Keith Larsen started playing music at age 11 in Northern Wisconsin. His introduction to playing music began in the middle school concert, marching, and jazz bands. By his freshman year of high school he was being asked to play for most of the school outfits, and by his senior year he was playing in his first professional band. By this time Keith was in multiple groups, being snuck into bars or having one of the band members claim he was their son so he could “legally” be in the venue.
Keith started college in the fall of 1993 in La Crosse, Wisconsin and quickly became immersed in the robust music scene there. La Crosse is a small town by most standards, but with its rich musical tapestry has been dubbed the “Austin of the Midwest.” During his time there, Keith took advantage of a variety of opportunities, playing several nights a week while attending full time classes. In 1998 he earned a double major in Music and English and continued to perform and tour in the Upper Midwest region. When not on the road playing and touring in a grooveoriented horn band or playing in a punk rock trio, he was teaching and doing recording sessions.
In 2001, it was time for a change. Keith moved to the west coast to attend graduate school at California State University, Long Beach. Before long he was absorbed in the wide-ranging Long Beach music scene, playing jazz gigs, cover bands, and funk bands. After finishing his coursework in 2004 he joined Oedipus, a power trio which would be his main musical focus for several years. It was during this time he also met Jill, whom he would eventually marry. The year 2007 saw Keith finalizing his Masters degree with the publication of his thesis. Keith was fully engaged in the LA rock scene, regularly performing with Oedipus and recording and gigging with other local artists.
In 2008 Keith began his studies with Master Teacher, Bruce Becker and forged what would become an enduring friendship. Some years later Keith helped edit and finish Bruce’s instructional book, “Puzzles, Rhymes, and Riddles: Solutions to Odd Time Phrasing.” Oedipus was now touring in Europe and across the US, landing placements in movies and TV shows. Oedipus disbanded in 2013 and Keith pursued a freelance career. By then he was teaching regularly out of his studio in Long Beach and continuously gigging with a wide variety of artists all over LA, Orange County, and the Inland Empire.
In addition to playing live, Keith was recording regularly at Doug Grean’s studio (Stone Temple Pilots, Velvet Revolver, Sheryl Crow) as well as doing steady sessions at his own studio. In 2016 Keith toured with LA guitarist/producer Jason Mezilis in support of Mezilis’s solo album “Comedown.”
Throughout all these musical experiences, Keith had been developing a strong interest in electronic/acoustic hybrid music, exploring the use of digital vocabulary in an improvisational setting. It was this exploration that was the genesis for his 2017-released solo album, “Robot Music.”
Teaching has been as strong a part of Keith’s life as playing, and in 2017 he became a member of the teaching staff at Silverlake Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. He continues to have a fruitful and varied career in music, focusing on being an influential and inspirational teacher, advancing his own musicianship and participating in the music scene. Keith’s drive and curiosity for music and learning only grows more intense as time goes on.
The year 2018 will see Keith leading his own band in support of “Robot Music,” carrying a steady teaching roster, gigging, and recording on a regular basis. Each day he looks forward to becoming a better drummer, teacher, musician, and father. He lives in Long Beach with his wife and two daughters.
