On the song selection process for “Beer Me,” Fisher said, “First, the songs had to be about beer. Second, they had to involve beer. And third, they had to be melodic, have a strong lyric and a compelling story line – revolving around beer.”
When asked about his personal favorite songs on the album, he said, “If I had to choose just one it would be these two: ‘Beer Thirty’ and ‘To Beer Or Not To Beer.’ ‘Beer Thirty’ is a whacky story about a family friendly weekend block party that ends up with the main couple having drunken sex after the party is over and the kids are asleep. It cracks me up every time I play it. ‘To Beer Or Not To Beer’ is almost autobiographical. I waited tables for 10 years after graduating college as an English Major – a major that perfectly prepared me for the 16th century. I remember quoting Shakespeare to drunken customers and thinking, ‘I went to college for this?’ Then I got my first staff songwriter gig in Nashville and life was perfect after that. Except when it wasn’t.”
His songwriting is inspired by anything and everything. “Stupid stuff, profound stuff, my wife, my kids, your wife, your kids, the world we live in, the world we wish we lived in, underdogs, overcoming, great victories, tragic losses, simplicity, complexity. And beer,” he explained, about his songwriting process.
On his plans for the future, he said, “Writing more songs. I just love the challenge, the puzzle, of how to make a subject work as a song. I would also love to find some drunken, out of work, miserable, down in the dumps, living in some seedy hotel, formerly famous actor/musician/painter/dancer and write their life story with them. That would be cool.”
Digital transformation of music business
Regarding the impact of technology in the music business, Fisher said, “The same way technology impacts every other industry. It creates some opportunities and takes away others. Like when cars replaced horse and buggies – they created mobility and huge industries while de-emphasizing handmade craftsmanship and small town comforts. With music, now anyone can have a competitive studio on their laptops for not much money. That levels the playing field and gives more people a chance to create. It also can make everything sound generic as everyone uses the same loops, sounds and templates.”
On his use of technology in his daily routine as a musician, he said, “I used to write my lyrics on something called paper – a very thin, flat, two-dimensional writing surface made from pounding on papyrus or something. It doesn’t do much. You can’t look stuff up or make calls with paper. Now I type my lyrics into my laptop. I also used to make beats with something called a drummer. A drummer is a type of human being who is frequently seen hanging out with musicians. They get hungry a lot. Now I have beat keeping software on my laptop that sounds amazing, never gets hungry and keeps perfect time.”
For his fans, he concluded about his new album Beer Me, “Please buy it. My wife is really hitting me hard about making more money. Turns out having a house and kids gets expensive. I told her that I would try and sell more songs – right after Oprah is over. Oh, and if you know Brad Paisley tell him to record one of my songs. That would be really great. Thank you.”
Fisher has a new Christmas song out entitled “Christmas Beer.” The video may be seen below.
To learn more about singer-songwriter Kevin Fisher, check out his official homepage.
