NASHVILLE, TN -- experimental garage-rock band, Keep the Eleven, played their best and largest show to date, last Thursday night, February 2, 2023 at Brooklyn Bowl Nashville.
With their pedal boards packed and drum sticks in hand, Keep the Eleven prepared for their biggest show yet, Brooklyn Bowl this past Thursday for a shot at playing the main stage at their first major festival, Summer Camp Music Festival. As the youngest artist playing the Nashville date, they were eager to prove they belonged.
Playing second to the last on the lineup, Keep the Eleven brought the stage lights down and let the crowd sing along to the iconic 80’s radio pop anthem ‘We Got The Beat’ by the Go-Go’s. On the final “We Got The Beat”, FLASH the lights came up and Keep the Eleven played the first notes of crowd favorite ‘Turnstyle’ off their third EP, ‘The Pink Telephone EP’.
William Laskey (Above) By Kyle Patton
The crowd kept up their high energy going into the middle of Keep the Eleven’s set, where they played their strongest rock songs 'Hourglass' off their sophomore EP, ‘Amid Flashing Lights’, and ‘Bread & Butter’ off their debut EP ‘Clearer from Above’. As drummer William Laskey drove his sticks to the ride bell, the crowd roared knowing that Keep the Eleven’s heaviest song showcasing the whole bands’ intricate technical skills, ‘Hourglass’ was about to kick off. The instrumental of ‘Hourglass’ blends the bands old punk and classic rock influences and the texture changes throughout the instrumental, creating a breakdown you have to headbang too.
Adam Caruso (Above) By Kyle Patton
Moving to the softer side of their music, Keep the Eleven played their debut single ‘Daydreams’ off their third record, ‘The Pink Telephone EP’. Known for his energetic stage presence, bassist Adam Caruso took influence from Van Halen’s ‘Jump’, and was playing bass half a foot off the ground throughout the song, and the crowd followed. Adding his own 80’s pop/funk spin on Keep the Eleven’s rock forward sound, Caruso uses different pedals to get his signature sound like the Electro-Harmonix Q-Tron, inviting the band’s genre-bending take on their music. With songs you want to jump around to, head bang, or roll your windows down for, Keep the Eleven strives to always change things by taking their music through the evolution of their artist hood. ‘Daydreams’ mixes the fun, young, easy-going vibe of the band and their 80s influences; Keep the Eleven’s diverse discography allows every listener to find a couple of songs they can call their favorite.
Reece Bittner (Above) By Kyle Patton
With a raise of his hand, the focus is now on guitarist and vocalist Reece Bittner to next captivate the crowd. Bittner gave a moving speech about the band and the audience representing the next generation of global influence, and the importance of your individual voice. Pivoting to close out their Brooklyn Bowl set, Keep the Eleven begins their fitting song, ‘Dress Rehearsal’ off their sophomore EP, ‘Amid Flashing Lights’. Ending their largest show at their first Live Nation venue with ‘Dress Rehearsal’, Bittner had the crowd going wild while playing a crazy fast guitar solo behind his head. Caruso flat on the ground hitting the last couple notes before the band followed Laskey’s hit-callouts to close out the show.
Lights came down, the stage went dark and the crowd whispered of the show they had just seen as ‘My Way’ by Frank Sinatra and Count Basie played. While the audience caught their breath through applause and cheers, Keep the Eleven took to the front of the stage to bow, taking in that they just played Brooklyn Bowl for the first time and certainly not the last.
Keep the Eleven By Cage Parrish
Brooklyn Bowl was the place to be on Thursday, February 2nd, 2023, to see Keep the Eleven play their biggest show yet! Although Keep the Eleven did not win Summer Camp Music Festival, they brought the largest crowd full of energetic college kids ready to jump, dance, and sing-along to all their favorite Keep the Eleven songs.
Black & White Photos by Katey Fritz
ABOUT KEEP THE ELEVEN
In 2019, “Keep the Eleven”, was a little miscalculation turned inside joke that would soon become the name of one of the best upcoming rock bands in Nashville, TN. The three-piece experimental garage-rock band consists of Reece Bittner on vocals and guitar, Adam Caruso on bass, and William Laskey on drums.
Keep the Eleven has been the band on everyone’s tongue across the college scene in Nashville as a fan favorite of colleges like Vanderbilt University, Belmont University, Lipscomb University, and Middle Tennessee State. After playing over 70+ shows in the past year and a half, Keep the Eleven has made an incredible name for themselves in the Nashville rock scene. After taking two years to cultivate their Nashville fanbase, the band is focusing on their next big steps in taking their music career to the next level.
Keep The Eleven's first show in Nashville was at Belmont University’s Battle of the Bands to a crowd of over 3,000. This launched Keep The Eleven's Nashville career. The Keep the Eleven guys are known for their fun lively performances that urge everybody in the crowd to dance. This past summer, the budding rock group visited home to bring the Keep the Eleven madness back to play at Bitter Jester Music Festival in Chicagoland. Bitter Jest is home to Billy Corgan's popular venue/restaurant Madame Zuzu's. After much deliberation, Keep the Eleven’s Adam Caruso received Bitter Jester's 2022 MVP Award for Outstanding Bass bringing them back into the eyes of Chicago's thriving music scene. Keep the Eleven has played all over Nashville including the historic Exit/In, The End, The East Room, DRKMTTR and dozens of house shows across Nashville. Keep the Eleven’s incredible live show, beautiful songwriting, and multi-talented members have made them a Nashville favorite.
For more information on bookings or interviews with Keep the Eleven, feel free to email us at zoey@thetowermanagement.com