Conrad Keely (born 15 May 1972) is a musician, artist, and writer
known primarily as the lead singer for the American rock band ...And
You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.Born in Nuneaton, England of
Irish and Thai descent, Keely grew up in Bedworth, England before he
and his mother moved to the U.S. state of Hawaii when he was five
years old. Keely and family returned to Bedworth when he was eight for
three years before returning to the United States. In 1988, while in
high school in Oahu, Keely met Jason Reece, with whom he would later
form ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Keely then moved
with his mother to Olympia, Washington in 1989 where he attended The
Evergreen State College. Reece joined Keely in Washington a short time
later, and the two tried forming bands in Olympia's underground music
scene. Finding little success, in 1994 Keely and Reece moved to
Austin, Texas to form bands. Before signing a contract to Interscope
Records with ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Keely
primarily worked clerical office jobs in Austin for a regular job
while playing with the band at night.Keely relocated from Austin to
Brooklyn, New York in 2008, and then moved to Phnom Penh, Cambodia in
2012 after being "fed up with American life." Keely visited the
country while travelling with his father after an ...And You Will Know
Us by the Trail of Dead Australian tour and decided to stay. Keely
expressed being tired with America and moving overseas as early as
2003. Since moving to Cambodia, he has traveled around the country,
performing as part of a cultural exchange. Although Keely does not
speak Cambodian, he says the country is "a noisy place full of weird
sounds â€" temples, monks chanting, loud speakers blaring, egg sellers
and vendors. I need that chaos, and I think it helps that it’s in a
language I don’t understand." While Keely predominantly grew up in
the United States, he holds and uses an Irish passport and is not an
American citizen.Keely founded ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of
Dead with childhood friend and fellow musician Jason Reece in 1994
when the two moved to Austin, Texas. Originally planning to form two
bands, with Keely on vocals and guitar with Reece drumming in one band
and switching roles in the other band, the two soon settled on one
band where they swap duties depending on the song. After initially a
duo performing as You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, the two soon
expanded the name and the lineup. ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail
of Dead quickly became known for their "anarchic" live shows and their
sound, described by AllMusic's Jason Ankeny as "an unlikely but
powerful combination of punk fury and prog rock ambition." By 1998 the
group signed with Trance Records and released their eponymous debut
album. After a second independent album, this time on Merge Records,
the band signed to major-label Interscope Records in 2001. The
critically acclaimed Source Tags & Codes was released in 2002, and
since then the band had released six more studio albums.
known primarily as the lead singer for the American rock band ...And
You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead.Born in Nuneaton, England of
Irish and Thai descent, Keely grew up in Bedworth, England before he
and his mother moved to the U.S. state of Hawaii when he was five
years old. Keely and family returned to Bedworth when he was eight for
three years before returning to the United States. In 1988, while in
high school in Oahu, Keely met Jason Reece, with whom he would later
form ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. Keely then moved
with his mother to Olympia, Washington in 1989 where he attended The
Evergreen State College. Reece joined Keely in Washington a short time
later, and the two tried forming bands in Olympia's underground music
scene. Finding little success, in 1994 Keely and Reece moved to
Austin, Texas to form bands. Before signing a contract to Interscope
Records with ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Keely
primarily worked clerical office jobs in Austin for a regular job
while playing with the band at night.Keely relocated from Austin to
Brooklyn, New York in 2008, and then moved to Phnom Penh, Cambodia in
2012 after being "fed up with American life." Keely visited the
country while travelling with his father after an ...And You Will Know
Us by the Trail of Dead Australian tour and decided to stay. Keely
expressed being tired with America and moving overseas as early as
2003. Since moving to Cambodia, he has traveled around the country,
performing as part of a cultural exchange. Although Keely does not
speak Cambodian, he says the country is "a noisy place full of weird
sounds â€" temples, monks chanting, loud speakers blaring, egg sellers
and vendors. I need that chaos, and I think it helps that it’s in a
language I don’t understand." While Keely predominantly grew up in
the United States, he holds and uses an Irish passport and is not an
American citizen.Keely founded ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of
Dead with childhood friend and fellow musician Jason Reece in 1994
when the two moved to Austin, Texas. Originally planning to form two
bands, with Keely on vocals and guitar with Reece drumming in one band
and switching roles in the other band, the two soon settled on one
band where they swap duties depending on the song. After initially a
duo performing as You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, the two soon
expanded the name and the lineup. ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail
of Dead quickly became known for their "anarchic" live shows and their
sound, described by AllMusic's Jason Ankeny as "an unlikely but
powerful combination of punk fury and prog rock ambition." By 1998 the
group signed with Trance Records and released their eponymous debut
album. After a second independent album, this time on Merge Records,
the band signed to major-label Interscope Records in 2001. The
critically acclaimed Source Tags & Codes was released in 2002, and
since then the band had released six more studio albums.
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