SPIRE LOBBY SERIES: Keegan James Blood

Presented by The Antonia and Vladimir Kulaev Cultural Heritage Fund.

This series showcases local and regional musicians in a relaxed and intimate setting. The lobby is transformed into a 70-seat showcase lounge!

Keegan James Blood

Keegan James Blood is a singer/songwriter, based in Boston, MA.

In his teens, he performed in bars and clubs across Vermont, fronting the power pop group, Stag Line. The group’s single, “I’m Much Better”, was in regular rotation on local rock radio.

For five years, he cut his teeth in the Boston underground rock scene, leading the eclectic rock outfit, Red Mill. The group released two EPs, two LPs, and a handful of singles, while giving dozens of high-energy performances around New England. Keegan graduated from Berklee College of Music in 2018. In 2019, he began crafting a new sound for himself, rooted in his love of alternative country, power pop, and roots music. Recorded during a mid-pandemic visit to Nashville, Tennessee, he released his first single, “Way Back In” in 2021. His debut solo album, Brand New Dance, offers a distinctive blend of folk, country, and rock styles, led by his sharp-tongued lyrics and memorable melodies. Recorded primarily in Philadelphia with engineer Jeff Zeigler (The War On Drugs, Kurt Vile), the album was released in December 2024.

Throughout 2024, Keegan has been performing live around Boston and New England with Alex Formento (pedal steel) and Joe Everett (upright bass) of bluegrass band, Pretty Saro. While growing a loyal grassroots audience with catchy tunes and memorable lyrics, Keegan and his band are excited to continue to explore Americana musical styles together in 2025, live and in the studio. The trio has recorded an album to be released in early 2026, mixed by Dan Bui of Twisted Pine. The album captures the live energy the group brought to their Boston area performances over the past two years.

Kathleen Parks

Kathleen Parks is a fiddler, singer, and songwriter who brings joyful and creative energy to the stage and studio.

Her writing leans toward Pop, Folk, and classic Jazz, while her virtuosic fiddle blends and reimagines traditional and modern musical styles with boundless groove, and a playful improvisational spirit. Her deep grounding in Celtic and American roots music blends with her love for pop songwriting, funk rhythms, soulful vocals, and groove-based improvisation, making every performance unexpected yet familiar: a musical journey from beginning to end. For Kathleen, music is not about perfection, but feeling.   This is what has always driven her to write, sing, and play. Without feeling, why play music? Music is a means to express and release our emotions. Understand the feeling, move the energy, and bring joy and healing in. Connection to yourself is key to playing, to playing with others, and moving an audience. Kathleen strives to always bring this musical value to her teaching and performances alike.

 In August of 2024 Kathleen released her debut solo album Rolling Down the Line, highlighting her songwriting, original fiddle tunes, and a few choice covers in the Americana genre. Accompanied by a full band, or just her fiddle and voice, this album has the warmth and feel of some of Kathleen’s favorite Americana artists and influences: John Hartford, Carole King, Patsy Cline, Harry Nilsson, Roger Miller, and Gordon Lightfoot. In October of 2024 Twisted Pine released their fourth record, Love Your Mind, with Signature Sounds Recordings. Full of Kathleen’s original work and cowrites with her bandmates in Funk, Pop, Country, and Jam; this is one of the band’s best albums yet!

Over the years Kathleen has shared the stage with some of her heroes such as Paula Cole, Sammy Rae & The Friends, Gordon Lightfoot, Aoife O’Donovan, The Punch Brothers, Jerry Douglas, Sierra Hull, Brian O’Donovan, John Whelan, and others. Kathleen is also a founding member of Twisted Pine and the duo Kat & Brad. In 2017 she appeared as a soloist with the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a production of Peer Gynt. She was a featured covergirl for Fiddler Magazine in 2022.