Kyle Keller is Searching for What Remains

Kyle Keller is a songwriter who treats melody like sediment, layering it, making it lived-in and rich with traces of time and place.

Beneath the surface of his music lies a mind equally obsessed with the patience of paleontology and the precision of photography. His songs aren’t just written; they’re excavated. Each lyric feels unearthed from some emotional dig site, brushed clean until the human story beneath glints in the light. In conversation, Keller speaks less like a performer and more like a field researcher—curious, methodical, reverent toward what’s been left behind. He draws connections between geological strata and songwriting, between the act of composing an image on film and composing a verse. Whether capturing the rusting bones of a forgotten Southern town or the slow ache of modern disillusionment, Keller’s work reminds us that storytelling is a form of preservation—an art of paying attention.

Below, he talks about what drives that attention: the slowness of film photography, the patience of listening, and why every song, like every fossil, tells a story that outlives its maker.

Do you see yourself first and foremost as a songwriter, or as a storyteller who happens to use music as the medium?

I'd consider myself a storyteller, first and foremost. The desire to tell stories is what led me into songwriting.

Paleontology and geology involve the study of traces left behind. Do you see songwriting as a similar act: preserving fragments for others to discover later?

Songwriting truly does work in a very similar way. Think about how songs can be a snapshot of a certain time or moment in history. It's much the same as looking at a geological layer of stone! I have also noticed that many songs are not fully understood until after numerous listens, sometimes even hundreds. I'll notice small nuances or meanings within the lines that I never had previously seen, say for example on my "32nd" listen! Whether this is intentional or not, it sure makes the art of listening sometimes feel like a treasure hunt in its own way.

History is often told through sweeping narratives, but songs are usually intimate and personal. How do you balance those scales when telling stories in your music?

I have a tough time writing songs that aren't deeply personal. So, even when I write songs with characters who aren't necessarily based on me, there are fragments of myself scattered throughout that relate to some aspect of my life or something I'm going through. This often presents as lessons learned from conversations I've had with different people. I try to listen as intently as possible in any conversation, because you never know when someone will say something that holds so much weight you can't help but put it in a song.

Do you find your other interests—like photography or history—change how you approach pacing, imagery, or detail in your songs?

I think my interests in photography and history absolutely play a large role in how I approach songwriting, especially when it comes to detail. Whether taking pictures or hunting relics, I need to be very aware of my surroundings. Photography involves meticulous composition in relation to light and shapes, while treasure hunting requires paying attention to clues such as changes in soil color, elevation, or variations in rock textures. A commonality between each of those and songwriting is how beneficial it is to slow down and pay attention. The details I observe out in the field are so important to me that I can't help but bring the same level of intense observation to songwriting.

With photography, you can capture something instantly, while songwriting can take weeks or months. Do you find one more satisfying than the other?

I'd say they are equally satisfying. Funny enough, since I shoot primarily film, I'm often waiting for weeks or months to see my photos anyway! This is exactly what drove me into film photography versus digital. I like the waiting. I enjoy the reward of shooting and having to wait patiently to see how the images turn out (a quick shoutout to Coastal Film Lab in Tampa, who develop and scans my film). With everything becoming increasingly convenient these days and the "give-it-to-me-now" attitude prevalent, film photography has become a form of protest for me. It is a way I can resist the constant attempt to hijack our attention spans. Regarding the satisfaction of finishing a song... that satisfaction feels more like a weight lifted off my shoulders when I've needed to express something I have been feeling concisely.

If you could pair one of your songs with a photograph you’ve taken, which would it be, and why?

I've attached a photo I took inside the back porch of an abandoned home in South Georgia. I used the same image for the cover art when I released "This Town's Gonna Swallow You Whole" as a single. That song is about the deeply rooted struggles that people face in the rural South. Giant corporations move in, suck away resources, and destroy local businesses. This leads to further poverty, which in turn leads to a multitude of other devastations that I outline in the song. That image always felt symbolic of the way these towns are left and forgotten.

What’s a moment in history—or a natural landscape—you wish you could write a full album about?

Oh, this is a tough one! I'll try to give you both. A moment in history - I would write about this very moment. It feels like we've reached a time reminiscent of the 1960s, when the anti-war and environmental movements were gaining significant momentum. A lot of people are rightfully outraged at economic conditions, environmental disaster, and the ongoing genocide in Gaza. All of these issues find their way into my songs in some form or another, some subtle, some not so much. I think it would be worthwhile to compile a collection of songs that address these topics. Now, I'll attempt an idea for an album themed around a natural landscape! Much of my songwriting also explores my relationship with nature. I think if I were to try to capture the entire feeling of a natural space in an album, it would be centered around the Southeast U.S. as a whole. Even being born in Michigan, the Southeast quickly became home after moving to Georgia as a young teenager. The cypress swamps, Spanish moss, giant oak trees, dilapidated old barns and farm equipment, quiet towns lost back in time... It's a songwriter's paradise down here.

What’s a story you haven’t yet told, in any medium, that you’re most eager to tackle?

Can I be slightly vague on this one? I've got something in the works that's been an idea for a few years now. It's starting to come together finally. Hint: it's ecological in nature and involves roadkill. More soon on that!

If someone only knew your photography, your love of history, or your music separately, what do you wish they understood about how those passions connect in you?

It has been noted throughout the interview, but I hope that anyone learning about my passions can see that storytelling is at the forefront. Whether it's telling the story of our incredible planet and its history through treasure hunting, capturing a moment through photography, or telling the story of the human condition through a song... storytelling is the central nucleus that holds it all together for me. Stories inspire us and humanize us. They can bring us all closer together. That's what I hope I can do through my stories.