Feature: Keanu Ienco Decodes “Playful Love”
Photo Credit: Sam Cox
What inspired you to write the music for "Playful Love?"
The creation of this tune was actually quite different from how I've written others. In 2022 I attended a Yvette Young (guitarist and composer for the band Covet) workshop. One of the exercises in her class involved her giving you 2 cards with words on them and then writing a riff from those words. The 2 words I got on my cards were "Playful" and "Love". I interpreted "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 my grandmother 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.
Were there any memorable or standout moments during the recording sessions for this masterpiece?
There were a lot of memorable moments for me! One that comes to mind was hearing a complete drum take of the song at the end of the drum tracking. Finally hearing real drums on this track really elevated the recording sessions for me and I was much closer to hearing how I envisioned the song in my head. I was really impressed with my drummer Adam Robertson's playing on this track. He completely nailed the parts I had written out for him and the ideas he brought to the table were very welcomed!
How do you feel "Playful Love" represents your artistic identity?
"Playful Love" at its core is the most vulnerable track I have released to date. As I mentioned previously this tune was written as a way to mourn my recently deceased family members. Musically this track continues with the sounds and ideas I had on my debut album Celestial Desire in which there is a blend of clean open string voicings/ chord melodies as well as heavier rhythm section parts with distorted lead guitar solos. However, on a personal level I feel as though when a listener hears this song they are truly getting a look into my soul and emotions during my healing and mourning process. My artistic identity is that of an instrumental guitarist who takes listeners on emotional journeys with dynamic guitar soundscapes. I believe "Playful Love" is the best representation of my artistic identity to date.
How has studying at Vancouver Island University made an impact on your music career?
My time at Vancouver Island University made a huge impact on my career! I studied jazz guitar for 4 years at VIU and had an absolute blast. The fundamentals I learned from playing jazz are invaluable skills that I have taken and applied to my own music. I also made many long time friends and collaborators at VIU. The one thing that had the biggest impact on me however was studying under Canadian jazz guitarist/composer Lee Ellefson. Lee was the one who truly encouraged me to find my own voice and compose my own music. While I still learned jazz standards and traditional repertoire, Lee really lit the fire under me to pursue finding my own musical identity through writing. Lee's music has been a huge inspiration for my music as well. "Playful Love" is an example of that. In the A section/verse of "Playful Love" I use open string voicings or as what I like to call them "Lee Voicings". This is where you take an interval (often a compound one) on guitar then fill it in with open strings. You can find these voicing in many of Lee's and my own tunes. Without VIU my career would be very different right now.
Can you share a standout moment from one of your live performances that you'll never forget?
One of the tunes in my live set is titled "Ahwohtiga Inya'a" (Red Sun). This is an emotional piece I wrote about how it feels to be Native American in today's world. I describe it as a Native American jazz ballad as it is a slow piece with an underlying kick drum rhythm to imitate a traditional Indigenous drum pattern. The track starts with just kick drum and the tune ends with about 30 seconds of kick drum. I'll never forget the first time I played this piece in my live set to a full audience. After a series of uptempo and heavier tunes I wasn't sure what the response would be to this ballad. When we finished the piece and got to the kick drum outro I looked around and saw the entire room in silence with their undivided attention to the kick drum outro. There were no whispers or glasses clinking. Everyone was completely on board with the journey that Red Sun had just taken them on.
