Keith Everett & the Orange Morris

His Family Is Music to his Ears
GN Songwriter Presents Songwriters on Broadway

By Bonnie D. Graham


"All In The Family" could one day title the memoirs of Great Neck songwriter and performer Keith Everett Rubinstein. The multi-talented 31-year old is creator and producer of Songwriters on Broadway, an almost-monthly off-Broadway-size venue that places audiences up-close-and-personal with original music composed and performed by Rubinstein and other new artists like 2003 Grammy Song of the Year composer Jesse Harris. He credits his family’s love of music, closeness and real estate business as the chief forces that prepared, inspired and brought him to this exciting place in his life's journey.

Rubinstein's musical tastes were strongly influenced by the popular radio stations his parents tuned in during family car trips. "I remember hearing a lot of Barbara Streisand in the car with my mom. But my father always played Willie Nelson's music in the car on our way up to the Green Mountains of Vermont, songs like Whiskey River, On The Road Again, My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys. I loved them."

His own performing and composing experiences began with early trombone and piano lessons, but "it wasn’t until my first year at Brooklyn Law School that I picked up the guitar and began writing songs. Playing guitar began as a great study break. Now, playing the guitar, some piano, and writing songs are great passions in my life."

After older brother Jon introduced him to Willie Nelson's Spirit album, Everett had the chance to see his idol perform at The Bottom Line in New York. That experience propelled him to buy Nelson's Stardust album of standards like All of Me, Blue Skies and Moonlight in Vermont, and the rest, as they say, is history. "I wanted nothing more than to play and sound like Willie on those records and at that concert. One day I walked two blocks from where I worked to the nearest guitar store and asked to see 'a guitar kind of like what Willie Nelson plays.' The owner placed in front of me an old nylon-stringed classical style guitar with a tag attached to it that miraculously read: 'Willie Nelson N-20 Trigger'. I've been playing that guitar exclusively ever since."

Two subsequent family-influenced experiences literally put him on Broadway.

First, Rubinstein relates that the specific inspiration for Songwriters on Broadway occurred on a summer family trip to Israel. "In Jerusalem one night, my sister Kim heard that Peter Himmelman from the U.S. was playing nearby. She thought I would really like him. She was right. The show was at an intimate, unusual theater-like setting with only about 130 seats. Peter got up with just his guitar, his voice and his own original style of songwriting. And some years later in New York, I was invited to be a studio member for the band Phish at a television broadcast of the show Sessions at West 54th Street. Once again, seeing talented songwriters in an intimate environment had a tremendous impact on me. Those two shows virtually made me a fan of Peter Himmelman and Phish for life. Now, it's great to be putting on the kind of show where other people can have the chance to experience what I did."

The second experience is the outcome of a long-ago business move by Rubinstein's grandfather, Morris, to franchise several Howard Johnson restaurants in New York. Today, in his role in the family real estate business, Keith manages the property housing their remaining Times Square "HoJo", one of the few left in Manhattan. When the time came to find a home for Songwriters on Broadway, it made perfect sense to turn his sights next door to the neighboring Duffy Theater for performance space.

He notes, "The Duffy Theater is actually right on Broadway, but is considered off-Broadway, because the seating quantity determines the classification of "off" or "on" Broadway. To have an off-Broadway theater located right on Broadway is rare, and that makes the intimate setting even more special." The Perfect Crime also plays at the Duffy.

Keith is continually seeking new talent for his show. "I look for people who write original music from the heart. That's what grabs me. This is a dream come true for me to be putting on a show with writers I believe in, wherever it leads."
As for how he found and talked Jesse Harris into participating in the show, Rubinstein says, "I came across Jesse playing in a little club and I approached him with my idea of Songwriters on Broadway. I was looking for a guitarist. We got together a few times and I realized he was the kind of person who could inspire me to get this project going. He wrote four songs on the Norah Jones album that just won the 2003 Album of the Year Grammy, including the title track Song of the Year, Don't Know Why. I am proud and excited to work with Jesse Harris."

The March 4 Songwriters on Broadway will feature songwriter Phil Roy, who has penned songs for major movies including Jim Carrey' - Bonnie Graham, Great Neck Record

"I first heard Keith Everett Rubinstein perform about two years ago. Walking by a club in Times square, I heard music that drew me in. Inside was a writer who played guitar and sang original songs that could be both exciting and powerful, or quietly emotional. It was a rewarding musical evening, and it was a pleasure to be a part of bringing those feelings to this recording." - Brian Koonin

"People will be listening to Keith Everett's music for a long time." - Ric Art