On June 14, 2024, Austin & Keur will release their debut single Reunion.
Singer-songwriters John Austin & Keoni Keur first met in Chicago in 1989 while working on an independent film soundtrack. They soon began writing songs together, performing regularly for enthusiastic young crowds at a local coffeehouse on Chicago Ave. But just as their act was beginning to gain attention from the music industry,Austin & Keur wandered away from each other to pursue their individual music careers.
That all changed in 2023 when Keur reached out after 30 years to see if Austin was up for co-writing again, this time for a TV pilot. Austin & Keur quickly realized they still had something special going on as
a songwriting duo after all these years. Despite living in different parts of the United States, together they recorded a new batch of original songs via long distance—without ever being in the same room. According to Austin, “The TV pilot never materialized, but we now had all these new songs which felt like magic to us. So, we decided to release them as singles.”Reunion is the first single from
Austin & Keur.
Reunion was produced and recorded by Keoni Keur, John Austin, and Makai Keur.
Beginning July 14, 2024, Austin & Keur’s debut single will be available via Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, and Spotify.
Reunion also serves as a kind of tribute to their old music pal Robert James Rottet, another Chicago singer-songwriter, who died too young in 1999. According to Keoni Keur, “The three of us used to perform together in Chicago. Decades later, when John and I started writing together again, we felt like Rob was still with us. That was the inspiration for the song.” And lyrically, the song works on another level. Austin notes that the subtler meaning of the song can be found in not just the title but also in the
final lyric: “No, you can’t stop heaven on earth.”
Going forward Austin & Keur plan to release a new single every month. Future singles will feature special appearances by musicians including Erin Echo, Phil Keaggy, and others.
Full Release in PDF form:
Let's connect: @austinandkeur