Déjà Vu is just another John Keane project with just another group of incredibly talented local musicians.

After a successful career producing records for bands such as R.E.M., the Indigo Girls and Widespread Panic, Keane has brought together a group of seven local artists who are exceptionally good at what they do to have some fun.

The group has an attitude of understated fame when they congregate.

Producer and musician John Keane has compiled several musicians from a range of talents to perform in Déjà Vu, a tribute band to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. The group, its member said, is all about ease and fun. Courtesy Déjà Vu

Its members know they’re famous — but not too famous.

The small talk revolving around various Grammy-winning acquaintances and future performance dates before the group’s practice session are not of a pompous air but one of an acquired humility.

Keane had the will that brought together the Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young cover band, and Déjà Vu wants to relive some history.

“I was looking for something fun to do musically,” Keane said. “You have to really like a band a lot to be a tribute band, so it has to be your favorite band in the world.”

Everything about the cover band was handpicked by Keane: the songs, the musicians and even the placement of equipment in the studio when setting up for practice.

As musicians go, talent was important to Keane but not the end-all.

“I’ve been playing with a lot of these guys for a very long time, so we are very comfortable with each other. We draw a lot of energy from each other,” Keane said. “We all get along really well and to me that is a big priority when picking people to be in a band — that we are all on the same page musically and we all get along.”

Although Déjà Vu pays tribute to Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, it prefers not to mimic old sounds.

“We stay true to the record to a certain extent, but we like to jam, so a lot of songs we’ve added jams on at the end,” Keane said. “That is the same as Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. When they played live they really jammed.”

The project isn’t all improvisation either. Months of hard work resulted in a varied set list of songs ranging from acoustic to rock, with complex vocal harmonies and instrumentation to flesh out the experience.

The varied styles within the music from another era helps to draw in a varied crowd of music lovers, both young and old.

“It would be cool to turn on a new generation to the music of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young because a lot of young people aren’t necessarily familiar with them,” Keane said. “It’s a lot of fun for us because a lot of people come out to hear us play that don’t normally — people who have kids and jobs. It’s a good opportunity for people who aren’t usually a part of the club scene to come out hear music they love.”