Keith Renshaw’s lessons for life

Seasoned Fremantle musician Keith Renshaw has entered a new phase of his musical life, beginning with the release of his new single, Good To Be Alive. BOB GORDON spoke to Renshaw about songwriting and positive outcomes.

Keith Renshaw has played in bands and written songs since his late teens, going back to the late ’80s and early ‘90s with bands on the Perth scene such as Wow Jones and The Hunkpapas, but in recent times a sense of musical renewal has overcome him.

A drummer in the aforementioned bands. Renshaw has slowly but surely been crafting his own catalogue as a singer-songwriter. The creation and purpose of his music have become clearer than ever.

“Everything’s been dancing around something,” he notes. “It’s mainly been about trying to write some songs that have created a story about possibly my life or somebody else’s life. I don’t think I really grasped that in the past.”

Renshaw has had EP and album releases over the last 10 years, but they’ve never sat quite right for him. However, a visit to Broome to record at Red Earth Sound in the spring of 2023 has ushered in a new era of creative consciousness.

“In the most recent of times going up to Broome at Red Earth Sound with Mick Stephens, I’ve found my sound, where it sits right. And I’m clearly happier with what’s been done than with anything previously.

“I’ve been living in Fremantle for the last 10 years doing the open mic nights (Keith estimates he’s done 250 such gigs). And the response has been good, with all of the songs getting some fresh air. Going to a new place and getting some session musicians from up that way, in a totally different environment, has definitely helped. When I play back the songs now, clearly that is me.”

With some 30 songs in his creative swag, Renshaw will be releasing several new singles over time as we move into 2024. The first of these released this week on Bandcamp is Good To Be Alive, a breezy, feel-good antidote for the troubled times we live in and a call to see beyond the stress of modern life and the divisive messages espoused so often in mainstream media and reflect and revel in the simple joy of being.

For Renshaw, it was a series of world events that saw him put his thoughts to paper, with Good to Be Alive being the rousing result.

“I’ve been quoting some of the messages that are in that song for quite a few years,” he explains. “It was just a matter of me putting my thoughts into what I thought the world needed to hear now — and then piecing all of those ideas, thoughts, and messages together to put into a song while trying to avoid being too cheesy but believable.

“I find these days that everyone’s on a totally different page. People start an argument in an empty room, and everything is so negative, and there seems to be so much conflict. People get asked divisive questions, and there’s a lot of division. I wanted to base the song around those thoughts and try to give something back to people that has much more positive energy than the mainstream media might make out.

“I’m hoping that when people hear the song, they feel better for it. And they’d like to possibly hear the song again, because it helped them out that day.”

Good To Be Alive will be followed up down the track by a song called Rabbit Hole, a contemplative ode about taking a chance to make positive change in your life.

“It’s all about being in a dead-end job that you don’t like and doing something about it,” Renshaw says. “Packing up, selling up, or doing whatever you’re doing and doing what you love — going down that rabbit hole where there’s some uncertainty and being brave enough to do that.

“What I’m suggesting to people is that if you do that, you’re not going to regret it. You’re not going to be sitting around at the old people’s home when you get to 90 going, ‘I wish I did more things that I love, instead of working so hard in a job that I didn’t’.”

Working towards being a contender further into 2024, Renshaw will look to perform at venue gigs and festivals. He will also release a third track, Timber Creek, “about remote, hot desert towns and just doing nothing.”

The song laments the lonely feeling of time passing but does so with some fondness at the same time. It’s an endearing trait in Renshaw’s songwriting and speaks of his approach to life in general.

“All my songs have a message and a philosophy in them,” he says. “A turn of phrase where, if I’m singing something that is a little bit negative at the end of it or during the song, there is a positive outcome from it.

“As life goes on, I’ve changed a little bit and tried to become a more mature person,” Renshaw concludes. “Hopefully my songs are reflected in that.”

Photo by Alan Holbrook