Stream John Paul Keith’s Memphis Circa 3 AM

John Paul Keith kicks it old-school on Memphis Circa 3 AM, a rock & roll album rooted in the best parts of the ‘50s and ‘60s. Remember when Marshall Crenshaw released his debut album almost 30 years ago, mixing retro rock with a bit of ‘80s production? This is the same thing, filtered through the antique-looking Instagram filter of 21st century Americana.

Dude’s got street cred, too. The album is produced by Roland Janes, house guitarist for Sun Records in the 1950s, who captures the songs on two-inch analog tape and keeps everything sounding warm.

“This record means a lot to me,” Keith says. “It was important to me to get to work with Roland Janes, but not just because of his history. I wanted his expertise and help in making something new, which is what he wanted to do, too. He knows how to hit the tape just right, and he knows how to coax a great performance out of a band. He’s been making rock and roll records since the beginning of rock and roll. He helped pioneer it in the first place. It was a real joy to get to work with him.”