What Other Artists Would You Like To Hear On "Kurt Fortmeyer Radio"?

         I had been ragging on iHeart Radio because I felt like they were using my name to get folks to tune in and pad their bottom line. They were only playing one of my songs...and then playing a bunch of unrelated music...on what was purportedly "Kurt Fortmeyer Radio". I felt like it was an underhanded way of doing business...a classic bait & switch...and yet another example of a corporate giant (Clear Channel) abusing independent artists in order to make a buck.
         I must have rattled somebody's cage, because yesterday I got an email from one of their content managers. He had seen my post on the Just Plain Folks songwriting community's message board, and decided to look into my complaints. He told me that they were only playing one of my songs..."Hard Times (Call For Hard Liquor)"...because that was the only song they had in their database. I don't know where they got it, but he contacted me through my Bandcamp page, which has that song and three other albums on it, which tells me that they have to know that I have more than one song.
        He told me that they'd be happy to include more of my music on the station (since it is supposedly based on my work) and offered to let me send them other albums to be included in their database. Also, to further make my station more representative of my sound, he said he'd love to update and replace the similar artists that currently fill the station. He has asked me to send him a list of 35-40 artists who are better choices as similar artists for "Kurt Fortmeyer Radio", so he can make the necessary changes to better reflect what my fans would want to hear.  I have started working on the list. So far, it looks like this...

Guy Clark

Merle Haggard

Radney Foster

Robert Earl Keen

Ashley Monroe

Dale Watson

David Allan Coe

Joey + Rory

Kris Kristofferson

The Steeldrivers

Tom Russell

Brandy Clark

Dwight Yoakam

 

 Joe Ely

Willie Nelson

Steve Earle

Johnny Cash

Bobby Bare

Waylon Jennings

Del McCoury Band

Loretta Lynn

John Anderson

Junior Brown

Emmylou Harris

Rodney Crowell

Marty Stuart

Randy Travis

Moe Bandy

Hank Williams

George Jones

Jamey Johnson

Jerry Jeff Walker

Ricky Skaggs

 

     Comments and/or suggestions? Is there anybody you would add? Would any of these artists make you tune out the station? Your input is appreciated.

Liquor? I Hardly Know Her! Part 1: Jack In Common

         

          I've been thinking lately about how all the research I did when I was younger has helped me write drinking and barroom songs now that I'm sober (32 years!). One of the first songs that comes to my mind is the third song I ever wrote with my friend Bo Thomas Biermann. Bo is one of the better singers I've ever met, and a pretty danged good writer, but he is much happier as a small town guy who goes fishing after work and surfing in the summertime. Good for him for figuring that out.
          Bo showed up at my one bedroom dump apartment on 18th Avenue one day in early '06 with a hook idea " I chose the bottle, but she chose the Bible, and we don't have Jack in Common anymore" that in and of itself was not bad, but being who I am, I insisted on us changing it. We ended up writing a boy-meets-girl from a different walk of life-over a couple of shots of whiskey song called "Jack In Common". I recorded it with producer Duane Sciacqua, and it became the leadoff track on my 2009 CD "What's Not To Love About That?". Bo sang the harmonies, and his then-girlfriend Jessica Brooks sang a duet with me on the last chorus.
          Around the time that we wrote the song, my friend Suzy Q (Susan Davis) came out to visit from North Carolina. At one point she told me "I've heard that song twice since I've been here, and there's a part that has bothered me both times. It's when you say 'A little boy said'. I don't think a little boy has any business in the bar, much less in the song." Bo and I laughed and explained to her that we were saying "a little voice". I have been much more careful with my enunciation since then.
          I once sold a copy of the CD to a guy who heard me play at the Luna Star Café in North Miami. He took it to a party where everyone was apparently getting hammered and played it for the partygoers. That turned into an immediate scavenger hunt for Jack Daniels-related articles. He sent me an email and asked for my mailing address (which I am fairly protective of) and said he wanted to send me a gift. After explaining to him that my home was my refuge where I hide out when I'm not on the road and that neither my wife, nor I, nor our psycho dog appreciated uninvited "guests", I told him I would be happy to receive a token of their appreciation. Several days later, a package arrived. In it was a bottle of Jack Daniels Honey Dijon Mustard and half of a nice coaster set emblazoned with the Jack Daniels logo.
     I guess I'm living the life...and reaping the benefits...but I still won't drink to that.
     Cheers!

Small World Tour: Day 3...Festival For The Eno...part 2

SMALL WORLD TOUR: DAY 3...FESTIVAL FOR THE ENO...PART 2
    Based on the audience reaction (and CD sales) my opening set was pretty well received. In addition to old friends (including my sister who I've known for 55 years, and my old high school sweetie and her younger sister who I've know for over 40 years), a lot of folks who I had never met came around the side of the stage after I was done to chat with me and buy CDs.
     One woman told me that she had only heard my last song, but had to have the CD. Another couple wanted the "what's not to like about that song". One man told me that "My Dog Jesus" was the most unique inspirational song that he had ever heard. Several people bought both CDs, often with a comment along the lines of "I've never heard of you before. You were great!". None of this hurt my feelings. Several people asked for "Circling The Drain" even though I had mentioned onstage that it was not on any of my CDs. I directed them to YouTube, and told them that I guessed that it had to be on the next record. I guess it does.
   Off to the River Stage for my second set of the day. I got there in time to catch the tail end of a set by Anne McCue, who as it turns out also lives in Nashville and has many mutual friends. Her band for the day was a pair of brothers from Raleigh, Dave (drums) and Ron (bass) Bartholomew, who were operating under the name The Blue Millionaires. I had met Dave last November when I played S.P.I.T.T.L.E. Fest. That night, he was the guitarist for Terry Anderson & The Olympic Ass Kicking Team.
    I played a lot of the same songs that I had played on the Grove Stage, and there were old friends and new faces in attendance. I started with "You Done Done It Now", which I introduced as "a song that contains two classic themes of traditional country music...infidelity and unforgiveness." After that, I played the title track to my new CD "One More Night In Nashville", followed by "What's Not To Love?". Then I played "Dickel, Strait & Jones", "Too Many Bubbas", and "My Dog Jesus". I closed out the set with "Inside That Box" and "Circling The Drain" (which I totally spaced on the words to, and then inhaled a bug or something.) It was a dramatic ending, but I choked my way through it. After the set, some folks came over to talk. One guy wanted to tell me about his friend who he thought I would have a "hoot" with if we ever ended up in the same room. It turns out his friend was Jonathan Byrd, who used to play at the Hyphen when Nina and I owned it. While we were talking, a young guy ran up and said "I didn't catch your set, but I checked you out online. "My Dog Jesus" is the best song ever!"
I packed up to hustle over to the Meadow Stage to catch Jamie Anderson's set which was scheduled to start at the same time my set was ending. As I was walking over, I heard "FORT KURTMEYER!"
There's only one person I know who calls me that...Mister Lightnin' Wells. We visited for a minute before I boogied up the hill to the meadow.
Jamie was in full swing, accompanied by Robbie Link on the upright bass and Tracy Feldman on the violin. She had the crowd eating out of her hand with such hilarious fare as "Your Mama Scares Me", "Menopause Mambo", and "Run". My sister Kate had met Jamie earlier in the day, but she didn't have a clue what Jamie was about until seeing her set. I do believe she was properly impressed. During Jamie's set, I was accosted by a cute young woman who had seen my first set. I thought she was going to climb into my lap, but fortunately my entourage (Alan and Jane) was there to protect my virtue. I did tell the girl "If I were you, I'd be awesome." which generated yet another hi-five. After Jamie's set, she and Tracy and I had a nice meal together, telling bad jokes and generally carrying on. I swear that woman is my sister from a whole different set of parents. Tracy shot this picture.

          After parting ways with Jamie, I started heading (in a roundabout way) toward performer parking, to change into cooler clothes and stash my guitar. Again, I heard someone call my name (this time from the beer garden) and ended up in a lengthy discussion with Isabel Taylor, who I had met last year when I played at The City Tap in Pittsboro. She is a songwriter as well, but her set coincided with my second set, so I didn't get to hear her sing. I was almost to performer parking when I realized that I didn't have my keys. Nina had parked the car after dropping me off for my first set. I parked my butt backstage at the Grove and sent her a text. It turned out that we were only about 100 feet away from each other, since she was out in front of the stage catching Dex Romweber's set. I got the keys and trudged on toward the car. There was a younger couple walking down the gravel road at the same time I was. The guy said "I saw you at S.P.I.T.T.L.E. Fest. You were badass. I hate that I got here too late to see you today." I thanked him for the kind words, and left them by the Port-O-Johns.
     After changing clothes, I wandered around a little bit, caught some of Andy Coats' set on the Chimney Corners Stage, and then hooked back up with my peeps down at the River Stage in time to catch John D. Holeman and Lightnin' Wells dropping the blues on everybody. Eventually, we had enough festival for one day, and so we headed for the car, and then the house.

Small World Tour: Day 3...Festival For The Eno...part 1

SMALL WORLD TOUR, DAY THREE: THE FESTIVAL FOR THE ENO

 

     Rolled out of our separate beds (I was missing her already) trying not to think about how early it was in Central time, where our body clocks were set, grabbed a light breakfast, and prepared for the 4th of July the way we like to spend it...at the Festival For The Eno. Hurricane Arthur had continued up the coast and left relatively cool weather in its wake. It's usually pushing the upper 90s or the low 100s, so the upper 80s was sounding pretty danged awesome. I decided to wear jeans, boots, and my new shirt from the thrift store to play my sets, rather than shorts, sandals, and a t-shirt, although I did pack a change of lighter clothes for changing into after my sets.
    It was about a 45 minute drive to the festival grounds (which beats the heck out of a 9 hour drive from Nashville) and soon we were rolling through the front gate. We said "Good morning" to Forrest the gatekeeper, flashed the All Access Vehicle pass, and heeding his admonishment to "keep it on the dashboard, brother", we slowly rolled through the grounds and around to the Grove Stage. I was greeted there by John the stage manager and the best sound team at the festival, Bo Osborne and Johnny Klein. I knew my opening set was in good hands.
     Jamie Anderson showed up almost right away, and gave me a copy of her new book "Drive All Night", (which she signed to me) and reminded me that I was in Chapter 21 "Don't Stand Too Close To The Bird", which is a recounting of her misadventures performing at The Bluebird Café in Nashville...her one and only time. I was looking forward to her mid-day set on the Meadow Stage, but I still had a couple of my own to play before then.
    My opening set on the Grove Stage was delayed only slightly by smartypants Gene O'Neill coming down front and asking if it was okay to "approach the star". After we shook hands, I got underway.
I started off with "(I Got My Heart) Broke In", the opening track on my latest CD, and then moved into a singalong of "What's Not To Love". After proclaiming my love for traditional country music, I played "Dickel, Strait & Jones". After that, I played "Inside That Box",  and I had just remarked that there was nothing like a good dead grandpa song to get a festival going, when an audience member shouted "Now all you need is a song about dogs and trucks." I said "I've got a dog song." Somebody else shouted "Jesus!", to which I replied "I think I can get Jesus and a dog into one song." Of course I can.  I love playing "My Dog Jesus" for folks who have never heard it. (On the other hand, those folks who have heard me a bunch of times and always insist that I play it even if I only get to play 2 or 3 songs need to go buy a download.) I followed "My Dog Jesus" with "Circling The Drain", and then there was some confusion about how much time I had left. The stage manager had taken a walk. I thought I had 11 minutes left, so I added a truck song ("That's What I'm Talkin' About") into my set, figuring I could still play "The One Hundred Letter Word" and "You Done Done It Now". Halfway into the song, the stage manager shows back up and tells me "3 minutes!". I finished up with "The One Hundred Letter Word", and saved "You Done Done It Now" for the second set.