Keith Varon

Bay Area singer and songwriter Keith Varon launched his professional path by composing reflective, emotionally charged stories about existence, romance, and loss, echoing the approaches of Martin Sexton, Duncan Sheik, and Edwin McCain. Once he finished tracking material for his self-titled 2004 EP, Varon moved toward a denser sonic palette, merging his skill at folk-rooted narrative with the raw force of punk and emo. That blend reached completion in 2006 on Love Is a Hero, a complete album of fresh and revisited songs that spotlighted the hits "Never Be the Same" and "The Make Out Song"—the latter having started life under the title "Can't Breathe"—both of which gained heavy rotation on MTV's Laguna Beach.