By Bob Klanac.
This is the twelfth in an ongoing series in which The Beat Magazine 2025 takes readers “Behind The Scenes” to meet the talented creative individuals who make the London area such a vibrant arts and culture community.
In this segment, Bob Klanac profiles Tami Kegley and Page Graham, co-founders of the popular Inside Outside recurring “salons” that bring together the music and visual art communities in a common setting.
(Pictured: Page Graham and Tami Kegley. Photo provided by Page Graham.)
It took a couple of Texas-based outsiders to spot a need in London’s cultural landscape.
Tami Kegley and Page Graham, expats 40 years living in San Antonio, Texas made their home in London a few years ago and knew they wanted to be involved in London’s growing arts and music scenes.
“When I came back, it felt like the visual arts were playing a secondary role in our community” says Kegley “and there is so much emphasis being placed upon music.
“It seemed like there was no intermingling between the visual arts and the music communities in the city.”
Graham observed in San Antonio a very vibrant arts scene intertwined with the music community.
“I really missed those wonderful artist talks. I would go to a show, and invariably there would be an artist panel discussion.”
Both Kegley and Graham came by their various passions honestly. Kegley is an acclaimed jewelry artist and Graham, a onetime CHRW 80s-era radio host had a long career in television production in San Antonio. Both were very involved in their San Antonio community and came to London looking to do the same.
“Page and I moved to London and became enchanted with the community,” Kegley explains. “We volunteered for the Close to the Edge Festival and things like that and just found ourselves wanting to be more involved.
“My career is as an artist. Page and I have both done arts journalism. That was in our tool kit, and we were looking at how we can make a positive impact on London. It occurred to us that real life conversations were important and had been left by the wayside because of COVID.
“It seems like people are more in their silos here. There are efforts that are facilitated by the city and other groups to try to break out of that but we really wanted to have an arts conversation.”
So Kegley and Graham batted some ideas around their dining room table and decided on something they would call the Inside Outside.
Kegley would be the host of the event interviewing the artists and Graham the producer, ensuring the music and staging goes according to plan.
It would meld music with discussions on the arts in a kind of colloquium setting with one crucial difference from other events of that type.
Key to the concept of the event is that it would take place in a bar, London’s legendary Richmond Tavern.
Why the gritty Richmond Tavern? To listen to Graham the answer is a resounding ‘why not’.
“It’s so cool and so real,” he says with a chuckle. “It’s like our version of the Horseshoe Tavern and that’s what makes it so special. You got the regulars in the back room around the round table, so to speak. It’s not exactly the Algonquin Hotel.
“The authenticity of that place makes it special. And that’s why, for us, it’s the venue of choice. It’s intimate. And intimacy is part of the basis of our concept.”
Kegley agrees, adding “It’s a non-intimidating space. It’s not a rarified space.”
Since it bowed in on May of 2025, Inside Outside has hosted talks by Jamie Fenton of Museum London, Graham Henderson, CEO of the London Chamber of Commerce, gallerist Jonathan Bancroft-Snell, local raconteur / legendary dancer Bev Camp, Jim Capel the former co-owner of City Lights Bookstore, artist Jim Telfer, as well as readings by Pete Tangredi and Howie Kittleson.
(Pictured: Tami Kegley with local performance artist John Erb at a recent Inside Outside. Photo by Vera Kittleson.)
Musicians featured have included Steve Sinclair, Jaron Camp, Galea and the Galvanizers, Anne Moniz with Daniel Oniszeczko, Brent Jones, Adam McNeill, Carol MacQuarrie with Chris Mittleholz, Jeffrey DP and Jordan Buck.
For the next edition taking place Thursday, September 17, Kegley will be interviewing Kathy Smith, the creator of an Over 55 visual arts, dance and writing program called Creative Aging executed in conjunction with the London Public Library.
Allison Brown will also take the stage celebrating her return to London after stints in other Ontario locales.
“Allison Brown is a fantastic singer songwriter,” Graham says excitedly, “she’s just recently come back to London, and we thought she’d be a fantastic choice.”
Kegley beams as she describes the sight of “a crowd of people sitting in there listening and taking it in and focusing.
“And sometimes the best part of the show is after it’s over, because people hang around and chat, and they’re energized intellectually.
“The Inside Outside is an attempt to bring the two scenes together, which is really something new. Absolutely, one feeds the other. It’s really kind of a nice symbiosis I think we’ve landed on. And people seem to like it.
“And so, we keep doing it!”
By Bob Klanac
Bob Klanac is a London-based music journalist who has penned hundreds of reviews and interviews. He was a juror for the Polaris Music Prize, a member of the Slaight Family Polaris Heritage Prize Jury and a Juno Awards juror. Bob has also penned two books, Promo Man about London’s late music legend Nick Panaseiko and Shooting Stars, Telling Tales, about photographer to the stars photo-journalist John Rowlands.
(Photo Credit: Paul Lambert.)
The Beat Magazine 2025 