Service, Strings & a Country Climb with Keaton Simons

Send us Fan MailFriday on The Morning Brew with Chris Bennett & Best Friends opens with purpose and ends with a guitar in hand. We start the show with Stephen Harrington sharing details on the MLK Day of Service in the White Mountains and how listeners can help restock the Salvation Army food pantry with much-needed items like cereal, peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, tuna, and mac and cheese. It’s a simple way to turn listening into action and make a local impact.After a quick check-in with Jineane Ford and a round of fun “nerd news,” it’s time for our Country Climb Star of the Week, sent to us by Shawn Burke and Austin Burke of the Playlisted Podcast. This week’s spotlight is on Keaton Simons — lead guitarist and musical director for Brett Young, accomplished songwriter, and a musician whose career has crossed stages, studios, and screens.Keaton talks about growing up around Hollywood, choosing music for its creative independence, and learning how to tour light — both in gear and in mindset. We dive into the long life of his song “When I Go,” how a placement on Suits helped turn it into a steady fan favorite, and why blues roots and “humanly organized sound” still shape how he writes today.We wrap things up with a call from Paul in Beaumont, Texas, who’s so impressed by Keaton’s musical knowledge that we turn the mic into a round of “Are You Smarter Than a Redneck?” music trivia to close the show with laughs.Community, creativity, and a reminder that great songs — and good deeds — both have a long tail.