We’ve featured Keanu Ienco’s music a few times over the years, but they last time we interviewed him was almost two years ago, which seems like far too long to me! I jumped at the chance to interview Keanu again after listening to his lovely new tune Playful Love – it’s a perfectly apt title, seeing this artist take a playful jaunt into the world of modern prog-rock.
By Jane Howkins
It’s been a while since we last caught up with you. How have things been over the past couple of years?
They have been great, thanks! I have had many great opportunities to perform my music at festivals and venues in both western Canada and southern UK! I’ve also spent a lot of time working on myself as a guitar player as I continue to take my music in various directions as I go through life.
You recently released a new single titled Playful Love. What can you tell us about the track?
Well in 2022 I attended an Yvette Young (guitarist of Covet) workshop. One of the exercises in her class involved her giving you two cards with words on them and then writing a riff from those words. The two words I got on my cards were ‘playful’ and ‘love’. I interpreted it as’playful love’, as a type of platonic love one feels with family or friends. My brother Lance and my dog Baci had recently passed away and my grandmother became ill at this time. So I came up with a riff about family love and how it feels when that love is gone. I continued working on that riff until I completed a whole tune! Since then, I have lost both of my grandmothers as well as two uncles, so this tune has been a big part of my mourning process and has become one of my most meaningful compositions to date.
It’s an instrumental piece of music, making it sound very unique in the modern music era! Most of your tracks are performed without vocals – what prompted this move and can we expect any vocal-based songs in the near future?
Yeah, so growing up I always played in rock bands. In 2015 I started attending Vancouver Island University which is where I primarily played jazz music. One thing about playing jazz on guitar is that it can be both the lead instrument and an accompanying instrument. I often enjoy playing the lead melody on guitar with my own trios or quartets. Because of this, I got very used to expressing my feelings through melody on guitar without the need for vocals. After I finished my degree, I found myself missing the days of playing rock music so I decided to continue playing lead instrumental guitar but incorporated more rock vibes. I was also inspired by artists such as Steve Vai and Plini to pursue making this style of music. However, there are plans to release more vocal based tracks with some featured artists!
How has the reception to Playful Love been so far, and where can it be purchased?
It’s been great, this has been my most emotional track to release so all the positive reception has really warmed my heart. For those who are interested you can purchase the track on Bandcamp, Amazon etc. And of course, you can stream it on all major platforms too.
Do you have any more singles planned for release soon?
I don’t have any completed singles at the moment, but I can certainly say I have a number of finished demos on my computer waiting for be properly recorded and released!
Your debut album Celestial Desire was released in 2022 to great acclaim. What was that like?
It was amazing. Celestial Desire was essentially my lockdown project in 2020. When we couldn’t go outside I decided to basically lock myself in my room and write and record a full album. I honestly did not know that much about recording but through teaching myself and the help of my mentor, the project got finished over the course of 2020 and 2021! When the album earned myself a nomination at the Western Canadian Music Awards, it really felt like all the work and learning I did in 2020 paid off!
Are there any plans to release a full-length album or an EP in the near future?
Absolutely! I have a few album concepts in my head but I have yet to decide which one will be released next. There may one more single before a new album but there is definitely a new album on the horizon!
Do you have anything else exciting coming up over the next few months?
Over the next few months, I am playing with some other artists and other genres as a guitarist – in terms of my own music, I am looking to start the pre-production on my next release in the next few months!
Do you have any other tour dates lined up for the UK?
I don’t have any confirmed dates at the moment as I am currently travelling and performing in other countries with other projects. However over the winter I expect to have some more Keanu Ienco shows booked!
Any last words for the fans?
Keep an eye out on my socials for new announcements as 2025 will be an exciting new chapter for my music!
And please continue to check out Celestial Desire and Playful Love!