Dave McKeon prides himself on keeping true to his influences and not letting his music slip into the cliché country music of many modern artists.

His original songs have carefully crafted lyrics that feel effortless and conversational and point to the work of Willy Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Jerry Jeff Walker and Merle Haggard.

Growing up in upstate New York near the rural Village of Aurora, McKeon started playing at an early age when his father threw him a mandolin so he could play al...