View source for Conrad Keely

{{Infobox musical artist
| image             = File:13-08-09_Taubertal_Trail_of_Dead_Conrad_Keely_3.JPG
| caption           = Keely on the Main Stage of the Taubertal Festival 2013
| alias             = Conrad Francis Sobsamai
| birth_date        = {{b-da|15 May 1972}}
| birth_place       = [[Nuneaton]], [[Warwickshire]], England
| genre             = [[Alternative rock]], [[progressive rock]], [[post-hardcore]]
| instrument        = Vocals, guitar, drums, piano, keyboards, bass
| years_active      = 1994–present
| occupation        = Musician, songwriter, singer, artist
| website           = http://www.conradkeely.com/
| label             = Trance Records, [[Merge Records]], [[Interscope Records]], Richter Scale, [[Superball Music]]
}}
'''Conrad Keely''' (born 15 May 1972) is a musician, artist, and writer known primarily as the lead singer for the American [[rock music|rock]] band [[...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead]].

== Background ==
Born in [[Nuneaton]], [[Warwickshire]], England<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title = Trail Of Dead to play Birmingham Academy - Conrad Keely interview « Express & Star|url = https://www.expressandstar.com/entertainment/2011/03/31/trail-of-dead-to-play-birmingham-academy-conrad-keely-interview/|website = www.expressandstar.com|accessdate = 2015-11-21}}</ref> of [[Irish people|Irish]] and [[Thai people|Thai]] descent,<ref name=":1">[https://archive.today/20130915111434/http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/2002-03-04/news/0203040152_1_jason-reece-conrad-keely-band Orlando Sentinel: "Trail Of Dead - The Real Story"] By Michael Corcoran March 4, 2002</ref> Keely grew up in the neighbouring town of [[Bedworth]]<ref>{{Cite web|title = hybridmagazine.com :: indie counter-culture daily, no secret handshakes.|url = http://www.hybridmagazine.com/music/0403/tod.shtml|website = www.hybridmagazine.com|accessdate = 2015-11-21}}</ref> before he and his mother moved to the U.S. state of [[Hawaii]] when he was five years old.<ref name=":0" /> Keely and family returned to Bedworth when he was eight for three years before returning to the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|title = TLOBF Interview :: ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead|url = http://www.thelineofbestfit.com/features/interviews/tlobf-interview-and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-12376|website = The Line of Best Fit|accessdate = 2015-11-22}}</ref> In 1988, while in high school in [[Oahu]], Keely met [[Jason Reece]], with whom he would later form ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.<ref name=":1" /> Keely then moved with his mother to [[Olympia, Washington]] in 1989 where he attended [[The Evergreen State College]]. Reece joined Keely in Washington a short time later, and the two tried forming bands in Olympia's underground music scene.<ref name=":4" /> Finding little success,<ref name=":4" /> in 1994 Keely and Reece moved to [[Austin, Texas]] to form bands.<ref name=":1" /> Before signing a contract to [[Interscope Records]] with ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Keely primarily worked clerical office jobs in Austin while playing with the band at night.<ref name="pitchfork.com">{{Cite web|title = Interviews: And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead|url = http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/5849-and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead/|website = Pitchfork|accessdate = 2015-11-23}}</ref>

Keely relocated from Austin to [[Brooklyn]], New York in 2008,<ref name=":1" />  and then moved to [[Phnom Penh]], Cambodia in 2012<ref>{{Cite web|title = The 405 meets ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead|url = http://www.thefourohfive.com/music/news/article/interview-and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead|website = The 405|accessdate = 2015-11-21}}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web|title = Interview: Conrad Keely from ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead {{!}} Echoes And Dust|url = http://echoesanddust.com/2015/07/interview-conrad-keely-from-and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead/|website = echoesanddust.com| date=28 July 2015 |accessdate = 2015-11-21}}</ref> after being "fed up with American life."<ref name=":5" /> Keely visited the country while travelling with his father after an ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead Australian tour and decided to stay.<ref name=":5">{{cite web|author=entertaim.net|url=http://entertaimnet.wordpress.com/2012/10/25/trail-of-dead-cambodia-on-my-mind/|title=Interview with Conrad "Cambodia on my mind" |date=2012-10-25 |accessdate=2012-10-25}}</ref> Keely expressed being tired with America and moving overseas as early as 2003.<ref name=":10" /> Since moving to Cambodia, he has traveled around the country, performing as part of a cultural exchange.<ref name=":7" /> Although Keely does not speak [[Khmer language|Khmer]], he says the country is "a noisy place full of weird sounds – temples, monks chanting, loud speakers blaring, egg sellers and vendors. I need that chaos, and I think it helps that it’s in a language I don’t understand."<ref name=":6" /> While Keely predominantly grew up in the United States, he holds and uses an Irish passport<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":3">{{Cite web|title = The Ship Is Sinking: An Interview With ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead|url = http://www.popmatters.com/feature/trail-of-dead-050328/|website = PopMatters|accessdate = 2015-11-21}}</ref> and is not an American citizen.<ref name=":5" /> Keely moved back to Austin, Texas in 2018 to maintain his [[Green card]] status.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Trail of Dead’s Conrad Keely on Leaving Cambodia and the Band’s First LP in 6 Years|url = https://floodmagazine.com/73372/trail-of-deads-conrad-keely-on-leaving-cambodia-and-the-bands-first-lp-in-6-years/|website = Flood Magazine|accessdate = 2024-09-20}}</ref>

== Work ==

=== ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead ===
{{main|...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead}}
Keely founded ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead with childhood friend and fellow musician [[Jason Reece]] in 1994 when the two moved to Austin, Texas.<ref>{{Cite web|title = And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead - BandPage|url = https://andyouwillknowusbythetrailofdead.bandpage.com/|website = BandPage|accessdate = 2015-11-20|url-status = dead|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20150906201118/https://andyouwillknowusbythetrailofdead.bandpage.com/|archivedate = 2015-09-06}}</ref> Originally planning to form two bands, with Keely on vocals and guitar with Reece drumming in one band and switching roles in the other band, the two soon settled on one band where they swap duties depending on the song.<ref name=":1" /> After initially a duo performing as You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead,<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|title = Superball Music - ...AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD|url = http://www.superballmusic.com/artist.aspx?IdArtist=301|website = www.superballmusic.com|accessdate = 2015-11-22}}</ref> the two soon expanded the name and the lineup. ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead quickly became known for their "anarchic" live shows and their sound, described by ''[[AllMusic]]''<nowiki/>'s Jason Ankeny as "an unlikely but powerful combination of punk fury and prog rock ambition."<ref>{{Cite web|title = ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead {{!}} Biography & History {{!}} AllMusic|url = http://www.allmusic.com/artist/and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-mn0000019392/biography|website = AllMusic|accessdate = 2015-11-24}}</ref> By 1998 the group signed with Trance Records and released their [[...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead (album)|eponymous debut album]]. After a [[Madonna (...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead album)|second independent album]], this time on [[Merge Records]], the band signed to [[Record label|major-label]] [[Interscope Records]] in 2001. The critically acclaimed ''[[Source Tags & Codes]]'' was released in 2002,<ref>{{Cite web|title = Source Tags & Codes by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead|url = http://www.metacritic.com/music/source-tags-codes/and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead|website = Metacritic|accessdate = 2015-11-20}}</ref> and since then the band had released six more studio albums.

=== Solo work and other bands ===
Keely released his debut solo album, ''[[Original Machines]]'', on January 22, 2016 on [[Superball Music]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead's Conrad Keely Announces Solo Album ''Original Machines''|url = http://pitchfork.com/news/62087-and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-deads-conrad-keely-announces-solo-album-original-machines/|website = Pitchfork| date=12 November 2015 |accessdate = 2015-11-20}}</ref> Songs for the album were primarily written while traveling in Cambodia, but a few were written while on tour with ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, recording them in the back of the tour bus.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Trail Of Dead's Conrad Keely Releasing Solo Album ::Trail Of Dead News ::antiMusic.com|url = http://www.antimusic.com/news/15/September/23Trail_Of_Deads_Conrad_Keely_Releasing_Solo_Album.shtml|website = www.antimusic.com|accessdate = 2015-11-21}}</ref> On the sound of his first work without the band, while speaking with Steve Bell of Australia's ''The Music'', Keely said that he was "given more freedom to explore other textures and stuff that I might not usually" while having "the liberty to create something that's outside of [Trail of Dead's] rock paradigm."<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|title = Deliberately Making Non-Commercial Music|url = http://themusic.com.au/interviews/all/2015/07/28/and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-conrad-keely-steve-bell/|website = theMusic|accessdate = 2015-11-21}}</ref> He also plays [[wurlitzer]] and [[fiddle]] for Austin, Texas country-folk band [[Brothers and Sisters (band)|Brothers and Sisters]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Brothers and Sisters Bio, History, Info on JamBase|url = http://www.jambase.com/Artists/36894/Brothers-and-Sisters/Bio|website = www.jambase.com|accessdate = 2015-11-20}}</ref>

== Musical style and influence ==

=== Musical influence ===
Keely states in interviews that his biggest influences growing up were [[Classic rock|classic]], [[Progressive rock|progressive]], and [[alternative rock]]; listening to bands like [[Pink Floyd]], [[Rush (band)|Rush]], and [[The Replacements (band)|The Replacements]].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|title = A Sign of the Times: ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead delves into world affairs|url = http://www.clevescene.com/cleveland/a-sign-of-the-times-and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-delves-into-world-affairs/Content?oid=3608247|website = Cleveland Scene|accessdate = 2015-11-21|first = Jeff|last = Niesel}}</ref><ref name=":10">{{Cite web|title = And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead|url = http://freewilliamsburg.com/september_2003/dead.html|website = freewilliamsburg.com|accessdate = 2015-11-21}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead's Conrad Keely|url = http://exclaim.ca/music/article/you_will_know_us_by_trail_of_deads_conrad|website = exclaim.ca|accessdate = 2015-11-21}}</ref> The style and sound of the Trail of Dead album ''[[Tao of the Dead]]'' came from such influences, like Pink Floyd's ''[[The Wall]]'', Yes albums like ''[[Close to the Edge (Yes album)|Close to the Edge]]'' and ''[[Relayer]],'' and Rush's ''[[Hemispheres (Rush album)|Hemispheres]]'', with Keely telling William Goodman of ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' that "I always liked listening to records that were just a continuous piece, like an orchestra or a symphony."<ref name=":9" /> Bandmate Jason Reece claims he got Keely into punk music<ref name=":4" /> and Keely makes the same claim for influence on Reece regarding prog, with the two swapping cassettes of music throughout school.<ref name=":4" /><ref name=":10" />

=== Musical style ===
[[File:Trail of Dead live 20050226 02.jpg|thumb|Keely at a concert in 2005]]Keely's songwriting often shows the influence of progressive rock, as the aforementioned ''Tao of the Dead'' illustrates. Other songs often have political or social meaning characteristic of punk music;<ref>Sabin (1999), pp. 4, 226; Dalton, Stephen, "Revolution Rock," ''Vox'', June 1993. See also Laing (1985), pp. 27–32, for a statistical comparison of lyrical themes.</ref> for example, the song "Up to Infinity" from ''Lost Songs'' about the [[Syrian Civil War]] and the first track "Open Doors" is about [[human trafficking]] in Cambodia.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Album Review: ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead Lost Songs|url = https://consequence.net/2012/10/album-review-and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-lost-songs/|website = Consequence of Sound| date=26 October 2012 |access-date = 2015-11-25}}</ref> Many tracks on the album ''[[Worlds Apart (...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead album)|Worlds Apart]]'' are about social unrest in the United States after the [[September 11 attacks|attacks of September 11th]] and consumer culture,<ref>{{Cite web|title = ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead Worlds Apart {{!}} Album Review {{!}} Slant Magazine|url = http://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-worlds-apart|website = Slant Magazine| date=24 January 2005 |accessdate = 2015-11-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title = ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead: Worlds Apart|url = http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/182-worlds-apart/|website = Pitchfork|accessdate = 2015-11-25}}</ref> and Caryn Ganz of ''Spin'' described the writing on ''[[So Divided]]'' as "lyrically bleak."<ref>{{Cite web|title = ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, 'So Divided' (Interscope) {{!}} SPIN|url = http://www.spin.com/2006/11/and-you-will-know-us-trail-dead-so-divided-interscope/|website = Spin|accessdate = 2015-11-25}}</ref>

2014's ''[[IX (...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead album)|IX]]'' showed a change in Keely's style to a much more introspective one in writing and sound. While never intentionally seeking to change musical direction, Keely says that he was going through "a lot of personal stuff" while writing the songs for the album and the result was a lyrically personal album.<ref name=":12" /> After moving to Cambodia in 2012, Keely fathered a son. He and the mother split up prior to recording ''IX'', and Keely admits that the sense of melancholy and loss came into the album,<ref name=":12" /> with songs like "The Ghost Within" and "The Dragonfly Queen" reflecting these feelings and events.<ref name=":13">{{Cite web|title = ...Trail of Dead's track by track guide to new album 'IX'|url = http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4148349-trail-of-deads-track-by-track-guide-to-new-album-ix|website = DrownedInSound|accessdate = 2015-11-25|archive-date = 2015-11-25|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151125104333/http://drownedinsound.com/in_depth/4148349-trail-of-deads-track-by-track-guide-to-new-album-ix|url-status = dead}}</ref> The title of the album, ''IX,'' also reflects these feelings, being a reference to the planet Ix from ''[[Dune (novel)|Dune]]'', a harsh and cold world that served as a prison.<ref name=":13" />

==Artwork and writing==

Keely is an avid visual artist. He claims he has been drawing his entire life and that he had an agent at the age of seventeen, displaying works at science fiction conventions.<ref name=":10" /> He studied art at The Evergreen State College but claims he "didn't learn anything," and that he quit art "symbolically" to focus on music, as he cannot quit something that is part of who he is.<ref name=":10" /> Keely considers himself a modern artist, and much of his work is inspired by comic illustration. He's stated his admiration for comics, that "they teach you how to draw."<ref name=":11">{{Cite web|title = Q&A with Conrad Keely of ... And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead|url = http://www.westword.com/music/qanda-with-conrad-keely-of-and-you-will-know-us-by-the-trail-of-dead-5715968|website = Westword|accessdate = 2015-11-23}}</ref> Keely is a fan of the [[X-Men]] and even noted that, as a reference to ''[[Secret Wars]]'', he wanted to include a ''[[New Mutants]]'' character in the collage cover art of ''[[Worlds Apart (...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead album)|Worlds Apart]]''.<ref name=":3" /><ref name=":2">{{Cite web|title = The Marvel Life: ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail of Dead {{!}} Marvel Heroes {{!}} News {{!}} Marvel.com|url = http://marvel.com/news/comics/8007/the_marvel_life_.and_you_will_know_us_by_the_trail_of_dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151121122647/http://marvel.com/news/comics/8007/the_marvel_life_.and_you_will_know_us_by_the_trail_of_dead|url-status = dead|archive-date = 2015-11-21|website = marvel.com|accessdate = 2015-11-21}}</ref> Despite his enjoyment of comics and the [[Lowbrow (art movement)|lowbrow art movement]], he's said he finds little emotion or enjoyment in modern art and that he prefers "old art."<ref name=":11" /> Keely wrote an article for ''Filter'' magazine in 2003 titled, "Modern Art is Shit,"<ref name="filtermagazine.com">{{Cite web|title = FILTER Magazine - Exclusives - 10 Years of FILTER: Issue #5 - EndNote: "Abstract Art Is Shit" by Conrad Keely|url = http://filtermagazine.com/index.php/exclusives/entry/10_years_of_filter_issue_5_-_endnote_abstract_art_is_shit_by_conrad_keely|website = filtermagazine.com|accessdate = 2015-11-25}}</ref> in which he lambasts the modern art movement. Keely noted that he received a considerable amount of criticism for the article.<ref name="filtermagazine.com"/>

Keely has commonly incorporated his drawings and paintings into Trail of Dead's album art, designing and illustrating most all of their albums.<ref name=":10" /> He believes the cover art and album packaging for ''[[Madonna (...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead album)|Madonna]]'' played a part in ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead being noticed by [[Jimmy Iovine]], co-founder of Interscope Records, which lead to their major label deal.<ref name="pitchfork.com"/> He has also done album art for other musicians and has displayed his art worldwide,<ref name=":8" /> including a show also featuring [[Melissa Auf der Maur]].<ref>{{Cite web|title = Thurston Moore, Trail of Dead's Keely Get Arty in NYC|url = http://pitchfork.com/news/33832-thurston-moore-trail-of-deads-keely-get-arty-in-nyc/|website = Pitchfork| date=23 October 2008 |accessdate = 2015-11-23}}</ref>

Keely has been working on a science fiction graphic novel titled ''Strange News From Another Planet'' for many years.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web|title = Conrad Keely keeps Trail of Dead alive|url = http://www.sfgate.com/music/article/Conrad-Keely-keeps-Trail-of-Dead-alive-4017230.php|website = SFGate| date=7 November 2012 |accessdate = 2015-11-21}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> The story is "portions of [Trail of Dead's] mythology,"<ref name=":7" /> and artwork, characters, and themes from the story have been included in the ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead albums ''[[Tao of the Dead]]'', ''[[Lost Songs (...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead album)|Lost Songs]]'', and the ''[[Tao of the Dead III]]'' EP.<ref name=":7" /><ref name=":9">{{Cite web|title = EXCLUSIVE: New Trail of Dead Song! {{!}} SPIN|url = http://www.spin.com/2010/11/exclusive-new-trail-dead-song/|website = Spin|accessdate = 2015-11-22}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.conradkeely.com}}
* [http://www.acidlogic.com/untitled.htm ''Untitled'' by Conrad Keely]
* [http://spin-cdnsrc.texterity.com/spin/200903/?pg=28&pm=2 ...Trail of Dead's Conrad Keely] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716215022/http://spin-cdnsrc.texterity.com/spin/200903/?pg=28&pm=2 |date=2011-07-16 }} featured in [[Spin (magazine)|SPIN]]'s "In My Room"
* Conrad Keely's art on [https://www.facebook.com/conradkeelyart/ Facebook]

{{...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keely, Conrad}}
[[Category:1972 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Evergreen State College alumni]]
[[Category:English emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:English rock singers]]
[[Category:People from Nuneaton]]
[[Category:...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead members]]
[[Category:21st-century English singers]]