The best thing about the holidays is getting to see old friends who come home to visit. Thats the case with Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter Wil Key, whom Ive known since we were freshmen at DuPont Manual High School.
He will be in town for a show at Nirvana featuring his wife Laura Key, who is also a Louisville native, and some other musical friends.
Its going to be good to be home. Its been a minute, Key told me. Ive been doing a lot of traveling for my last two projects, so Im looking forward to a little rest and holiday cheer.
Key got his professional start playing guitar for the R&B group Playa. After studying music at Howard University and the UofL, he moved to Colorado to complete a two-year graduate degree in audio recording at the University of Colorado Denver.
While at UCD, Key received praise from legendary producer and engineer Eddie Kramer [Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin] for the production on his original song, Dandelion, which appeared on his debut album, Gypsy.
Key is working on the follow-up to his soulful 2018 album Globetrotter: Side A. The project was recorded in 11 countries and featured more than 40 artists from around the globe, including Jairus Mozee [BJ The Chicago Kid] and Ray McKinley [Sheila E.]. The new record, Globetrotter: Side B, will be recorded in 12 countries.
Key will share the stage at Nirvana with Most Wanted, a variety band that plays a mixture of original and cover tunes. He and Laura have friends in the band, so this is going to be more than just a show for them.
After being away from Louisville for so long, every time we visit it feels special, Key said. This is kind of like a homecoming party where we can show off some of the things we learned from traveling out in the world.
Most Wanted and Wil Key w/ Laura Key and Friends will be at Nirvana, 1047 Bardstown Road, on Saturday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m.
This article appears in December 18, 2019.