| Keegan DeWitt | |
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Photo by James Goncalves |
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| Background information | |
| Born | April 8, 1982 |
| Origin | Portland, Oregon, U.S. |
| Occupations | Composer, Singer-Songwriter, Actor |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Labels | Izumi Records |
| Associated acts | Roman Candle |
| Website | www.keegandewitt.com |
Keegan DeWitt (born April 8, 1982) is a film composer, singer-songwriter and actor raised in Lake Oswego, Oregon now residing in Brooklyn and Nashville.
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Keegan was born in Bend, Oregon. He became interested in studying poetry, music, and screenwriting at an early age and sought out the Pacific Crest Community School in Portland, Oregon. It was here where he met and became friends with Aaron Katz and began making a series of short films together. This collaboration continued after high school while Katz attended the North Carolina School of the Arts and DeWitt attended SUNY Purchase (Film Conservatory) in New York to study directing. After graduating from SUNY Purchase, Keegan then moved to New York City to attend The Atlantic Theater Company (Acting Conservatory), founded by David Mamet to study acting. Shortly thereafter DeWitt began working with the LABrynth theater company founded by Philip Seymour Hoffman where he was a young associate.
Upon first moving to New York City, Keegan supported himself in New York by helping open numerous hotels and restaurants (The Maritime Hotel, The Bowery Hotel, The Waverly, The Lafayette House) under the guidance of Eric Goode, Sean MacPherson and Graydon Carter. During this time in the city Keegan continued his collaboration with Katz and other independent filmmakers as both a composer and actor. In 2005 Keegan composed the score for New York Times "Critic's Pick" "Dance Party USA" and in 2007 he scored "Quiet City" which was also a NY Times "Critic's Pick" and Independent Spirit Award nominee.[1] Both films are written and directed by Katz, were featured premieres at the South by Southwest Film Festival.
To date, Keegan has scored over ten films. In 2009 the IFC Films release "Still Walking" featured Keegan's original score in its trailer and DeWitt contributed four original cues to two documentaries directed by Benoit Faiveley that premiered on HDnet. He completed the score for the latest film by Katz entitled "Cold Weather" which premiered at the 2010 South By Southwest film festival and was bought and released by IFC Films.[2] The DVD features a live performance of the score at Nashville, TN's famous Belcourt Theatre. In 2011, DeWitt scored Cherie Saulter's "No Matter What", Barry Jenkin's "Remigration", as well as projects for Facebook and Rapha Cycling.
While working as an actor and composer in New York, Keegan also began developing his talents as a performing songwriter in New York's Lower East Side. During this time he was developing demos and recording regularly with Roman Candle, a band featuring his sister Timshel, as well as her husband Skip Matheny and his younger brother Logan Matheny (also of The Rosebuds) on drums.[3] Also during this time, Keegan started playing shows with Roman Candle as both a solo artist and the group's touring guitarist.
2009 found Keegan releasing his first collection of recordings, "Islands, on Izumi Records. "Islands" was released in the Fall of 2009 in the US and Europe and was supported by tours throughout the United States and France, beginning the annual tradition of a month long fall French residency, most recently featuring stops at Fargo Records and Le Flèche d'Or.
In 2010, Keegan released "Nothing Shows" under the Daytrotter label. The title song was featured in Season 6 episode 14 of the TV show How I Met Your Mother and "Say La La" was featured on the series premiere of ABC's "Revenge". Paste Magazine would go on to name him one of the 10 best Solo Artists of 2010 as well as "Best of What's Next". They would later ask him, along with K-Swiss and Billy Reid, to be part of their South By Southwest festivities.
Throughout 2011, Keegan toured as part of the Daytrotter Barnstormer tour with Sondre Lerche, Guards and others.
Keegan has appeared in numerous films including Quiet City and the upcoming independent film Luke and Brie Are on a First Date. He was also part of an off off-Broadway revival of Tom Donaghy's "Down The Shore". DeWitt and his co-star Kate Bayley collaborated with Donaghy to translate the short play to film. The film version was shot on Orcas Island, outside of Seattle, in September 2008, and was directed by Maggie Kiley.
DeWitt DJs under the moniker "Wild Cub" releasing monthly underground mixes to an exclusive, invite-only email list. This list currently includes several hundred members.