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Home » Articles » Music » Robert Earl Keen: Back on the Road with Heart and Purpose

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Robert Earl Keen performs at Ryman Auditorium on June 2, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Erika Goldring Photo)

Robert Earl Keen: Back on the Road with Heart and Purpose

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August 15, 2025 @ 10:51am | Dan Rozman

District Fray was fortunate to catch up with Robert Earl Keen by phone, and there’s an easy warmth in his voice that immediately explains why fans have been drawn to his music for over three decades. The Texas songwriter is gearing up for three nights at The Birchmere in Alexandria later this month. But more than just another tour stop, these shows represent everything Keen values about performing: intimacy, connection, and the chance to share songs that might otherwise get lost in larger venues.

“I always think of it as the perfect artist venue, especially in my way of performing,” Keen explains when asked about The Birchmere. “I like to engage with the audience, have that back and forth and feel the audience. And you can do that at The Birchmere better than any place.”

The venue, currently located at 3701 Mount Vernon Avenue in Alexandria, has been hosting intimate performances since 1966. Known as “America’s Legendary Music Hall,” The Birchmere combines dinner service with exceptional acoustics in a setting where every seat offers a clear view of the stage. For artists like Keen, who built his reputation on storytelling and genuine connection with his audience, it’s an ideal match.

Keen first played The Birchmere in the late 1980s, opening for Nancy Griffith. Now returning as a headliner for shows on August 19, 20, and 21, he appreciates how the venue allows him to pull out what he calls his “Snapchat songs,” brief musical moments he creates while driving that might last only a minute and a half.

“These are songs I literally make up on driving along and I’ll just record them,” he says. “Sometimes I put guitar music to them. Sometimes they just become an acapella thing. Those kinds of things that I’m never able to pull out at a show where we’ve got thousands of people.”

The intimacy of The Birchmere also means Keen doesn’t rely on a rigid setlist. Instead, he writes down some of his rarely played songs to ensure he includes what he calls his “fragile” and “mystical” pieces that work best in quiet, attentive settings. “It’s like the Xanax of performing,” he laughs. “It just has a calming effect on me, knowing that everyone is there to listen and hear what you have to say.”

This relaxed approach to performance comes at a time when Keen has been anything but relaxed in his personal life. The devastating July 4th flooding in his hometown area of Kerrville, Texas, prompted him to organize a major benefit concert in record time. Starting work on July 5th, just one day after the disaster, Keen and his team put together “Applause for the Cause,” featuring an impressive lineup including Tyler Childers, Miranda Lambert, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Jack Ingram, and more.

“We started putting that benefit together on the fifth of July,” Keen recalls. “I was slated to play Kerrville on the river on the Fourth of July, and that’s when that happened. So I felt like I had to take an opportunity to go ahead and start doing stuff as soon as possible.”

The benefit, scheduled for August 28th at Whitewater Amphitheater near New Braunfels, sold out in five minutes despite holding 6000 people. Major sponsor Buc-ee’s contributed a million dollars to the effort, and streaming options will be available on Amazon Music, DirecTV, Veeps, and YouTube for those who can’t attend. All proceeds will go directly to flood relief efforts through the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country.

“The one resounding thought that I had was doing as much for as many people for as long as we can,” Keen reflects. “We couldn’t take away the grief and the sadness, but what we can do is move forward and do our best with helping people resurrect their lives.”

This commitment to community extends to his current tour, where merchandise proceeds are going toward disaster relief. Fans attending shows like those at The Birchmere can contribute to the cause while enjoying an evening of music, and those who want to support the relief efforts can also donate directly through BetterUnite or watch the upcoming benefit concert via the streaming options.

Beyond the flood relief work, Keen has several creative projects in the works. He’s deep into recording a new album with producer Matt Ross-Spang in Memphis, with a planned release in spring 2026.

Additionally he is working on a photo book of his guitars. “I have a significant guitar collection, and while I’m still doing this, I wanted to get something that you could hold in your hands and look at the guitars that I’ve had and I’ve played over the years,” he explains. The book will feature art shots of the instruments along with an index explaining the history of his guitars and where he’s performed with them. Also,  “It will have poems that I’ve written over the last couple of years that no one knows, no one’s seen,” Keen adds.

His podcast, “Americana Podcast,” is also expanding beyond its original focus on songwriters to include conversations with people from fashion, food, and film about their relationship with Americana music and culture.

When asked about his musical style, Keen firmly embraces the Americana label. “Americana is based in roots music, but it doesn’t have any of the rules and the boundaries that country music has,” he says. “You can do just about anything in Americana.”

This freedom to explore different musical territory while staying true to his storytelling roots seems to perfectly capture Keen’s approach to his post-retirement career. “I retired in 22 for multiple reasons, but I’m still playing primarily because I realized that I wasn’t any good at anything else, and I really enjoyed what I did,” he admits with characteristic humor. “I realized that was just my life blood, playing music. So I couldn’t give it up.”

For fans heading to The Birchmere this August, they can expect an evening that showcases exactly why Keen considers it his favorite venue. “When people ask me what my favorite venue is, I say The Birchmere, unequivocally,” he states without hesitation.

In a world where live music often feels like a branded party experience, The Birchmere offers something increasingly rare: a place where an artist can simply tell stories, share songs, and connect with people who came to listen. For Robert Earl Keen, whose entire career has been built on that kind of authentic connection, it’s the perfect place to prove that the road really does go on forever.

 

Photos by Erika Goldring

Robert Earl Keen performs at Ryman Auditorium on June 2, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Erika Goldring Photo)
Robert Earl Keen performs at Ryman Auditorium on June 2, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Erika Goldring Photo)
Robert Earl Keen performs at Ryman Auditorium on June 2, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Erika Goldring Photo)
Robert Earl Keen performs at Ryman Auditorium on June 2, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Erika Goldring Photo)
Robert Earl Keen performs at Ryman Auditorium on June 2, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Erika Goldring Photo)
Robert Earl Keen performs at Ryman Auditorium on June 2, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Erika Goldring Photo)
Robert Earl Keen performs at Ryman Auditorium on June 2, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Erika Goldring Photo)
Robert Earl Keen performs at Ryman Auditorium on June 2, 2024, in Nashville, Tennessee. (Erika Goldring Photo)

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Artists, Events, Live Music, Live performances

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Alexandria, VA

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