today’s audio features my 15 and 47 year old selves. cheese alert! it’s my own “unforgettable” moment, singing along with my younger voice.
gimmick aside, i marvel at a few things about this audio. firstly that i even have it, though i suppose i shouldn’t be surprised. i have been an archivist from my earliest days, carefully cataloging and preserving my own work, whether it was the books of poetry i made in first grade, every journal i have ever filled since high school, or the notes i took in this week’s audition process for the new musical i am working on.
i made this recording some time in 1993, on a 2 track recorder i borrowed from a friend. i remember sitting down one night in my room to play my favorite songs, nearly all of which were indigo girls and dave matthews covers. one after another, i first played the guitar then went back and sang over my rhythm tracks.
when i listen back, i hear someone learning to sing, confidence growing with each note that comes out of their mouth. i hear someone who, much to my present embarrassment, is still imitating how dave matthews pronounced things in his early work. this was before i heard my next big influence, ani difranco, whom i then started imitating immediately. even singing along today as i made this new recording, i found myself phrasing and pronouncing and strumming like my long ago 15 year old self. i had to really concentrate to be who i am in this moment.
i had learned “jet plane” at my legendary, nerd-kid natural sciences summer camp. we always sang songs before evening program, and “jet plane” was a favorite. the pure ache and drama of an early morning goodbye with no sure return made all the sense in the world to a teen-ager. and the melody stretched my early vocal range in all the good ways. it was the joy of singing these songs with my camp friends and counselors that inspired me to come home in the summer of 1990 and get a guitar. songwriting followed shortly thereafter.
at the time i first sang it, i don’t think i thought much about who wrote “leaving on a jet plane”. it just appeared in the camp songbook like “she’ll be coming round the mountain” or “shortnin’ bread” or “mountain dew”. classics that seemed like they had always existed. but at some point in high school, my dad was in an airport, flying for a business trip, and saw john denver, the writer of “jet plane”, in an airport lounge. john denver flying commercial in an airport lounge?? truly a different time. my dad was an amateur pilot and a music fan, so he was thrilled to see an artist he knew.
as the story goes, he went up to him and struck up a conversation, during which he mentioned that he had a daughter who “played guitar”, which was how my parents described my nascent music career. i have other relatives who still ask “do you still sing?” meaning, i think, do you still write music, tour, orchestrate, and run your business, along with singing?
my father left that thrilling encounter with an autograph in hand: erin, good luck with the guitar, john denver. of course i still have it.
i have been in airports a lot this spring. the new musical i am working on in chicago, OUT HERE, had a workshop, and now we’re deep into the casting process. i don’t mind the travel. i had a too quiet winter, and it feels nice to be out in the world again.
i am one of those people who find airports comforting. i love getting to my gate early and zoning out. and i adore airport bars. when i still drank, i loved the freedom to get sozzled then make my way to the plane and pass out, consequences averted.
but beyond that, i love the comraderie of an airport bar, especially when there is a big sporting event. i’ve had to travel during superbowls, wimbledon finals, world cups, and i get so much joy out of seeing tons of people, from different places, different walks of life, doing something together. sports does that in general, but sports in the airport takes it to the next level of common purpose. crowds of people gathering around TVs, cheering, groaning, gasping in real time together. its theater, its church, its the airport!
hey yall! spring is here and there’s plenty to announce!
i am so looking forward to spending memorial day in my home state of virginia. i’ll be at the virginia womens music festival on sunday may 25 and then leading a hiking concert in richmond on may 26. come join us.
i’ve just announced a run of shows this fall with my dear friends welcome to night vale. this has become an annual ritual that shapes my year. this time i’ll be with them in texas, oklahoma, kansas, missouri, indiana, michigan, and canada. per usual, i will set aside a free pair of tickets to folks that are willing to come help sell merch. drop a line erin@erinmckeown.com and put your city’s name in the subject line. first come, first served. complete dates and venues up as always at erinmckeown.com/shows
and don’t forget in 2026 to mark your calendars for the chicago premiere of my musical OUT HERE and join me on my 10 day trip around scotland.
thanks as always for listening!
just the other day, i was waiting for my plane while the final round of the masters was happening. i’m not a golf person, but as a southerner and fan of communal experiences, the masters has a place on my cultural radar. for those who didn’t watch, the story lines were impeccable. a talented champion in the midst of a decade plus drought, on the cusp of achieving greatness, only to see his last putt miss by an inch. a playoff ensued, where he was finally able to put, and putt away, his demons for the iconic win.
i was crying. you were crying. we all were crying and laughing and talking about this moment together. in the boarding line (where i was), in the airport bars, in the lounges. maybe it goes without saying, but in our currently polarized world, it was a momentary respite and balm.
another reason i love airports is because they up the possibilities for coincidence, my favorite of the universe’s actions. run a bunch of people going different places through one point, and you’re going to have some pretty epic human atomic collisions.
of course i have been recognized in these moments by fans, but that’s not what i’m talking about. i’m talking about seeing an old friend in an unexpected place. i’m talking about striking up what seems like a random conversation with a seat-mate or a face in a line only to discover you have something niche in common. it feels miraculous to me every time, and it fills my ever-draining cup of faith in the rightness and goodness of the world. besides a strong espresso, coincidence in the airport is the surest way to make me feel like my life is actually going alright.
these days, i make sure to wear a very specific hat when i fly. some of you may have seen it on social media: I SING TO MY DOG. i started wearing this hat when i flew simply because it was my newest hat, my truest hat, and it was comfortable. but then something quite awesome started to happen.
whenever i wear this hat, people stop and talk to me. like, all the time! they stop and tell me that they sing to their dog too. they stop and ask me if the hat is true. they stop and say, great hat, with a big smile. the conversations this hat has started have been incredible. i have heard people’s dog songs, i have shared mine. i have seen countless photos of very good boys and girls and shown off my handsome man, carl. i have grieved with people, whose dogs just died, or listened to people whose dogs died years ago, and they still aren’t ready for a new one.
this is next level universe goodness shit. i live. for. it. and of course, it happened again last week on my latest trip.
while standing in line for coffee, someone walked by and said, great hat, with a big smile. i smiled back and continued waiting for my drink. a few minutes later, that person came back and said,
“are you erin mckeown?”
i was expecting a listener to my music. but the universe had crazier plans in store for me.
the person that stopped me had known me almost 30 years ago, because of someone we were both dating at the time. A PERSON WHO TEACHES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO THAT I HAD JUST RECENTLY LOOKED UP FOR PROFESSIONAL REASONS. what what what was happening??
and further! here in the airport, talking to this semi-stranger, i find out they are a host on connecticut public radio, with a fantastic show, chion wolfe. chion also doesn’t drink. and she sings to her dog.
within minutes, i was texting with my long-ago ex in chicago, making plans with chion to be on her podcast, and generally marveling at the goodness of the universe. at that moment, someone interrupted me to tell me they liked my hat. and this guy turned out to be a theater director who used to live in chicago, now lives in orlando, and is interviewing for a job in providence.
“good luck with your musical”, said my newest friend barry, as we went to our separate planes.
in my long history of airport coincidences, this was a red-letter, heart-filling day. i made it to chicago that night and the next morning arrived for our 3 day audition process.
auditions are hard, for everyone involved. the process is brutal, quick, and i don’t know how anyone survives it. from my place on the other side of the table, i barely do. for actors, it must be a spiritual practice that requires constant tending. i often think i would have been an actor if not for auditions.
we saw many great folks in our sessions, though of course not everyone was right for our show. on these long days, you look for moments to grab on to, moments that help you remember that wonderful talented people, not headshots and resumes, are standing in front of you.
i especially love moments in auditions where we can go off script and see something the actor hasn’t so assiduously prepared. most musical theater actors have what’s called a “book”, a set of songs they bring to auditions that they can nail and hit out of the park, songs that show-off what makes them unique as a performer. an ideal book will be wide-ranging in style and character. a few classics, a few newer songs with a unique take. it’s an art in itself to build your book.
so, when the auditions get tedious (and they do for everyone, no matter the talent), i like to ask an actor to sing something they love from their book. it’s always a moment of appreciation and entertainment, an intimate, excellent performance that can break the tension of a stressful, high stakes environment.
last week in chicago, at just one of those moments, i asked an actor to sing us something, anything, that she simply loved. she sang “leaving on a jet plane”.
x erin
a sublime saturday AM
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a light-hearted romp (jk!) through the bowels of spotify’s unreasonable scale
i’m not sure how i missed the parthegenic sting-ray charlotte, but now i’m caught up
the story of F1 podia & champagne (though sometimes its not)
trust me, this is what the internet is for
i was already a jason isbell fan, especially with his new teeth, but then he gave terry gross the what-for in a way i’ve rarely heard an artist
this interview with rep. sarah mcbride was like injecting hope, real hope, into my veins
UPCOMING SHOWS
2025
now - June 2026 - Fredericksburg VA
Fredericksburg Area Museum
Out And About: The Walk-in Closet
VISIT
April 26, 2025 - Northampton MA
One Day Performance Workshop @ The Parlor Room
TICKETS & INFO
May 25, 2025 - Kents Store VA
Virginia Women’s Music Festival
TICKETS
May 26, 2025 - Richmond VA
Hike & Concert @ Bryan Park
TICKETS & INFO
June 27, 2025 - Bryn Mawr PA
The Point, 20th Anniv
TICKETS
October 22, 2025 - Austin TX
As The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
October 23, 2025 - Dallas TX
As The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
October 24, 2025 - Oklahoma City OK
As The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
October 25, 2025 - Lawrence KS
As The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
October 27, 2025 - St Louis MA
As The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
October 28, 2025 - Indianapolis
As The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
October 30, 2025 - Toronto ON
As The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
October 31, 2025 - Detroit MI
As The Weather with Welcome To Night Vale
TICKETS
2026
April 10-May 10, 2026 - Chicago IL
World Premiere of OUT HERE @ Court Theatre
TICKETS & INFO
Aug 17-27 - Scotland
10 Day Tour of the Scottish Borderlands
TICKETS & INFO
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