Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Hello everybody.
It is Skip Clark and it'sanother edition of Skip Happens.
And, as you know, I always havea lot of my good friends.
They've become my good friendson here Independent artists,
those that are trying to make ago at what they love, their
passion, their dedication.
And we've had Rob Fitzgerald onbefore.
(00:21):
It had to be a while ago, butit's so good to see him.
He's north of the border and healso works for the city of
Toronto, so I know that.
I know that, but I don't knowhow much longer, because the
music he's putting out isunbelievable.
Maybe it's almost time toretire, because being a
firefighter, Rob, you can getout at a young age and still go
(00:43):
and do something you love.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Rob Fitzgerald.
Yeah, Skip, it's great to seeyou.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Thanks for having me on again.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I know we always have great chats, so seeing you at
CRS and Nashville, things likethat so I feel like I've come to
know you quite well, which isgreat.
So, yeah, you know the job offirefighting.
It does take a toll on the bodyand you'm, you know, close to
20 years in now and, uh, youknow it's, it's taken a toll on
my body, but I have the.
You know, I've got theopportunity here that I have two
(01:14):
great passions.
So I'm third generationfirefighter, so it runs in the
family and it's something thatI'm built to do.
So, and you know, you know mylove for music and you know, in
the countryside especially, butthe big thing for me is the love
of it.
What it does is it's my therapyas well.
So you know from everythingthat.
(01:36):
I have to see at work and I cancome home and I can write songs
record, get together with someincredible musicians and just
kind of live this other lifeaway from that.
That, that, that profession.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Nothing better.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
So mental health, right there, it's your own way
of taking care of a lot ofissues and probably more than
likely I know because I was afirefighter for a lot of years
but more than likely the thingsyou see and the things you have
to do and you know when.
Once you get home, it's a wayof you kind of putting your mind
in a different frame and startthinking about, you know, your
(02:12):
music, helping it does you know,working downtown toronto, it's,
it's the nature of the beast.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Any big city, there's just going to be more of
everything.
Yeah, so you're just, you'rejust going to see things that
most people aren't supposed tosee.
And music is a really goodrelease.
It's a healer, it is, andthat's why I call it, it's my
therapy.
Yeah, exactly, and you know,and I've got the drive and
passion, that, and not only that, just every time I release a
(02:40):
single good things keephappening.
So I love it, I love it.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
You know, you said you've been on the force uh,
nearly 20 years, but how long?
I know we've probably talkedabout this before.
I know I'll have to go back andlook at the other podcasts, but
, um, how long have you beenplaying music?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yeah, I would have to probably go back to a former
life, that you know, when I hadlonger hair and and cut my hair.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Can I find that on here?
Wait a minute, it's buried?
Speaker 2 (03:08):
you probably can.
But I basically gave it up tohave a family, I get a real
career job, and it wasn't untilmy daughter was in her teens
that she she wanted to learn howto play guitar and I thought,
why not teach her some of what Iknow?
And and I just kept the guitarsout and I started writing and
one thing led to another and Ididn't want to be an actual
(03:30):
artist, I just wanted to be asongwriter firefight by day,
song right by night, send stuffout to publishers, and just some
industry people just suggestedthat why don't you give it a
shot at the artist side?
And COVID was perfect for thatbecause everybody was oh yeah
because of it.
So I had a chance to kind ofregroup and brand myself and you
know recordings and uh, promoshots, and then when, when it
(03:55):
all opened up, I kind of hit thegate along with everyone else.
So it was probably a little bitof a blessing in disguise.
I wouldn't necessarily sayCOVID is much of a blessing in
disguise.
I wouldn't necessarily saycoving is much of a blessing,
but it's been good.
Oh, I hear you.
And with each single that I'vereleased, especially this one,
there's just more and morepeople that I've got in my
corner.
Now that just help me with thenext one more exposure.
(04:16):
Nothing happens overnight andI'm just having a blast with it
every step of the way.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Exactly do you take the guitar to work with you?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
yeah, well, I actually have a guitar in my
locker at work.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Oh I love it.
And the guys go hey, rob, pullout the guitar, why don't you?
Just, you know, maybe you'renot out training, you don't?
It's kind of a quiet night andyou have to do whatever you know
we, the station I work at, is150 years old.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
It's the oldest working fire station in
yorkville.
So now the nice weather, wehave bench time outside after
dinner, so I usually bring itout and I'll start.
That's cool strumming, and thedogs come by with the dog
walkers and it's it's a greatcommunity for that.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
So it's just it just helps us to bond with the
community that much more andwhat do the guys think about you
doing what you do and knowingthat you're trying to go to the
next level with that, you know,with your music?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
They love it.
They're very supportive.
You know I've got we've got achief in our hall to other
captains I'm one of the captainsas well.
Oh, cool, right right down tothe young bucks and to the young
bucks you know, seeing what?
I get a chance to do away fromwork.
Everybody does something awayfrom work as well, and so it
takes their mind off of it.
It's a fairly busy hall.
So you know everybody needs toget the rest that they need to
(05:31):
get, but it's you know.
So you know there's a fewfestivals that the whole crew is
going to be coming to.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Oh, I love that.
Yeah, I love that you have thesupport of your coworkers, which
is the other, the otherextended family that we have.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Everybody supports everybody.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
God, I love that.
I love that.
How often do you get out ofCanada and head to Nashville?
Speaker 2 (05:51):
So I'm there probably about four to five times a year
now.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
And it's just.
You know the things like CRS isone of them, right Country.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Radio Seminar yes.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
That's another tool for me and grassroots.
Being my representative out ofNashville, you know they're such
great supporters and comingdown to be able to and they help
me promote.
You know my upcoming releasesor you know just music in
general.
I'm doing a lot of recording inNashville.
This current release has givenme an awful lot of connections,
(06:24):
a publishing deal kind of recorddeal as well that we can dive
into a little bit more, but justwith that songwriting as well,
and I'll be doing a radio tourthe second week of June.
So there's just more that'shappening.
That's pulling me down there.
They're more.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
So now you're actually signed with a label
yeah, it's, it's kind of, uh itis.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
It was um aaron goodman.
Oh yeah, I know a well-knowncountry artist.
Yep, um had a venture with hiswife.
His wife works on the publisherside and uh, that's.
He's a grassroots artist aswell.
So the last crs country CountryRadio Seminar last September,
he and I talked because we hadan actual grassroots event.
(07:10):
So then we started talking andwe made it an actual venture,
and so he brought me down andset me up with all kinds of
songwriters, set me theircatalog and we narrowed it down
to this song that we werecurrently releasing right now,
and it hooked me up with EricTorres, who's a fantastic
(07:34):
producer you know, priest JimmyAllen, lee Bryce, james Johnson.
So, and the musicians in theroom were just incredible.
Here's little old me fromCanada walking in to these guys
that have played with, you know,keith Urban and Janie Fleener,
who's who's on tour with GeorgeStrait right now.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
So these are like a a list of of musicians.
So I was so happy to be able tohave them in the room and they
treated me so well and made mefeel real, real, comfortable,
and the rest is history to feelintimidated at all.
I was too, because I don't.
I don't live that life downthere and amongst all of those
(08:17):
you know incredibly wickedsession musicians who also play
live with with pretty mucheverybody.
So was I a little intimidated?
Yes, but they're so good in theroom that you, you wouldn't
even know it and there's there'sno one that ever made me feel
that way.
So the moment I stepped up tothe mic during the, the tracking
(08:37):
session that it was, it wasjust like an old glove, and Eric
Torres, the producer, is soeasygoing and made me feel very
comfortable.
Makes it easier yeah, aaronGoodman's in the room the whole
entire time cheering me on,that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Now, for those that don't know Aaron, he's in Canada
.
He's huge, super huge.
I mean he's like what.
Tim McGraw is here from what Iunderstand, yeah, but you know
it's a whole different worldnorth of the border, but that is
starting to move over and youknow it's overflowing into
Nashville now.
I think we're sharing a lot ofartists and that's how I got to
(09:12):
know Aaron.
He made the trip to Nashville.
I've had him on my Skip Happenspodcast before.
But for those that don't knowthis guy's huge, ask anybody in
Canada who Aaron Goodvin is, andthey're going to come right out
and tell you he's just and whata great guy too.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
He is down to earth.
He and I have become very goodfriends and we talk pretty much
weekly right now, especiallywith his new single going on
about you know, and what we'redoing now that the single's out
is trying to get a little moreconversions on the single you
know what we can do, that's youknow further the single.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
You know what we can do.
That's, uh, you know well,further reaching than just the
recording.
Yeah, I want to talk about that.
Let's dive into the new single.
A little bit sounds like amemory, and how did that song
land in your hands and what madeyou say this is the one?
Speaker 2 (09:58):
so when we we talked about doing this, this venture
together, this publishing kindof mini, mini record deal, um,
he said, before we even get downto songwriting, I'm going to
send you a catalog.
So this is a catalog of songsthat he's either written or he's
co-written, and I think it wasabout 20 different songs, and
one caught my eye or my ear andand that was sounds like a
(10:22):
memory and and so the next stepwas to then come down to
Nashville and we'll songwriteevery day with a different
songwriter, and there was awhole slew of them, or they were
just, you know, they're hitsongwriters.
So once the songs were done, Icame back and did the demos for
it and everything was beingcompared to Sounds Like a Memory
(10:44):
.
That song was so strong.
I said, you know, if this isthe worst case scenario, this is
the best, this is fantastic.
Yeah, no doubt.
Oh, there was really nopressure knowing that that song
was already there and while acouple of them were oh, you know
they were, they were okay,strong ish.
This song was was the one and Iknew it was kind of made that
(11:07):
for my vocal style which, andyou know, going into the studio,
I, I, I knew I would be able todo it justice, so so the demo
is quite a bit different thanthe the final product, and
that's kind of the way I wantedgiving a little more of that
traditional countryside that I'mall about as well yeah, it had
to be so much fun, though,working with all these A-list
players and everybody comingtogether and making it happen
(11:30):
for you and feeling reallycomfortable.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
That is just so freaking cool.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
It is, and not only that, they're one take.
Yeah, that's what they are,they're so good.
Justin Ostrander, he wascharting the song as the demo
was playing in the control room.
By the time the song was done,he was done charting.
Make quick photocopies.
We went out, we did a quickverse and chorus just to get
tempo and feel and then webanged it off and then then that
(11:57):
was it and they some of themdid their overdubs that they had
and I think probably in 40, 45minutes start to finish.
We were done.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
You know, yeah, what I've heard with the song.
There seems to be a lot ofemotion in your delivery and did
the song connect with maybe apersonal experience or a story
in your life?
Speaker 2 (12:17):
It did.
I love that feel that, eventhough there was the traditional
country feel, you know,bluetooth speaker on the sand
and you've still got some ofthat current ways of being able
to say certain things, but yeah,I could envision the whole
(12:39):
thing and with a little bit ofthe soul that was in there, I
was able to capture that as well.
I just loved it when I heard it.
And it's just like you know yourfavorite cover song that you
love to sing.
It's kind of like that.
So what we've done now isthere's a couple more songs that
came out of all of this thatI'm going to head back down and
we're going to record and makemore of this Very cool.
(13:03):
This is just the first step ofmany that we're going to do.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
So you've had I made some notes.
Here you have three new singlesand, of course, the album
that's coming out in 2025.
What themes or stories are youexcited to share on this project
?
Speaker 2 (13:22):
I would say it's kind of a culmination of all of all
of it.
Um, you know, everything rightright to my my last single,
which is kind of a tribute towhere I come from, as, as a man,
you know, paying tribute to myfather and uh.
So that that was a big one anduh, one that somebody nobody's
(13:44):
even heard of is just just about, just about working hard and
it's basically, it's just calledliving hard.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
yeah is there anybody ?
I you mentioned your daughterpicking up a guitar, but going
back to maybe your, your father,your mother or any, let's go
back a little bit.
Were they musicians at all orno, they weren't.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
They were they were both civil servants okay so
music was never, really wasnever approved as a potential
way of living Gotcha.
So or a career or it, you knowWell that was back then that's
right, it was more.
This is the thing you do for funon the side, and that's where
(14:24):
it stays.
So and it's just where theycame from.
And my grandfather so my mom'sfather he was musical.
So whether I picked it up fromfrom that side of things, uh,
who knows.
But uh, it wasn't alwayscountry music I'm.
I had such a love for southernrock, oh yeah, so the southern
(14:45):
rock kind of blended into mycountry style as well.
That's why a little bit of thesoul works for me as well as the
rock side as well.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Do you again?
Is Emerson Drive?
They're still going right inCanada.
Do you know, emerson Drive?
How about Doc Walker?
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Doc Walker is maybe not so much, but I don't follow
that as much.
It's tough here in Canada.
There are so few places thatyou know, since COVID, a lot of
places closed down.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Yeah, that sucks, so the music scene changed big time
.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
It's only really been maybe up to last year that the
music festivals really startedto flourish and a few ended up
closing down.
So some of the ones that weredoing regular tours and a lot of
regular stops, a lot of thoseregular places are gone.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Correct me if I'm wrong, but, rob, you've had some
pretty cool milestones.
You've had hopefully I got thisright you've had five number
one singles on the CanadianIndie Country Countdown.
That's cool.
Multiple tracks, a chart onMusic Row, which we know I think
that's how we first got to knoweach other a little bit was
because of Music Row.
What do those milestones meanto you?
(15:56):
That's huge.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Well in Canada.
It's just that confirmationthat you know you're definitely
on the right track and you knowhaving my I think I'm now five
songs in on Sirius XM here inCanada.
No longer am I just playing in.
You know some local areasaround here.
You know anyone that can getSirius XM is now hearing my
(16:19):
stuff.
So and it just it just leads tomore listeners knowing who I am
, which.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
When you talk about Sirius XM and of course, a lot
of people get their music fromsatellite radio I mean, is it
the same?
Now, maybe this question'sreally dumb.
Is it the same that's here inthe states?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
it's the exact same.
Sirius XM, it's okay.
It's just channel 171, insteadof what the highway is.
The highway's like 56.
Yeah, so it's an upper channeland it's predominantly it's only
Canadian country music.
Oh, okay, is it labeled?
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Canadian country.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
It's actually called Top of the Country.
I love that, but it's notlabeled Canadian.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Okay, that's good to know.
I didn't know that.
Yeah, see, when I get in thetruck tomorrow, head into work,
I'm going to go to it and seewhat it sounds like.
You never know, I might hear aRob Fitzgerald song.
Come on well I'm in.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
I'm in.
You know I'm being played thereright now, so you got.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
I love that, you know I got and what is that feeling
like?
I mean, you must be out in thetruck doing whatever and you got
serious xm on and uh, you'relistening and your song comes on
.
What do you?
Just kind of go, wow okay, itis cool.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
But what's even more cool is when somebody sends me a
screenshot that they're drivingaround, yeah, and it's playing
for them, and then you know,it's just because I don't always
.
A lot of times I may listen tomy own playlist and and not, but
a lot of people send me I gowith your songs on right now.
So that's, that's very god,that's so cool yeah, that's very
(17:49):
cool.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
I didn't know that, though obviously I know what the
highway is and all that, and Ijust did when you mentioned that
I'm going.
I don't know if I've heard Robon the highway, but now it all
makes sense that it's that upperchannel.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Yeah, cross your fingers.
We're going to see if we canget to the highway with this new
release.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
So when they do the, they do the highway find, which
is pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
That's right.
Yeah, so grassroots is going tobe working their magic and
seeing what they can do in thiscase.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
So you know we've talked about this before, but
you got a good team withgrassroots.
Oh, they are phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
I've been with them since day one and with every
release I can't say enough.
So now we've gone even further.
We've gone the streaming sideas well.
So they partnered with anothercompany here in canada, great um
zyk marketing.
So between the two of them,what they're doing for me and
then on the radio side is justmore, is just getting me more.
(18:40):
So it's, I think right now thisis the second weekend, for
sounds like a memory, and we're200 000 streams on spotify, damn
so, and growing, yeah, andgrowing, but 300, I think.
I took a look today 355playlists, so some editorials,
which is great, and but that'sjust.
You know, regular people justthrow me in their playlist as
(19:02):
well, so it's well andrightfully so.
So yeah, so anyways, it's, it'sgoing well.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
I have not a good spot and with uh, all the summer
gigs that are coming up.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
uh, it's, it's going well.
I have no complaints.
You're in a good spot and, withall the summer gigs that are
coming up, it's going to be afun season.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
So when was the last time you were at the Bluebird?
You did play the Bluebird,right.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Yeah, that was.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Was that nerve-wracking?
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Yes, it was, don't lie, it's very nerve-wracking
and it's so quiet, right, it isquiet, right it is.
And it was the monday nightopen mic, because I'm not local
they, they really do theirsundays to their locals, gotcha,
um.
So I was able to sign up and doit and it was right when the
bluebird documentary movie cameout, so the lineup to get in for
(19:46):
the open mic night was down.
It's a strip mall, so it's just, yeah, lined up all the way
down and it was packed and I gota chance to do two songs.
Uh, while I was there and Ihave people that are still
following me from this day, justjust from that, that
performance.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
So just once, look at that.
I see the cat behind you.
I see the cat.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Yeah, that's uh, that's like my son's cat.
So, oh, he's spying on youtrying to get downstairs
probably.
Oh, it looks like it.
Oh, he's spying on you Tryingto get downstairs Probably.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Oh, it looks like.
It Looks like he's trying toget the door.
But not only the Bluebird, butyou've been doing a lot of
festivals across Canada.
That's right.
And is there one performanceout of all those festivals that
might stand out?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
I would have to say last year's at Summerfest was
truly magical I have yet that'sthe first festival that was that
big that I've played.
You know the reception for itwas incredible.
My band didn't come with me,but I had an A-list of musicians
that were out there that werejust phenomenal.
(20:49):
They tour with everyone here inCanada there, that cool, just
just phenomenal.
They tour with everyone here incanada.
So to the stage, to the people,the crowd it was.
It was an incredible set,incredible experience.
My, uh, my wife's family livesthere, so it made sense to try
and go there and play.
And, yeah, 100 not far fromwhere the festival was and it's
surrounded by mountains andbeautiful, yeah, beautiful,
(21:11):
beautiful, yeah, so I got achance to meet Keith Urban.
All right, keep dropping thenames.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
I like this.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Rub shoulders with people that I.
That was the standout one, butwe've got a couple of festivals
this year that are going to bestandout again as well.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
But they're all north of the border.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
They're all up there, yes.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
So is it hard for you to north of the border?
They're all Canada, yeah, sowhat is there?
Is it hard for you to comeacross the border to do shows,
or if you wanted to bring theband or maybe hook up with some
musicians over here, and I mean,is that?
Is that a challenge for you?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
If you, if I, was a tribute band, it might be a
little bit easier.
But to just kind of step on theother side of the border and
say we want to tour, um, itwould be.
It's pretty expensive to dojust for me, you know and play
smaller venues, I'd have topretty much do it just as a solo
show.
So we're trying to work our wayup to let's, let's, let's see
(22:05):
if we can make enough noise thatwe can actually start joining
support for, for larger, forbigger, odd.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
I love that.
I love that.
And you mentioned that, uh,you're going to go out on a
radio tour, hopefully, uh,grassroots, and I'm sure they
will.
Uh, they'll get you hooked upand all that.
Do you know when that's goingto happen?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Yeah, so that's going to be the second tour.
Some I've already been to, someI haven't.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
It's cool it's cool, I love it.
Is new york on the list or no?
Speaker 2 (22:44):
um it, it's not on this one, but it okay.
I think new york because of theproximity where we are, we can
make it a separate one.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Dude, I'm only a few hours from Toronto, that's right
, Exactly.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
So just you know, you come right across at Niagara
Falls.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
baby, you come right down to Thruway.
Hey, come on, We'll do thepodcast here in person.
That'd be great.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
I know it'd be a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
So that's why you know we need to keep in touch
with this, because if you docome anywhere close, we
definitely I'd get you hooked up, put you in front of some
people and then we could hangout and have a few cold ones and
do a podcast that's a greatidea.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
I think we should do that I think.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
So, like I said, we're only gonna what?
Three and a half hours from you?
Yeah, I don't know.
I it's been a while since I'vegone that way, but yes, your
cues I think is about that fromyeah, yeah so know, with the
tour plans in the works, andwhat can fans expect from your
live shows?
Speaker 2 (23:37):
A whole lot of energy .
So I've got a five-piece band,including a fiddle player.
Everybody sings, so theharmonies are solid and
music-wise they're as good asyou can get anywhere and, uh,
(23:57):
love playing with them.
The the.
I always said that if I'm gonnahave whatever band that I want
around me, I want to enjoy beingaround and I enjoy being around
all of them and we have a greattime and, uh, and you become a
little more of a family onceyou've got an entire summer of
of festival tours going on, yeah, yeah, this is what it is.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
You get to know.
You get to know a little bittoo much about each other yeah
and uh, I'm really easy going.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
I'm not a tough boss when it comes to, you know,
making sure everybody does thisand that I just just as long as
you're ready.
That's, that's it, and andthat's where I come from.
It's like you know, being afirefighter and it being as
stressful as it is that I get achance to do music.
So you know what's there,what's there to be uptight about
(24:47):
no, that's like we were talkingabout minutes ago.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
You know, when you come home after a tough shift,
music's your outlet, exactly.
You know it's all and it.
It helps mental health and allthat.
So, yeah, you know we all gothrough a lot.
Is the performing?
Is it different in canada asopposed to nashville, or is it
pretty much the same regardless?
Speaker 2 (25:09):
uh, I find it the same anywhere and I've performed
in national nashville.
It's a little different becauseI find it the same anywhere.
Um, and I've performed innational and nashville.
It's a little different becauseI usually do the song writing
rounds either at um, you know,either at live oak or um the
commodore or or the bluebirdcafe.
So that kind of performance isa little bit different.
It's the, the story and thenthe song, whereas if you come to
(25:31):
see us in the band, you'reactually getting a chance to
actually experience you know,just experience music.
Yeah, we've got a few choicecovers that we love to add in
there that just work well forthis you know, old school
country theme that we've gotgoing on.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
So was it just the last CRS that I saw you there?
Yeah, was it?
Speaker 2 (25:53):
two years ago it was two years ago I didn't get a
chance to come down because Ihad just come back from
recording Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
What did you get out of that Say?
That was your first time goingand I remember seeing you
sitting on the bench.
I think your wife was with you.
She was with me, yes, and wegot talking a little bit.
But what did you get out of CRS?
Speaker 2 (26:13):
as an artist, I got a chance to actually connect with
the program directors, that Ihaven't done a tour to their
station, that I wouldn't know.
So being able to have that facetime with them, for them to get
the and I think there was threeor four stations that came out
for the grassroots night.
Because of that, just that,that chatting and talking,
(26:35):
getting to know me, they pickedup my next single.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
There you go.
So it paid off for you?
I mean, no doubt it is.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
That's right.
So having that connection makesmakes a big difference and they
they get a chance to see thatyou know I'm, I'm, I'm not just
a hack, that I just kind of I'min this for for good.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
You're the real deal.
That's when it comes to themusic, you're the real deal.
You're not somebody, you're notso hey.
So let's talk about yourwriting a little bit.
Explain to me your style, yourcreative style, and where do you
come up with your ideas?
Speaker 2 (27:14):
I would say that's absolutely everywhere.
A lot of times it's driving, alot of it can be noodling around
.
Sometimes chords come beforethe melody, sometimes a hook
comes out of something else thatI've heard.
One song that we haven'treleased yet is living hard, and
we were in Alabama and we weredriving to one of the radio
(27:37):
stations down there and it was Ithink it was a late June, early
July, and it was a hundreddegrees in the shade, yeah, and
there was guys working on theroad and and I said that's a
hard living.
So so I, I just play, play onwords.
Hard living is living hard onme.
So, and that's, that's a hardliving.
So so I, I just play on words.
Hard living is living hard onme.
So and, uh, that's that singlewill actually come out, and I
(27:58):
recorded that one in nashvilleas well awesome.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
So so you got that creative side that comes out,
and it's all about life, it'sall about what you see exactly,
yeah, you know everything's beensaid a million times.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
How can you say it a little bit different?
Speaker 1 (28:12):
so that's all, but you got to be yourself.
Saying it a little bitdifferent you, you are yourself.
You have to be unique.
Don't be?
You know, don't try to besomebody you're not.
But you know, yeah, I hear somany different things from
different artists, so yeah, soI've got.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
I've also got a very good mentor, a songwriter mentor
.
He lives at orange county,california, warren sellers.
I met him at the durangosongwriter uh okay and uh he's.
I've been with him.
I think it's been four yearsnow and I'm still still learning
from him and it's that wholecraft of of songwriting.
(28:48):
I've learned so much from himand uh, he's helped me quite a
bit, so I enjoy our sessionstogether still to the to this
day.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
So it sounds like a memory.
If somebody wanted to go andget that, they can get that now,
right?
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Yeah, you can.
So if any of your yourstreaming services, your Spotify
, amazon Apple, I think it's allup there.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
So, oh my god, there's so many different
platforms.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Yeah, there's the dsps man, that's right.
So whatever you have it's, it'son it.
So youtube, tiktok music, it'son.
Well, I went to youtube.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
I didn't see it on.
I was going to play it in thebeginning here but I didn't,
unless I just overlooked it.
But my my bird feeder keptinterrupting me.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Yeah, yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's there.
So, yeah, it's like I said,it's it's getting really good
response so how do you, how doyou stay grounded?
Speaker 1 (29:41):
How do you recharge?
Speaker 2 (29:43):
My wife makes sure that happens.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
Thank God, yeah, yeah , I hear you there.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
I think the biggest thing is I don't take this too
seriously and, and you know,sometimes getting blinders on
and just working hard at it andgoing out and doing it it's.
I think that's the groundingpart in itself.
I find this, this business ofmusic, is very humbling and it
can be fleeting at times.
(30:11):
So, so sometimes you get a lotof no's, sometimes it just goes
smooth sailing, you get a ton ofyes's, so it's just a matter of
just keeping your nose to thegrindstone and plug away at it.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
Now, here's a good thing You've got a great job and
we thank you for what you do.
You've got a great job.
So I think that kind of takes alot of the pressure off the
other.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
You said it exactly.
You know what I?
Speaker 1 (30:37):
mean it's like God, this is all I do.
I got to have a hit or I'mgoing to.
I can't pay my bills.
That's right.
This is the.
I think you're doing it right.
You know you've been afirefighter for how many years?
Almost 20.
And now you're going, you know.
You know you're getting close.
I don't know how it is there ifyou're 20 and out, but but I
know here in the States it'slike 20 and out, whether it's
police fire.
(30:57):
You know you can retire at ayoung age and you can go on and
do something you absolutely loveand collect your retirement.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Yeah, it's, there is no 25, and now you can go,
almost as you can go, to 65.
So they go by an age you, youcan go, as, like I said, you can
go as long as you want.
There used to be, but they,they lifted.
That.
You're absolutely right.
I I don't have the pressure.
So if you know, you know, or Idon't have to wake up and say I
(31:26):
have to song write today.
You know, I have terrible adhd,so I see a million different
squirrels all day long.
So I get to it when I get to itand but the part of it being an
indie artist is that I have towear all the hats.
So there's a different set ofgoals that I work on every
single day, depending on what Ineed to do, to, to, to, to keep
(31:47):
things moving along.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
What?
What advice would you give tosomebody that's trying to do
what you're doing?
Just make sure you have abackup plan.
What else?
Speaker 2 (31:57):
A backup plan is good , but just make sure you have a
plan period to just try to wing.
And it doesn't work because youknow there's so much social
media these days that you haveto master that part of it.
Now there's a lot of artiststhese days.
You know they're going viralthat way and then they're
getting picked up instead of thework happening first and then.
(32:19):
Okay, how do I make socialmedia fit in there along the way
?
Um, how do I make sure therecordings are there?
How do I make sure that mysongs are the, the, the, as
competitive as they can be inthis market?
So that's why I joined theNational Songwriters Association
, this mentor in.
California.
So you know who do I talk to.
(32:40):
Do you know to to to go playthe better venues around town.
Start off with the smaller ones.
So with you're just going tohave to be ready to put in all
of the work that it's going totake to be able to do the live
aspect of it.
How many musicians that believein the project.
(33:00):
That doesn't happen right awaybecause they don't know who you
are, and then you just startgaining steam, picking up more
people, having more people inyour corner.
People believe in the project.
People believe in the project.
I have Canadian radio promoters, us radio promoters, and just
get yourself out there as muchas you possibly can.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
It's good stuff.
Are you doing all your ownsocial?
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
Yeah.
That's a lot of work, dude.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
It is.
That's a lot of work and I havehelp from some people that they
do it for a living.
So you get little tips andpointers on because the
algorithm changes or or or all.
There's all kinds of thingsthat change, that change how you
may plan to how to post, whento post, what to post so what's
(33:49):
one song that sounds like amemory to you, a song that
sounds like a memory, I'm gonna.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
A song that sounds like a memory.
I'm going to throw a couplequestions at you just for the
fun of it.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
I would say any one of the Chris Stapleton love
songs.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Oh my God, millionaire, millionaire, yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
That's another one.
He's my biggest influence, sothat's any time I hear is is
just it.
You know, just sticks in myhead and you always say boy, I
could wish, I wish I could writelike that.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
He's just phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Yeah, phenomenal, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
What's your?
Are you up late writingsometimes?
Speaker 2 (34:32):
I'm up late usually and I don't know if I write late
.
I write best in the afternoon,so that's my coffee time, um.
But you know maybe t-shirt uhthat my latest is coming up with
new merchandise, so I'll stayup late doing t-shirts.
That doesn't dive into mydaytime stuff what is your
(34:53):
favorite songwriting snack?
Bowl of ice cream.
I don't know, I I I like tosongwrite with whiskey so I
don't snack with when I dosongwriting.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
I, I love whiskey, so yeah, yeah, no, no, I get that
and what?
Speaker 2 (35:10):
what's your?
Speaker 1 (35:11):
flavor.
What do you drink?
Speaker 2 (35:14):
There's lots.
Chattahoochee 111 is one of myfavorites.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
Smooth, and there's some Tennessee whiskey I
absolutely love.
There's some whiskeys here aswell, so I've got a decent
collection.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
All right, I'm going to throw one at you.
What first country album youever owned?
Um, I think it was alan jackson.
Oh, did you see him on our theaward show the other night, or
no?
Yes, oh, my god, I teared upwhen he sang.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
Remember when it was just oh I, I love him as a
performer.
I just I wish he could stillperform.
You know as well.
But it's like you know, betweenalan jackson, brooks and dunn
are another huge one oh my goshalabama, I think, uh, around the
same time I I love alabama aswell, so that's kind of what I
(36:06):
tailor.
Uh, some of the harmony isalabama, without it being too,
you know know, group harmonyfocused, but there's a lot of
that that happens in the live.
Speaker 1 (36:18):
How is Lainey's following up where you are,
lainey Wilson?
Yeah, it's huge.
It's huge everywhere.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
She's it.
She's got the formula and itdoesn't matter male or female
side.
She's it.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
What would happen if she called you right now and
said hey, rob, I want you to goout on tour with me.
What I mean?
What would be the reaction inyour house right now?
Speaker 2 (36:43):
I say, are you sure you got the right guy?
But after that I would say, yes, you know, figure it all out
along the line you know, andshe's so humble and we had, we
had.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Actually the reason I said that was we had a Zoom
call with her today and we gottalking about her next single,
which is just going to.
It's a monster, I can tell youright now, at least here in the
States.
I was just kind of curious how,being in Canada, how it all,
because there is that differenceCanadian, us, but still, I
guess I know she knows the dumbquestion but she's such an
(37:16):
inspiration to women as wellyeah um, you know, randa lambert
, she was another, a big one.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
She's another favorite of mine as well.
So the house that built me,it's, you know, it's oh my god,
incredible song.
It's one of my favorite songs.
She's all she's done such agood job for there's going to be
so many young girls now seethat say that's what I want to
do.
And she's persevered and shejust keeps getting better and
better.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
You know one thing I don't know I love your music and
I love what you do.
And then there's also Zach tophere, who's got the older sound
we just started in on.
His next single, called Use Me,I Never Lie, went to number one
, yeah, but it's that old soundthat it's all coming back.
That's right, and it's huge.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
And I was very happy about that, because I didn't
stay with that whole.
I was going to ask Modern track.
I stayed with the more I wouldsay traditional, contemporary,
more what it's like.
But yeah, the traditional sideworks for me.
I'm not quite as traditional asZach Taub, but he's fantastic
(38:26):
at it.
He's got the, you know.
So his background is huge whenit comes to that, you know so
his background is huge when itcomes to that.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
So what's uh one thing about the music industry
that most people don't realizeuntil they're in it?
Uh, how long it can takeeverybody wants it now and it
doesn't happen like that.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
You know nashville.
They always say it's a 10-yeartown.
I actually think it's 10 yearsanywhere.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
Yeah, no, I would agree with you.
And it's so true, it is a10-year town.
I mean, no way fans are buttsabout it.
You got to pay your dues.
You'll wait on tables.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
You know you could be sweeping the sidewalks, but you
got to do what you got to dothere are some people that have
gone viral on TikTok and thingslike that and they've kind of
skipped that.
And it's tough when you'retrying to slug it out and work
on the craft and doing all thesteps that you need to do that.
(39:27):
You know that it's going totake time.
When you see that happen, it'sjust like well, it is what it is
.
So is it going to stop me fromdoing what I'm doing?
No, because there's a millionother reasons to why I do it
anyway.
So and but, but for me it'slike I said, it's every.
It's just one single at a time,one song at a time, one
(39:47):
recording at a time, and, andnow my phone's ringing.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
So hey, you're busy, that's income, that's helping.
How does that work, though?
Because you must.
With the fire department, youhave the rotating shifts, right.
That's right, yes, so I meanthere's going to be weekends
where you need to work.
Speaker 2 (40:06):
There are, and I'm quite selective when it comes
because I do my own booking.
It's great.
So somebody, somebody sayswhat's your availability, I'll
show you availability and it'dbe on the days that I'm not
working.
That doesn't always work outwith festivals because certain
festivals fall on certainweekends, correct?
So I just move some of myvacation time around, yeah, and
if I really need to, there we dowhat's called subbing, so you
(40:28):
just work for each other on.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
yeah, my brother was a city firefighter here and he
did that a lot.
If they had something goingthey would sub, They'd move
around a little bit.
Yeah, it's cool stuff, RobFitzgerald man, I tell you it's
great to see you.
Speaker 2 (40:43):
You too, Skip.
I always love talking to you.
This is like a greatconversation.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
You know, that's what it's about to find out about
you.
And you got the new music outand people need to go and get
that.
You need just check this guyout.
It's Rob Fitzgerald, you canGoogle him.
Um, well, I did that and someother Rob came up and it
definitely wasn't you, becausethat Rob was like 90 years old.
But, um, I said, oh, that's notRob.
But uh, Rob Fitzgerald, justput music after it and he'll
(41:10):
come up and check out the brandnew song.
It's huge.
You know what?
I'm going to find a link andI'm going to attach it to this
video so, whoever they'll hear,the music Sounds like a memory.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Sure, I think it may actually be on Play MPE.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
I'm not sure I can go right over there, on the other
side of my room and I can pullit off.
That's what I'll do.
It is there.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Now and I can pull it off.
That's what I'll do.
It is there now to mention it.
So, yeah, that's cool.
But yeah, I'm glad you're doingthis and I know you talk to
some big artists too, so thefact that you're having this
conversation with me I reallyappreciate it.
Speaker 1 (41:44):
You know, and I'm not just saying this everybody's
the same, everybody.
I treat them all on the samelevel.
You're as big as the next one,you know.
It's just, it's the way it is.
By the way, you know, jacobSmalley.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
He says hello.
He says hey, skip.
Hey, Rob, he just chimed in.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (42:05):
Yeah, good guy, I got to get him back on here too.
So Love the song, rob.
He said I don't know if you cansee it.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
I'm reading it right now.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
It's perfect, Yep yep , yep, all right.
So, rob, it's been greatcatching up with you and, of
course, you know, anytime youwant to come back on, you just
reach out.
You got my.
You got what you need to get ahold of me.
So you know we make it happenand just keep doing what you're
doing.
Stay safe.
I know what that's like Beenthere, done that but being a
(42:35):
captain, you're up front, soyou're riding in the cab.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
Yeah, that's right, the grunt work that I do.
I don't need to do as much ofthe grunt work these days, but
it's a busy truck so it's stilldemanding.
It still requires you to be inshape.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
Is that a truck company or is it an engine?
I forgot.
So here we call them pumps,which would be an engine in the
us.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
Okay, okay uh, are, we also have a ladder.
So it's uh, but we also havewhat's called aerials.
The aerials have pumps, theladders don't have do they have
platforms like an aerialplatform?
Platforms and we have one.
Uh, it's the tower.
The.
The tower one is what is it?
230 feet Holy cow.
Yeah, it's new, it's only abouta couple of years old.
(43:18):
Crap and uh, we, we just got it, so it's it.
It it's a.
It's a downtown truck as well,for all the high rises, so it's
so.
I love being on an, so thereyou go.
Speaker 1 (43:31):
You're right there.
Yeah, that's right.
So you're the guy shutting outorders, the driver, he's pumping
it.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
That's right, exactly , exactly, exactly.
Usually, I don't have to givetoo many orders because the
crew's that good, so everybody'sgood.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
Everybody's got a job to do.
I know I've been there andthat's what a lot of people
don't realize is that you know,just open the roof or take care
of another duty.
They know what's going on.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
Exactly yeah, thanks again for having me Skip.
I appreciate it and I will seeyou at CRS next February.
I hope so.
Speaker 1 (44:01):
And keep in mind if you happen to come a little bit
South of the border.
We're just three and a halfhours, so you just yeah.
I think I'll talk to and tellthem.
I told you.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
I love them.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
I absolutely love them.
Rob Fitzgerald.
Again thank you for being onSkip Happens tonight.
Speaker 2 (44:23):
Thanks a lot, Skip.
Thanks again for having me.
Thank you.
Hello everybody.
It is Skip Clark and it'sanother edition of Skip Happens.
And, as you know, I always havea lot of my good friends.
They've become my good friendson here Independent artists,
those that are trying to make ago at what they love, their
passion, their dedication.
And we've had Rob Fitzgerald onbefore.
(00:21):
It had to be a while ago, butit's so good to see him.
He's north of the border and healso works for the city of
Toronto, so I know that.
I know that, but I don't knowhow much longer, because the
music he's putting out isunbelievable.
Maybe it's almost time toretire, because being a
firefighter, Rob, you can getout at a young age and still go
(00:43):
and do something you love.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Rob Fitzgerald.
Yeah, Skip, it's great to seeyou.
Speaker 1 (00:50):
Thanks for having me on again.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
I know we always have great chats, so seeing you at
CRS and Nashville, things likethat so I feel like I've come to
know you quite well, which isgreat.
So, yeah, you know the job offirefighting.
It does take a toll on the bodyand you'm, you know, close to
20 years in now and, uh, youknow it's, it's taken a toll on
my body, but I have the.
You know, I've got theopportunity here that I have two
(01:14):
great passions.
So I'm third generationfirefighter, so it runs in the
family and it's something thatI'm built to do.
So, and you know, you know mylove for music and you know, in
the countryside especially, butthe big thing for me is the love
of it.
What it does is it's my therapyas well.
So you know from everythingthat.
(01:36):
I have to see at work and I cancome home and I can write songs
record, get together with someincredible musicians and just
kind of live this other lifeaway from that.
That, that, that profession.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
Nothing better.
Speaker 2 (01:50):
Absolutely.
Speaker 1 (01:51):
So mental health, right there, it's your own way
of taking care of a lot ofissues and probably more than
likely I know because I was afirefighter for a lot of years
but more than likely the thingsyou see and the things you have
to do and you know when.
Once you get home, it's a wayof you kind of putting your mind
in a different frame and startthinking about, you know, your
(02:12):
music, helping it does you know,working downtown toronto, it's,
it's the nature of the beast.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
Any big city, there's just going to be more of
everything.
Yeah, so you're just, you'rejust going to see things that
most people aren't supposed tosee.
And music is a really goodrelease.
It's a healer, it is, andthat's why I call it, it's my
therapy.
Yeah, exactly, and you know,and I've got the drive and
passion, that, and not only that, just every time I release a
(02:40):
single good things keephappening.
So I love it, I love it.
Speaker 1 (02:43):
You know, you said you've been on the force uh,
nearly 20 years, but how long?
I know we've probably talkedabout this before.
I know I'll have to go back andlook at the other podcasts, but
, um, how long have you beenplaying music?
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Yeah, I would have to probably go back to a former
life, that you know, when I hadlonger hair and and cut my hair.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Can I find that on here?
Wait a minute, it's buried?
Speaker 2 (03:08):
you probably can.
But I basically gave it up tohave a family, I get a real
career job, and it wasn't untilmy daughter was in her teens
that she she wanted to learn howto play guitar and I thought,
why not teach her some of what Iknow?
And and I just kept the guitarsout and I started writing and
one thing led to another and Ididn't want to be an actual
(03:30):
artist, I just wanted to be asongwriter firefight by day,
song right by night, send stuffout to publishers, and just some
industry people just suggestedthat why don't you give it a
shot at the artist side?
And COVID was perfect for thatbecause everybody was oh yeah
because of it.
So I had a chance to kind ofregroup and brand myself and you
know recordings and uh, promoshots, and then when, when it
(03:55):
all opened up, I kind of hit thegate along with everyone else.
So it was probably a little bitof a blessing in disguise.
I wouldn't necessarily sayCOVID is much of a blessing in
disguise.
I wouldn't necessarily saycoving is much of a blessing,
but it's been good.
Oh, I hear you.
And with each single that I'vereleased, especially this one,
there's just more and morepeople that I've got in my
corner.
Now that just help me with thenext one more exposure.
(04:16):
Nothing happens overnight andI'm just having a blast with it
every step of the way.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Exactly do you take the guitar to work with you?
Speaker 2 (04:25):
yeah, well, I actually have a guitar in my
locker at work.
Speaker 1 (04:27):
Oh I love it.
And the guys go hey, rob, pullout the guitar, why don't you?
Just, you know, maybe you'renot out training, you don't?
It's kind of a quiet night andyou have to do whatever you know
we, the station I work at, is150 years old.
Speaker 2 (04:40):
It's the oldest working fire station in
yorkville.
So now the nice weather, wehave bench time outside after
dinner, so I usually bring itout and I'll start.
That's cool strumming, and thedogs come by with the dog
walkers and it's it's a greatcommunity for that.
Speaker 1 (04:57):
So it's just it just helps us to bond with the
community that much more andwhat do the guys think about you
doing what you do and knowingthat you're trying to go to the
next level with that, you know,with your music?
Speaker 2 (05:09):
They love it.
They're very supportive.
You know I've got we've got achief in our hall to other
captains I'm one of the captainsas well.
Oh, cool, right right down tothe young bucks and to the young
bucks you know, seeing what?
I get a chance to do away fromwork.
Everybody does something awayfrom work as well, and so it
takes their mind off of it.
It's a fairly busy hall.
So you know everybody needs toget the rest that they need to
(05:31):
get, but it's you know.
So you know there's a fewfestivals that the whole crew is
going to be coming to.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Oh, I love that.
Yeah, I love that you have thesupport of your coworkers, which
is the other, the otherextended family that we have.
Speaker 2 (05:44):
Everybody supports everybody.
Speaker 1 (05:45):
God, I love that.
I love that.
How often do you get out ofCanada and head to Nashville?
Speaker 2 (05:51):
So I'm there probably about four to five times a year
now.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
And it's just.
You know the things like CRS isone of them, right Country.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Radio Seminar yes.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
That's another tool for me and grassroots.
Being my representative out ofNashville, you know they're such
great supporters and comingdown to be able to and they help
me promote.
You know my upcoming releasesor you know just music in
general.
I'm doing a lot of recording inNashville.
This current release has givenme an awful lot of connections,
(06:24):
a publishing deal kind of recorddeal as well that we can dive
into a little bit more, but justwith that songwriting as well,
and I'll be doing a radio tourthe second week of June.
So there's just more that'shappening.
That's pulling me down there.
They're more.
Speaker 1 (06:42):
So now you're actually signed with a label
yeah, it's, it's kind of, uh itis.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
It was um aaron goodman.
Oh yeah, I know a well-knowncountry artist.
Yep, um had a venture with hiswife.
His wife works on the publisherside and uh, that's.
He's a grassroots artist aswell.
So the last crs country CountryRadio Seminar last September,
he and I talked because we hadan actual grassroots event.
(07:10):
So then we started talking andwe made it an actual venture,
and so he brought me down andset me up with all kinds of
songwriters, set me theircatalog and we narrowed it down
to this song that we werecurrently releasing right now,
and it hooked me up with EricTorres, who's a fantastic
(07:34):
producer you know, priest JimmyAllen, lee Bryce, james Johnson.
So, and the musicians in theroom were just incredible.
Here's little old me fromCanada walking in to these guys
that have played with, you know,keith Urban and Janie Fleener,
who's who's on tour with GeorgeStrait right now.
Speaker 1 (07:54):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (07:55):
So these are like a a list of of musicians.
So I was so happy to be able tohave them in the room and they
treated me so well and made mefeel real, real, comfortable,
and the rest is history to feelintimidated at all.
I was too, because I don't.
I don't live that life downthere and amongst all of those
(08:17):
you know incredibly wickedsession musicians who also play
live with with pretty mucheverybody.
So was I a little intimidated?
Yes, but they're so good in theroom that you, you wouldn't
even know it and there's there'sno one that ever made me feel
that way.
So the moment I stepped up tothe mic during the, the tracking
(08:37):
session that it was, it wasjust like an old glove, and Eric
Torres, the producer, is soeasygoing and made me feel very
comfortable.
Makes it easier yeah, aaronGoodman's in the room the whole
entire time cheering me on,that's awesome.
Speaker 1 (08:50):
Now, for those that don't know Aaron, he's in Canada
.
He's huge, super huge.
I mean he's like what.
Tim McGraw is here from what Iunderstand, yeah, but you know
it's a whole different worldnorth of the border, but that is
starting to move over and youknow it's overflowing into
Nashville now.
I think we're sharing a lot ofartists and that's how I got to
(09:12):
know Aaron.
He made the trip to Nashville.
I've had him on my Skip Happenspodcast before.
But for those that don't knowthis guy's huge, ask anybody in
Canada who Aaron Goodvin is, andthey're going to come right out
and tell you he's just and whata great guy too.
Speaker 2 (09:27):
He is down to earth.
He and I have become very goodfriends and we talk pretty much
weekly right now, especiallywith his new single going on
about you know, and what we'redoing now that the single's out
is trying to get a little moreconversions on the single you
know what we can do, that's youknow further the single.
Speaker 1 (09:46):
You know what we can do.
That's, uh, you know well,further reaching than just the
recording.
Yeah, I want to talk about that.
Let's dive into the new single.
A little bit sounds like amemory, and how did that song
land in your hands and what madeyou say this is the one?
Speaker 2 (09:58):
so when we we talked about doing this, this venture
together, this publishing kindof mini, mini record deal, um,
he said, before we even get downto songwriting, I'm going to
send you a catalog.
So this is a catalog of songsthat he's either written or he's
co-written, and I think it wasabout 20 different songs, and
one caught my eye or my ear andand that was sounds like a
(10:22):
memory and and so the next stepwas to then come down to
Nashville and we'll songwriteevery day with a different
songwriter, and there was awhole slew of them, or they were
just, you know, they're hitsongwriters.
So once the songs were done, Icame back and did the demos for
it and everything was beingcompared to Sounds Like a Memory
(10:44):
.
That song was so strong.
I said, you know, if this isthe worst case scenario, this is
the best, this is fantastic.
Yeah, no doubt.
Oh, there was really nopressure knowing that that song
was already there and while acouple of them were oh, you know
they were, they were okay,strong ish.
This song was was the one and Iknew it was kind of made that
(11:07):
for my vocal style which, andyou know, going into the studio,
I, I, I knew I would be able todo it justice, so so the demo
is quite a bit different thanthe the final product, and
that's kind of the way I wantedgiving a little more of that
traditional countryside that I'mall about as well yeah, it had
to be so much fun, though,working with all these A-list
players and everybody comingtogether and making it happen
(11:30):
for you and feeling reallycomfortable.
Speaker 1 (11:32):
That is just so freaking cool.
Speaker 2 (11:34):
It is, and not only that, they're one take.
Yeah, that's what they are,they're so good.
Justin Ostrander, he wascharting the song as the demo
was playing in the control room.
By the time the song was done,he was done charting.
Make quick photocopies.
We went out, we did a quickverse and chorus just to get
tempo and feel and then webanged it off and then then that
(11:57):
was it and they some of themdid their overdubs that they had
and I think probably in 40, 45minutes start to finish.
We were done.
Speaker 1 (12:05):
You know, yeah, what I've heard with the song.
There seems to be a lot ofemotion in your delivery and did
the song connect with maybe apersonal experience or a story
in your life?
Speaker 2 (12:17):
It did.
I love that feel that, eventhough there was the traditional
country feel, you know,bluetooth speaker on the sand
and you've still got some ofthat current ways of being able
to say certain things, but yeah,I could envision the whole
(12:39):
thing and with a little bit ofthe soul that was in there, I
was able to capture that as well.
I just loved it when I heard it.
And it's just like you know yourfavorite cover song that you
love to sing.
It's kind of like that.
So what we've done now isthere's a couple more songs that
came out of all of this thatI'm going to head back down and
we're going to record and makemore of this Very cool.
(13:03):
This is just the first step ofmany that we're going to do.
Speaker 1 (13:08):
So you've had I made some notes.
Here you have three new singlesand, of course, the album
that's coming out in 2025.
What themes or stories are youexcited to share on this project
?
Speaker 2 (13:22):
I would say it's kind of a culmination of all of all
of it.
Um, you know, everything rightright to my my last single,
which is kind of a tribute towhere I come from, as, as a man,
you know, paying tribute to myfather and uh.
So that that was a big one anduh, one that somebody nobody's
(13:44):
even heard of is just just about, just about working hard and
it's basically, it's just calledliving hard.
Speaker 1 (13:50):
yeah is there anybody ?
I you mentioned your daughterpicking up a guitar, but going
back to maybe your, your father,your mother or any, let's go
back a little bit.
Were they musicians at all orno, they weren't.
Speaker 2 (14:03):
They were they were both civil servants okay so
music was never, really wasnever approved as a potential
way of living Gotcha.
So or a career or it, you knowWell that was back then that's
right, it was more.
This is the thing you do for funon the side, and that's where
(14:24):
it stays.
So and it's just where theycame from.
And my grandfather so my mom'sfather he was musical.
So whether I picked it up fromfrom that side of things, uh,
who knows.
But uh, it wasn't alwayscountry music I'm.
I had such a love for southernrock, oh yeah, so the southern
(14:45):
rock kind of blended into mycountry style as well.
That's why a little bit of thesoul works for me as well as the
rock side as well.
Speaker 1 (14:56):
Do you again?
Is Emerson Drive?
They're still going right inCanada.
Do you know, emerson Drive?
How about Doc Walker?
Speaker 2 (15:03):
Doc Walker is maybe not so much, but I don't follow
that as much.
It's tough here in Canada.
There are so few places thatyou know, since COVID, a lot of
places closed down.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
Yeah, that sucks, so the music scene changed big time
.
Speaker 2 (15:21):
It's only really been maybe up to last year that the
music festivals really startedto flourish and a few ended up
closing down.
So some of the ones that weredoing regular tours and a lot of
regular stops, a lot of thoseregular places are gone.
Speaker 1 (15:35):
Correct me if I'm wrong, but, rob, you've had some
pretty cool milestones.
You've had hopefully I got thisright you've had five number
one singles on the CanadianIndie Country Countdown.
That's cool.
Multiple tracks, a chart onMusic Row, which we know I think
that's how we first got to knoweach other a little bit was
because of Music Row.
What do those milestones meanto you?
(15:56):
That's huge.
Speaker 2 (15:58):
Well in Canada.
It's just that confirmationthat you know you're definitely
on the right track and you knowhaving my I think I'm now five
songs in on Sirius XM here inCanada.
No longer am I just playing in.
You know some local areasaround here.
You know anyone that can getSirius XM is now hearing my
(16:19):
stuff.
So and it just it just leads tomore listeners knowing who I am
, which.
Speaker 1 (16:26):
When you talk about Sirius XM and of course, a lot
of people get their music fromsatellite radio I mean, is it
the same?
Now, maybe this question'sreally dumb.
Is it the same that's here inthe states?
Speaker 2 (16:38):
it's the exact same.
Sirius XM, it's okay.
It's just channel 171, insteadof what the highway is.
The highway's like 56.
Yeah, so it's an upper channeland it's predominantly it's only
Canadian country music.
Oh, okay, is it labeled?
Speaker 1 (16:54):
Canadian country.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
It's actually called Top of the Country.
I love that, but it's notlabeled Canadian.
Speaker 1 (17:01):
Okay, that's good to know.
I didn't know that.
Yeah, see, when I get in thetruck tomorrow, head into work,
I'm going to go to it and seewhat it sounds like.
You never know, I might hear aRob Fitzgerald song.
Come on well I'm in.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
I'm in.
You know I'm being played thereright now, so you got.
Speaker 1 (17:16):
I love that, you know I got and what is that feeling
like?
I mean, you must be out in thetruck doing whatever and you got
serious xm on and uh, you'relistening and your song comes on
.
What do you?
Just kind of go, wow okay, itis cool.
Speaker 2 (17:28):
But what's even more cool is when somebody sends me a
screenshot that they're drivingaround, yeah, and it's playing
for them, and then you know,it's just because I don't always
.
A lot of times I may listen tomy own playlist and and not, but
a lot of people send me I gowith your songs on right now.
So that's, that's very god,that's so cool yeah, that's very
(17:49):
cool.
Speaker 1 (17:49):
I didn't know that, though obviously I know what the
highway is and all that, and Ijust did when you mentioned that
I'm going.
I don't know if I've heard Robon the highway, but now it all
makes sense that it's that upperchannel.
Speaker 2 (17:59):
Yeah, cross your fingers.
We're going to see if we canget to the highway with this new
release.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
So when they do the, they do the highway find, which
is pretty cool.
Speaker 2 (18:12):
That's right.
Yeah, so grassroots is going tobe working their magic and
seeing what they can do in thiscase.
Speaker 1 (18:15):
So you know we've talked about this before, but
you got a good team withgrassroots.
Oh, they are phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (18:20):
I've been with them since day one and with every
release I can't say enough.
So now we've gone even further.
We've gone the streaming sideas well.
So they partnered with anothercompany here in canada, great um
zyk marketing.
So between the two of them,what they're doing for me and
then on the radio side is justmore, is just getting me more.
(18:40):
So it's, I think right now thisis the second weekend, for
sounds like a memory, and we're200 000 streams on spotify, damn
so, and growing, yeah, andgrowing, but 300, I think.
I took a look today 355playlists, so some editorials,
which is great, and but that'sjust.
You know, regular people justthrow me in their playlist as
(19:02):
well, so it's well andrightfully so.
So yeah, so anyways, it's, it'sgoing well.
Speaker 1 (19:08):
I have not a good spot and with uh, all the summer
gigs that are coming up.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
uh, it's, it's going well.
I have no complaints.
You're in a good spot and, withall the summer gigs that are
coming up, it's going to be afun season.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
So when was the last time you were at the Bluebird?
You did play the Bluebird,right.
Speaker 2 (19:18):
Yeah, that was.
Speaker 1 (19:21):
Was that nerve-wracking?
Speaker 2 (19:23):
Yes, it was, don't lie, it's very nerve-wracking
and it's so quiet, right, it isquiet, right it is.
And it was the monday nightopen mic, because I'm not local
they, they really do theirsundays to their locals, gotcha,
um.
So I was able to sign up and doit and it was right when the
bluebird documentary movie cameout, so the lineup to get in for
(19:46):
the open mic night was down.
It's a strip mall, so it's just, yeah, lined up all the way
down and it was packed and I gota chance to do two songs.
Uh, while I was there and Ihave people that are still
following me from this day, justjust from that, that
performance.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
So just once, look at that.
I see the cat behind you.
I see the cat.
Speaker 2 (20:06):
Yeah, that's uh, that's like my son's cat.
So, oh, he's spying on youtrying to get downstairs
probably.
Oh, it looks like it.
Oh, he's spying on you Tryingto get downstairs Probably.
Speaker 1 (20:13):
Oh, it looks like.
It Looks like he's trying toget the door.
But not only the Bluebird, butyou've been doing a lot of
festivals across Canada.
That's right.
And is there one performanceout of all those festivals that
might stand out?
Speaker 2 (20:27):
I would have to say last year's at Summerfest was
truly magical I have yet that'sthe first festival that was that
big that I've played.
You know the reception for itwas incredible.
My band didn't come with me,but I had an A-list of musicians
that were out there that werejust phenomenal.
(20:49):
They tour with everyone here inCanada there, that cool, just
just phenomenal.
They tour with everyone here incanada.
So to the stage, to the people,the crowd it was.
It was an incredible set,incredible experience.
My, uh, my wife's family livesthere, so it made sense to try
and go there and play.
And, yeah, 100 not far fromwhere the festival was and it's
surrounded by mountains andbeautiful, yeah, beautiful,
(21:11):
beautiful, yeah, so I got achance to meet Keith Urban.
All right, keep dropping thenames.
Speaker 1 (21:18):
I like this.
Speaker 2 (21:18):
Rub shoulders with people that I.
That was the standout one, butwe've got a couple of festivals
this year that are going to bestandout again as well.
Speaker 1 (21:27):
But they're all north of the border.
Speaker 2 (21:29):
They're all up there, yes.
Speaker 1 (21:31):
So is it hard for you to north of the border?
They're all Canada, yeah, sowhat is there?
Is it hard for you to comeacross the border to do shows,
or if you wanted to bring theband or maybe hook up with some
musicians over here, and I mean,is that?
Is that a challenge for you?
Speaker 2 (21:44):
If you, if I, was a tribute band, it might be a
little bit easier.
But to just kind of step on theother side of the border and
say we want to tour, um, itwould be.
It's pretty expensive to dojust for me, you know and play
smaller venues, I'd have topretty much do it just as a solo
show.
So we're trying to work our wayup to let's, let's, let's see
(22:05):
if we can make enough noise thatwe can actually start joining
support for, for larger, forbigger, odd.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
I love that.
I love that.
And you mentioned that, uh,you're going to go out on a
radio tour, hopefully, uh,grassroots, and I'm sure they
will.
Uh, they'll get you hooked upand all that.
Do you know when that's goingto happen?
Speaker 2 (22:23):
Yeah, so that's going to be the second tour.
Some I've already been to, someI haven't.
Speaker 1 (22:38):
It's cool it's cool, I love it.
Is new york on the list or no?
Speaker 2 (22:44):
um it, it's not on this one, but it okay.
I think new york because of theproximity where we are, we can
make it a separate one.
Speaker 1 (22:52):
Dude, I'm only a few hours from Toronto, that's right
, Exactly.
Speaker 2 (22:56):
So just you know, you come right across at Niagara
Falls.
Speaker 1 (22:58):
baby, you come right down to Thruway.
Hey, come on, We'll do thepodcast here in person.
That'd be great.
Speaker 2 (23:04):
I know it'd be a lot of fun.
Speaker 1 (23:05):
So that's why you know we need to keep in touch
with this, because if you docome anywhere close, we
definitely I'd get you hooked up, put you in front of some
people and then we could hangout and have a few cold ones and
do a podcast that's a greatidea.
Speaker 2 (23:17):
I think we should do that I think.
Speaker 1 (23:18):
So, like I said, we're only gonna what?
Three and a half hours from you?
Yeah, I don't know.
I it's been a while since I'vegone that way, but yes, your
cues I think is about that fromyeah, yeah so know, with the
tour plans in the works, andwhat can fans expect from your
live shows?
Speaker 2 (23:37):
A whole lot of energy .
So I've got a five-piece band,including a fiddle player.
Everybody sings, so theharmonies are solid and
music-wise they're as good asyou can get anywhere and, uh,
(23:57):
love playing with them.
The the.
I always said that if I'm gonnahave whatever band that I want
around me, I want to enjoy beingaround and I enjoy being around
all of them and we have a greattime and, uh, and you become a
little more of a family onceyou've got an entire summer of
of festival tours going on, yeah, yeah, this is what it is.
Speaker 1 (24:20):
You get to know.
You get to know a little bittoo much about each other yeah
and uh, I'm really easy going.
Speaker 2 (24:26):
I'm not a tough boss when it comes to, you know,
making sure everybody does thisand that I just just as long as
you're ready.
That's, that's it, and andthat's where I come from.
It's like you know, being afirefighter and it being as
stressful as it is that I get achance to do music.
So you know what's there,what's there to be uptight about
(24:47):
no, that's like we were talkingabout minutes ago.
Speaker 1 (24:50):
You know, when you come home after a tough shift,
music's your outlet, exactly.
You know it's all and it.
It helps mental health and allthat.
So, yeah, you know we all gothrough a lot.
Is the performing?
Is it different in canada asopposed to nashville, or is it
pretty much the same regardless?
Speaker 2 (25:09):
uh, I find it the same anywhere and I've performed
in national nashville.
It's a little different becauseI find it the same anywhere.
Um, and I've performed innational and nashville.
It's a little different becauseI usually do the song writing
rounds either at um, you know,either at live oak or um the
commodore or or the bluebirdcafe.
So that kind of performance isa little bit different.
It's the, the story and thenthe song, whereas if you come to
(25:31):
see us in the band, you'reactually getting a chance to
actually experience you know,just experience music.
Yeah, we've got a few choicecovers that we love to add in
there that just work well forthis you know, old school
country theme that we've gotgoing on.
Speaker 1 (25:46):
So was it just the last CRS that I saw you there?
Yeah, was it?
Speaker 2 (25:53):
two years ago it was two years ago I didn't get a
chance to come down because Ihad just come back from
recording Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
What did you get out of that Say?
That was your first time goingand I remember seeing you
sitting on the bench.
I think your wife was with you.
She was with me, yes, and wegot talking a little bit.
But what did you get out of CRS?
Speaker 2 (26:13):
as an artist, I got a chance to actually connect with
the program directors, that Ihaven't done a tour to their
station, that I wouldn't know.
So being able to have that facetime with them, for them to get
the and I think there was threeor four stations that came out
for the grassroots night.
Because of that, just that,that chatting and talking,
(26:35):
getting to know me, they pickedup my next single.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
There you go.
So it paid off for you?
I mean, no doubt it is.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
That's right.
So having that connection makesmakes a big difference and they
they get a chance to see thatyou know I'm, I'm, I'm not just
a hack, that I just kind of I'min this for for good.
Speaker 1 (26:55):
You're the real deal.
That's when it comes to themusic, you're the real deal.
You're not somebody, you're notso hey.
So let's talk about yourwriting a little bit.
Explain to me your style, yourcreative style, and where do you
come up with your ideas?
Speaker 2 (27:14):
I would say that's absolutely everywhere.
A lot of times it's driving, alot of it can be noodling around
.
Sometimes chords come beforethe melody, sometimes a hook
comes out of something else thatI've heard.
One song that we haven'treleased yet is living hard, and
we were in Alabama and we weredriving to one of the radio
(27:37):
stations down there and it was Ithink it was a late June, early
July, and it was a hundreddegrees in the shade, yeah, and
there was guys working on theroad and and I said that's a
hard living.
So so I, I just play, play onwords.
Hard living is living hard onme.
So, and that's, that's a hardliving.
So so I, I just play on words.
Hard living is living hard onme.
So and, uh, that's that singlewill actually come out, and I
(27:58):
recorded that one in nashvilleas well awesome.
Speaker 1 (28:01):
So so you got that creative side that comes out,
and it's all about life, it'sall about what you see exactly,
yeah, you know everything's beensaid a million times.
Speaker 2 (28:10):
How can you say it a little bit different?
Speaker 1 (28:12):
so that's all, but you got to be yourself.
Saying it a little bitdifferent you, you are yourself.
You have to be unique.
Don't be?
You know, don't try to besomebody you're not.
But you know, yeah, I hear somany different things from
different artists, so yeah, soI've got.
Speaker 2 (28:26):
I've also got a very good mentor, a songwriter mentor
.
He lives at orange county,california, warren sellers.
I met him at the durangosongwriter uh okay and uh he's.
I've been with him.
I think it's been four yearsnow and I'm still still learning
from him and it's that wholecraft of of songwriting.
(28:48):
I've learned so much from himand uh, he's helped me quite a
bit, so I enjoy our sessionstogether still to the to this
day.
Speaker 1 (28:57):
So it sounds like a memory.
If somebody wanted to go andget that, they can get that now,
right?
Speaker 2 (29:01):
Yeah, you can.
So if any of your yourstreaming services, your Spotify
, amazon Apple, I think it's allup there.
Speaker 1 (29:12):
So, oh my god, there's so many different
platforms.
Speaker 2 (29:14):
Yeah, there's the dsps man, that's right.
So whatever you have it's, it'son it.
So youtube, tiktok music, it'son.
Well, I went to youtube.
Speaker 1 (29:23):
I didn't see it on.
I was going to play it in thebeginning here but I didn't,
unless I just overlooked it.
But my my bird feeder keptinterrupting me.
Speaker 2 (29:31):
Yeah, yeah, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's there.
So, yeah, it's like I said,it's it's getting really good
response so how do you, how doyou stay grounded?
Speaker 1 (29:41):
How do you recharge?
Speaker 2 (29:43):
My wife makes sure that happens.
Speaker 1 (29:46):
Thank God, yeah, yeah , I hear you there.
Speaker 2 (29:50):
I think the biggest thing is I don't take this too
seriously and, and you know,sometimes getting blinders on
and just working hard at it andgoing out and doing it it's.
I think that's the groundingpart in itself.
I find this, this business ofmusic, is very humbling and it
can be fleeting at times.
(30:11):
So, so sometimes you get a lotof no's, sometimes it just goes
smooth sailing, you get a ton ofyes's, so it's just a matter of
just keeping your nose to thegrindstone and plug away at it.
Speaker 1 (30:23):
Now, here's a good thing You've got a great job and
we thank you for what you do.
You've got a great job.
So I think that kind of takes alot of the pressure off the
other.
Speaker 2 (30:35):
You said it exactly.
You know what I?
Speaker 1 (30:37):
mean it's like God, this is all I do.
I got to have a hit or I'mgoing to.
I can't pay my bills.
That's right.
This is the.
I think you're doing it right.
You know you've been afirefighter for how many years?
Almost 20.
And now you're going, you know.
You know you're getting close.
I don't know how it is there ifyou're 20 and out, but but I
know here in the States it'slike 20 and out, whether it's
police fire.
(30:57):
You know you can retire at ayoung age and you can go on and
do something you absolutely loveand collect your retirement.
Speaker 2 (31:04):
Yeah, it's, there is no 25, and now you can go,
almost as you can go, to 65.
So they go by an age you, youcan go, as, like I said, you can
go as long as you want.
There used to be, but they,they lifted.
That.
You're absolutely right.
I I don't have the pressure.
So if you know, you know, or Idon't have to wake up and say I
(31:26):
have to song write today.
You know, I have terrible adhd,so I see a million different
squirrels all day long.
So I get to it when I get to itand but the part of it being an
indie artist is that I have towear all the hats.
So there's a different set ofgoals that I work on every
single day, depending on what Ineed to do, to, to, to, to keep
(31:47):
things moving along.
Speaker 1 (31:49):
What?
What advice would you give tosomebody that's trying to do
what you're doing?
Just make sure you have abackup plan.
What else?
Speaker 2 (31:57):
A backup plan is good , but just make sure you have a
plan period to just try to wing.
And it doesn't work because youknow there's so much social
media these days that you haveto master that part of it.
Now there's a lot of artiststhese days.
You know they're going viralthat way and then they're
getting picked up instead of thework happening first and then.
(32:19):
Okay, how do I make socialmedia fit in there along the way
?
Um, how do I make sure therecordings are there?
How do I make sure that mysongs are the, the, the, as
competitive as they can be inthis market?
So that's why I joined theNational Songwriters Association
, this mentor in.
California.
So you know who do I talk to.
(32:40):
Do you know to to to go playthe better venues around town.
Start off with the smaller ones.
So with you're just going tohave to be ready to put in all
of the work that it's going totake to be able to do the live
aspect of it.
How many musicians that believein the project.
(33:00):
That doesn't happen right awaybecause they don't know who you
are, and then you just startgaining steam, picking up more
people, having more people inyour corner.
People believe in the project.
People believe in the project.
I have Canadian radio promoters, us radio promoters, and just
get yourself out there as muchas you possibly can.
Speaker 1 (33:21):
It's good stuff.
Are you doing all your ownsocial?
Speaker 2 (33:24):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
Yeah.
That's a lot of work, dude.
Speaker 2 (33:27):
It is.
That's a lot of work and I havehelp from some people that they
do it for a living.
So you get little tips andpointers on because the
algorithm changes or or or all.
There's all kinds of thingsthat change, that change how you
may plan to how to post, whento post, what to post so what's
(33:49):
one song that sounds like amemory to you, a song that
sounds like a memory, I'm gonna.
Speaker 1 (33:55):
A song that sounds like a memory.
I'm going to throw a couplequestions at you just for the
fun of it.
Speaker 2 (34:03):
I would say any one of the Chris Stapleton love
songs.
Speaker 1 (34:07):
Oh my God, millionaire, millionaire, yeah.
Speaker 2 (34:11):
That's another one.
He's my biggest influence, sothat's any time I hear is is
just it.
You know, just sticks in myhead and you always say boy, I
could wish, I wish I could writelike that.
Speaker 1 (34:24):
He's just phenomenal.
Speaker 2 (34:25):
Yeah, phenomenal, absolutely.
Speaker 1 (34:27):
What's your?
Are you up late writingsometimes?
Speaker 2 (34:32):
I'm up late usually and I don't know if I write late
.
I write best in the afternoon,so that's my coffee time, um.
But you know maybe t-shirt uhthat my latest is coming up with
new merchandise, so I'll stayup late doing t-shirts.
That doesn't dive into mydaytime stuff what is your
(34:53):
favorite songwriting snack?
Bowl of ice cream.
I don't know, I I I like tosongwrite with whiskey so I
don't snack with when I dosongwriting.
Speaker 1 (35:06):
I, I love whiskey, so yeah, yeah, no, no, I get that
and what?
Speaker 2 (35:10):
what's your?
Speaker 1 (35:11):
flavor.
What do you drink?
Speaker 2 (35:14):
There's lots.
Chattahoochee 111 is one of myfavorites.
Speaker 1 (35:20):
Nice.
Speaker 2 (35:20):
Smooth, and there's some Tennessee whiskey I
absolutely love.
There's some whiskeys here aswell, so I've got a decent
collection.
Speaker 1 (35:30):
All right, I'm going to throw one at you.
What first country album youever owned?
Um, I think it was alan jackson.
Oh, did you see him on our theaward show the other night, or
no?
Yes, oh, my god, I teared upwhen he sang.
Speaker 2 (35:46):
Remember when it was just oh I, I love him as a
performer.
I just I wish he could stillperform.
You know as well.
But it's like you know, betweenalan jackson, brooks and dunn
are another huge one oh my goshalabama, I think, uh, around the
same time I I love alabama aswell, so that's kind of what I
(36:06):
tailor.
Uh, some of the harmony isalabama, without it being too,
you know know, group harmonyfocused, but there's a lot of
that that happens in the live.
Speaker 1 (36:18):
How is Lainey's following up where you are,
lainey Wilson?
Yeah, it's huge.
It's huge everywhere.
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (36:27):
She's it.
She's got the formula and itdoesn't matter male or female
side.
She's it.
Speaker 1 (36:34):
What would happen if she called you right now and
said hey, rob, I want you to goout on tour with me.
What I mean?
What would be the reaction inyour house right now?
Speaker 2 (36:43):
I say, are you sure you got the right guy?
But after that I would say, yes, you know, figure it all out
along the line you know, andshe's so humble and we had, we
had.
Speaker 1 (36:54):
Actually the reason I said that was we had a Zoom
call with her today and we gottalking about her next single,
which is just going to.
It's a monster, I can tell youright now, at least here in the
States.
I was just kind of curious how,being in Canada, how it all,
because there is that differenceCanadian, us, but still, I
guess I know she knows the dumbquestion but she's such an
(37:16):
inspiration to women as wellyeah um, you know, randa lambert
, she was another, a big one.
Speaker 2 (37:24):
She's another favorite of mine as well.
So the house that built me,it's, you know, it's oh my god,
incredible song.
It's one of my favorite songs.
She's all she's done such agood job for there's going to be
so many young girls now seethat say that's what I want to
do.
And she's persevered and shejust keeps getting better and
better.
Speaker 1 (37:44):
You know one thing I don't know I love your music and
I love what you do.
And then there's also Zach tophere, who's got the older sound
we just started in on.
His next single, called Use Me,I Never Lie, went to number one
, yeah, but it's that old soundthat it's all coming back.
That's right, and it's huge.
Speaker 2 (38:03):
And I was very happy about that, because I didn't
stay with that whole.
I was going to ask Modern track.
I stayed with the more I wouldsay traditional, contemporary,
more what it's like.
But yeah, the traditional sideworks for me.
I'm not quite as traditional asZach Taub, but he's fantastic
(38:26):
at it.
He's got the, you know.
So his background is huge whenit comes to that, you know so
his background is huge when itcomes to that.
Speaker 1 (38:37):
So what's uh one thing about the music industry
that most people don't realizeuntil they're in it?
Uh, how long it can takeeverybody wants it now and it
doesn't happen like that.
Speaker 2 (38:51):
You know nashville.
They always say it's a 10-yeartown.
I actually think it's 10 yearsanywhere.
Speaker 1 (38:55):
Yeah, no, I would agree with you.
And it's so true, it is a10-year town.
I mean, no way fans are buttsabout it.
You got to pay your dues.
You'll wait on tables.
Speaker 2 (39:04):
You know you could be sweeping the sidewalks, but you
got to do what you got to dothere are some people that have
gone viral on TikTok and thingslike that and they've kind of
skipped that.
And it's tough when you'retrying to slug it out and work
on the craft and doing all thesteps that you need to do that.
(39:27):
You know that it's going totake time.
When you see that happen, it'sjust like well, it is what it is
.
So is it going to stop me fromdoing what I'm doing?
No, because there's a millionother reasons to why I do it
anyway.
So and but, but for me it'slike I said, it's every.
It's just one single at a time,one song at a time, one
(39:47):
recording at a time, and, andnow my phone's ringing.
Speaker 1 (39:52):
So hey, you're busy, that's income, that's helping.
How does that work, though?
Because you must.
With the fire department, youhave the rotating shifts, right.
That's right, yes, so I meanthere's going to be weekends
where you need to work.
Speaker 2 (40:06):
There are, and I'm quite selective when it comes
because I do my own booking.
It's great.
So somebody, somebody sayswhat's your availability, I'll
show you availability and it'dbe on the days that I'm not
working.
That doesn't always work outwith festivals because certain
festivals fall on certainweekends, correct?
So I just move some of myvacation time around, yeah, and
if I really need to, there we dowhat's called subbing, so you
(40:28):
just work for each other on.
Speaker 1 (40:30):
yeah, my brother was a city firefighter here and he
did that a lot.
If they had something goingthey would sub, They'd move
around a little bit.
Yeah, it's cool stuff, RobFitzgerald man, I tell you it's
great to see you.
Speaker 2 (40:43):
You too, Skip.
I always love talking to you.
This is like a greatconversation.
Speaker 1 (40:47):
You know, that's what it's about to find out about
you.
And you got the new music outand people need to go and get
that.
You need just check this guyout.
It's Rob Fitzgerald, you canGoogle him.
Um, well, I did that and someother Rob came up and it
definitely wasn't you, becausethat Rob was like 90 years old.
But, um, I said, oh, that's notRob.
But uh, Rob Fitzgerald, justput music after it and he'll
(41:10):
come up and check out the brandnew song.
It's huge.
You know what?
I'm going to find a link andI'm going to attach it to this
video so, whoever they'll hear,the music Sounds like a memory.
Speaker 2 (41:23):
Sure, I think it may actually be on Play MPE.
Speaker 1 (41:25):
I'm not sure I can go right over there, on the other
side of my room and I can pullit off.
That's what I'll do.
It is there.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Now and I can pull it off.
That's what I'll do.
It is there now to mention it.
So, yeah, that's cool.
But yeah, I'm glad you're doingthis and I know you talk to
some big artists too, so thefact that you're having this
conversation with me I reallyappreciate it.
Speaker 1 (41:44):
You know, and I'm not just saying this everybody's
the same, everybody.
I treat them all on the samelevel.
You're as big as the next one,you know.
It's just, it's the way it is.
By the way, you know, jacobSmalley.
Speaker 2 (42:00):
Yes.
Speaker 1 (42:00):
He says hello.
He says hey, skip.
Hey, Rob, he just chimed in.
Speaker 2 (42:04):
Nice.
Speaker 1 (42:05):
Yeah, good guy, I got to get him back on here too.
So Love the song, rob.
He said I don't know if you cansee it.
Speaker 2 (42:12):
I'm reading it right now.
Speaker 1 (42:13):
It's perfect, Yep yep , yep, all right.
So, rob, it's been greatcatching up with you and, of
course, you know, anytime youwant to come back on, you just
reach out.
You got my.
You got what you need to get ahold of me.
So you know we make it happenand just keep doing what you're
doing.
Stay safe.
I know what that's like Beenthere, done that but being a
(42:35):
captain, you're up front, soyou're riding in the cab.
Speaker 2 (42:38):
Yeah, that's right, the grunt work that I do.
I don't need to do as much ofthe grunt work these days, but
it's a busy truck so it's stilldemanding.
It still requires you to be inshape.
Speaker 1 (42:51):
Is that a truck company or is it an engine?
I forgot.
So here we call them pumps,which would be an engine in the
us.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
Okay, okay uh, are, we also have a ladder.
So it's uh, but we also havewhat's called aerials.
The aerials have pumps, theladders don't have do they have
platforms like an aerialplatform?
Platforms and we have one.
Uh, it's the tower.
The.
The tower one is what is it?
230 feet Holy cow.
Yeah, it's new, it's only abouta couple of years old.
(43:18):
Crap and uh, we, we just got it, so it's it.
It it's a.
It's a downtown truck as well,for all the high rises, so it's
so.
I love being on an, so thereyou go.
Speaker 1 (43:31):
You're right there.
Yeah, that's right.
So you're the guy shutting outorders, the driver, he's pumping
it.
Speaker 2 (43:35):
That's right, exactly , exactly, exactly.
Usually, I don't have to givetoo many orders because the
crew's that good, so everybody'sgood.
Speaker 1 (43:41):
Everybody's got a job to do.
I know I've been there andthat's what a lot of people
don't realize is that you know,just open the roof or take care
of another duty.
They know what's going on.
Speaker 2 (43:53):
Exactly yeah, thanks again for having me Skip.
I appreciate it and I will seeyou at CRS next February.
I hope so.
Speaker 1 (44:01):
And keep in mind if you happen to come a little bit
South of the border.
We're just three and a halfhours, so you just yeah.
I think I'll talk to and tellthem.
I told you.
Speaker 2 (44:18):
I love them.
Speaker 1 (44:18):
I absolutely love them.
Rob Fitzgerald.
Again thank you for being onSkip Happens tonight.
Speaker 2 (44:23):
Thanks a lot, Skip.
Thanks again for having me.
Thank you.
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