The Keystones are an alternative rock band based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Born in Waukesha, the very same place as the electric guitar, the members of this unique, out-of-the-box rock group hail from the golden era of grunge guitar, one that’s full of heavy tones and hypnotizing garage beats that dance between Brit-indie-rock and new-age modern rock sounds.
They’re a far cry from the glitzy, indie pop groups that seem to fall out of the woodwork these days, and they’re okay with that. Why? Because their goal isn’t to find the glossiest sound. In fact, it’s much bigger than that: they want to make the town that created the guitar as we know it proud.
The Keystones
In July, The Keystones went through a major change when they welcomed Rayven Burdette to their lineup as lead vocalist. Burdette is an incredibly gifted artist, being a proficient recorded multi-instrumentalist, receiving Tommy and Jimmy award nominations, and performing on Broadway and numerous theatres throughout the Midwest. Burdette takes pride in his Japanese-Mexican heritage, hoping to use his platform to give a voice to immigrants in America.
“Funny enough, the song just came to me while I was in the kitchen cooking. I heard the riff with the drums in my head so I quickly programmed the notes into GarageBand on my phone - a huge lifesaver for all the riffs and ideas that pop up out of nowhere! I took the chorus instrumental from another song I was writing and as a band, we fleshed out the lyrics and melodies. This was the first time I was a part of a team of musicians with a goal in mind. This was the first time I was being encouraged to do what I love most. This was the first time I felt accepted. It feels so nice to finally be the singer of a band that I’ve genuinely looked up to for years. It feels even better that we all have such organic chemistry and a drive to reach people with our music.”