We are Misery Lane. We are based in Ann Arbor, MI. We are what we like to call non-genre specific. We think of ourselves as a band that teeters on the edge of hard rock and metal. We don’t use the cookie-cutter approach to music so one song will sound nothing like the previous. We try to give something to everyone. My name is Ken Keller. I am the founder, lead guitarist, singer, songwriter, etc. I love all kinds of music and it is shown in Misery Lane. If someone were to ask me my style, I would say metal riffs with blues solos.
TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR NEW ALBUM OR SINGLE?
The new album, “The Red Balloon”, is untitled but since the cover features a red balloon it’s been aptly named. It was released on March 15, 2023, and is already doing much better in ways of streams and critique than the first album. On this album I do all the singing and that really has seemed to be the key to reaching the people. One of the comments I heard most about the first album was that the people loved the music but couldn’t understand the lyrics. With this album I worked very hard to shave the rough edges off and have a finer finished product.
WHAT INSPIRED THE ALBUM OR SINGLE?
The album was inspired by a poem I wrote for my wife called One Red Balloon. She is a huge horror nerd, and I wrote her a love poem from the view of Pennywise the clown. I figured if he could feel every other emotion from the people, he “eats” then why not love and instead of giving roses he attempted to give “One Red Balloon”. The poem inspired a guitar riff, and the song was born. From there it was just a matter of lining up the other songs I had that fit the “out of the box” style of music we strive to achieve.
CAN YOU SUM UP THE ALBUM IN A FEW WORDS?
In a few words I would say, “Something for everyone.” There are fast, heavy songs if you’re in that kind of mood. Slow melodic jams should that mood hit you and some middle-of-the-road rock-like songs to groove to during the day. Just a plethora of good music.
WHAT RECORD CHANGED YOUR LIFE AND WHY?
I don’t think there was one album per se but there are so many great artists and songs that all influenced me and the other band members in so many ways that I believe without them we wouldn’t be where we are today. Nietzsche said that life without music would be a mistake and I agree.
DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE MUSIC VIDEO FILMED BY YOUR BAND OR ANOTHER
ARTIST?
To this point we have only done one “music video” although there are many videos of our live performances. The video for “You Are Not Alone” got great responses and it was really about letting people know that whatever they have going on in life that they are not alone and its okay to feel bad but there is always someone willing to help.
WHAT WOULD WE FIND YOU DOING WHEN YOU'RE NOT MAKING MUSIC?
I’m a family man so spending time with my wife and two small kids usually, although, I love to be creative so I’m constantly doing things. I love to paint, draw, write poems, essays, novels etc. I have a novel available for download on amazon. It’s called “Asylum”.
DO YOU GET NERVOUS PERFORMING LIVE, IF SO HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT?
Maybe the very first time but I have played live so many times now it’s just like having a party for a few hundred friends. I want them to have as much fun as I am, so I try to put on a good show and keep them engaged. Being nervous is natural but the rush of playing live far outweighs that fear in my opinion.
HOW DID YOU FORM THE BAND?
The band was formed by a friend and I back in October of 2020. He sang and I wrote and played all the music/instruments on the album because we didn’t have anyone else. Eventually, we found some other players and hit the road. Since then we have had a few lineup changes and the other original founding member had life happen so he had to step away but Misery Lane is my baby so the drummer and I kept it going until we found the new lineup and not we are back stronger and better than ever.
HOW DO YOU WRITE? - DO YOU HAVE A KEY SONGWRITER, OR DO YOU ALL WORK
TOGETHER?
I will write what I call the “skeleton of the song” with all the basic parts from all the instruments, and I will send it to the guys and say what do you think of this. Then they all have their input, and the song is molded or changed based on everyone’s input.
WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
I am inspired by life and its experiences. If you just look around there is an unlimited amount of inspiration depending on what you are looking for or the mood you are in.
WHAT IS NEXT?
Next is just to continue to play shows and write. Luckily, we are at the point where shows come to us so very rarely do we have to inquire about putting on a show. Now I’m not talking about arena invites like we are Metallica, but we could play every weekend if we wanted but at this stage, we are choosing quality over quantity.
PLEASE TELL US ANY SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS SO WE CAN SHARE.
Miserylane.com https://www.facebook.com/miserylanemusic https://open.spotify.com/artist/6zMxWGWTA7cmXidyLAK100 https://music.apple.com/us/artist/misery-lane/1548172968
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_leY5cUWvE9yKpetP2zGl7Q84ZSKJbZgVw
Our music is available wherever you stream music
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