOVED him, many knew every word to every song he sang and I was only about 15 feet away from him and his wonderful band. I'd never heard of Keen until I moved to Austin 15 years ago. And though I suspect there are still a lot of folks who've never heard of Keen, to me, what I experienced last night is all I could ever hope for with my own music. Keen is the real deal...that's what I strive for!