Karrie Keyes Joins Parnelli Board of Advisors

LAS VEGAS – Karrie Keyes, who received the Audio Innovator honor at the Parnelli Awards in January, has joined the Parnelli board of advisors. Keyes is longtime monitor engineer for Pearl Jam and Eddie Vedder’s solo work and co-founder of SoundGirls.org.

“We’re grateful that Karrie has joined the board,” says Terry Lowe, Parnelli Awards executive producer and publisher of PLSN and FRONT of HOUSE magazines. “She is a respected audio professional and an inspiring leader, and we look forward to her contributions.”

Karrie Keyes Photo Credit: Madeline Keyes Levine

Keyes grew up in Los Angeles and as a teenager was drawn the L.A. punk scene. At a 1986 Black Flag concert, she was intrigued with what Dave Rat, the audio engineer was doing. After a brief conversation, she started her audio career at Rat Sound. By 19, she sat behind the monitor board of the popular 10-person southern California Ska band, The Untouchables. Soon she moved up to handling other acts and one-offs, eventually touring with acts including Soundgarden and Red Hot Chili Peppers before settling down with Pearl Jam in the early 1990s.

In 2012, she founded SoundGirls.org with Michelle Sabolchick Pettinato, another live audio engineer (Spin Doctors, Indigo Girls, Goo Goo Dolls). The organization’s mission is to empower the next generation or women in audio by establishing networks of support, mentorships, internships, and job placement. Today Keyes is executive director of the organization (Pettinato stepped back in 2015 but is still an active supporter). In addition to maintaining a website with a wealth of information, articles, resources, profiles on other women engineers, and staying up on issues like sexual harassment, they stage workshops and camps throughout the world. They have more than 20 SoundGirls chapters in North America and more in Mexico, Australia and Europe, with more than 6,000 members in all.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to be on the advisory board,” Keyes says. “The board is made up of industry leaders, and I am honored to be invited to join. I am most excited to help with making the awards more inclusive and diverse, and continuing to do the work SoundGirls does. I hope to bring the names of those who identify as women sound engineers to the NextGen awards.”