Keep On Holding On

Todd DeFeo • Keep On Holding On

Released on April 1, 2000.

  1. Keep on Holding On (Live-WDUB)
  2. Day Is Short (Live-WDUB)
  3. She’s An Angel (Live-WDUB)
  4. Dreams Come True (Live-WDUB)
  5. Where the Road Unwinds (Live-WDUB)

All songs written by Todd DeFeo (ASCAP). (c) 2000 Todd DeFeo.

All tracks recorded live on WDUB-FM in Granville, Ohio.

This album was included on, and later replaced by, Live for the Day.

The Story Behind Keep On Holding On

Keep On Holding On began as a live radio appearance, not a planned album session. Recorded Feb. 15, 2000, at WDUB-FM in Granville, Ohio, the five-song set captured Todd DeFeo alone with guitar, harmonica and vocals during a guest appearance on a regularly scheduled program.

The broadcast mixed conversation with live music, but the resulting EP removed the between-song discussion and preserved the complete musical performance. The set opened with “Keep On Holding On,” followed by “Dreams Come True,” “Day Is Short,” “She’s An Angel” and “Where the Road Unwinds.”

Released April 1, 2000, Keep On Holding On was DeFeo’s second release drawn from WDUB recordings and his third session at the station. Two earlier appearances, recorded Sept. 15 and Sept. 17, 1999, had produced the EP Find a Way Home.

The stripped-down format placed the focus squarely on the songs. With no band or studio production to soften the edges, the performances retained the immediacy of the original broadcast. The recording captured a single appearance exactly as it happened, except for the interview segments.

“She’s An Angel” soon developed a life beyond the EP. A single paired the WDUB performance with a piano demo of “For Just One Night,” recorded Dec. 19, 1999, in Atlanta, Georgia. The single was sold directly and distributed to local radio. By April 12, 2001, “She’s An Angel” was the most-requested song among Columbus-area local artists on an online music site.

Keep On Holding On was later incorporated into Live for the Day, which combined the complete EP with the earlier Find a Way Home recordings and a bonus track from a later WDUB session. The expanded collection replaced the original release, but Keep On Holding On remains a distinct snapshot of one live broadcast and five songs presented without embellishment.