Keith Curits is a Minneapolis based singer songwriter whose music style ranges through the acoustic rock, indie Rock and Indie folk genres. His songwriting journey began with a passion to learn the guitar and cover other popular artists from genres such as classic rock, folk rock, indie rock, folk and grunge. With 3 releases to his name at the time this was written, Keith explains where his musical roots were born and how they have influenced his style to date.
“As a kid I was glued to the TV in the Summer. I remember seeing infomercials for a box set of Led Zeppelin classics. Kashmir was the featured song playing over the images of the band throughout their career as rock & roll king pins. The opening riff by Jimmy Page grabbed my attention immediately. It piqued my curiosity enough for me to pick up the phone and call the closest music shop in town. When the attendant picked up the phone I explained how I was ready to embark on the Led Zeppelin journey but did not know exactly where to begin. In a kind and serious tone he explained the most appropriate place to start would be Led Zeppelin IV. This album and its classic rock, acoustic rock and folk rock tones would eventually become one of the seminal albums to influence my appreciation of popular music.
I worked through Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Beatles and many more great bands before my time in preparation for my coming of age as a teenager when grunge music hit the scene. I can still remember my 8 free CDs from Columbia House, one of which was Siamese Dream by the Smashing Pumpkins. I started to discover on the radio other songs the Smashing Pumpkins had covered such as “Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac and “Never Let me Down Again” by Depeche Mode. Discovering these were not original songs by the band helped open my mind to other classic songs from the past and further shape my appreciation for cover songs.”
Happiness is Hard was Keith’s first major recording effort whereby his songs are fully realized through the addition of seasoned session players, a producer and sound engineer. It was released on June 20th 2021. While all songs were written on an acoustic guitar (some with harmonica accompaniment) the addition of background vocals, double bass, slide guitar, drums and the pedal steel highlight the range of genres his music can reach.
The single Pillow of Sound was released in April, 2022. While riding his bike in the early morning hours on the LRT trail in the western suburbs of the Twin Cities Keith pieced together the lyrics for this song, which reflect the desire to find the perfect sound for the moment. This rocker showcases a heavier influence from the grunge era and stirs up similarities to the Foo Fighters and other grunge heavy weights.
On December 17th, 2023 Keith Curtis released his second EP Made To Move. Made To Move is a 5 song EP and a collection of songs written between 2019-2022. It’s similar to Happiness is Hard in that the same session musicians were used to create this studio sound with the exception of bassist Aaron Fabrini. Stand out tracks such as “The Mason ” and “Put Your Hands Up” exhibit the growth in his song writing capability and elevate the overall body of work to the next level.
All songs were recorded at Winterland Studios in New Hope, MN, Terrarium Studio in Minneapolis, MN and Tonal Control studios Columbia Heights, MN. Editing, mixing and producing credit belong to audio engineer Matt Guertin of Tonal Control (L.L.C).
