Aaron Keim has a habit of getting himself into situations that he is not ready for. Then, when the heat is on, he lives up to these high expectations and explores his new path. This has lead him to a diverse and fulfilling career as performer, writer/scholar, teacher and luthier and gained him a reputation as a true renaissance man
As a performer, Aaron is mostly seen touring with indie folk string band Boulder Acoustic Society. He also plays in the old timey duo flatfoot and with his wife Nicole. Although trained on the french horn in college, Aaron has taught himself to play the string bass, guitar, banjo and ukulele since 2000. In 2005, Aaron and Nicole released "Born in the Country Raised in Town," which features their diverse folk/blues/jazz tastes.
Aaron honed his writing skills while working on his master’s degree in music history at CU-Boulder. His specialty is depression era string bands and roots music culture. You may have read some of his work in Fretboard Journal, Old Time Herald, Pow’r Pickin, Fret Knot Magazine and Uke Mag.
While teaching public school orchestra fresh out of college, Aaron taught himself how to repair the musical instruments that the budget left behind. His interest in repair and lutherie has led him to start Beansprout Banjo Company, www.thebeansprout.com.
When Aaron is on the road, he often teaches workshops on ukulele, old time banjo, fingerstyle guitar and string bass. When he is home, he pays the bills teaching lessons to people eager to learn from his diverse knowledge.
Besides Beansprout banjos (which he builds) Aaron plays Mike DaSilva ukulele’s, a 1938 Gretsch archtop guitar, an OME Juniper banjo, Rupublic reso instruments and a Calin Voltur bass.
