Every tattoo has a story, and in our latest Skip Happens episode, we peel back the layers of ink with the return of the ever-charismatic Rob Fitzgerald. As we swap tales about the art on our bodies, the profound meanings they hold, and the occasional regret, we also uncover the rich tapestry of Rob's world. From discussing the far-reaching effects of Canadian wildfires to delving into how his dual love for firefighting and music entwines, this conversation is a journey through the heart of a man who lives and breathes his passions.
Strap in for a musical odyssey as he takes you through the birth of his newest track, "Drunk on You." It all started with a simple guitar riff that blossomed into a soulful serenade, a tribute to the heady intoxication of love. We'll let you in on the magic that happens when Nashville's finest get their hands on a song and give you an earful of the bluesy, country vibes that we Canadians cherish. Whether you're a vinyl enthusiast or a digital devotee, this episode spins a tale of music's tactile pleasures and the creative force behind it.
In the comforting glow of a record player's light, we wind down our session with a nod to the supportive cast behind every artist. From discussing the vital role of a spouse in a creative's life to striking the delicate balance between emergency services and strumming on a guitar, the depth of our stories harmonizes with the soul of country music. We also reveal the personal highs and lows from Nashville's bustling scene to the intimate, shared experiences of family and loss. Join us for a heartfelt rendezvous that's as rich in narrative as the melodies we live by.
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
Every tattoo has a story, and in our latest Skip Happens episode, we peel back the layers of ink with the return of the ever-charismatic Rob Fitzgerald. As we swap tales about the art on our bodies, the profound meanings they hold, and the occasional regret, we also uncover the rich tapestry of Rob's world. From discussing the far-reaching effects of Canadian wildfires to delving into how his dual love for firefighting and music entwines, this conversation is a journey through the heart of a man who lives and breathes his passions.
Strap in for a musical odyssey as he takes you through the birth of his newest track, "Drunk on You." It all started with a simple guitar riff that blossomed into a soulful serenade, a tribute to the heady intoxication of love. We'll let you in on the magic that happens when Nashville's finest get their hands on a song and give you an earful of the bluesy, country vibes that we Canadians cherish. Whether you're a vinyl enthusiast or a digital devotee, this episode spins a tale of music's tactile pleasures and the creative force behind it.
In the comforting glow of a record player's light, we wind down our session with a nod to the supportive cast behind every artist. From discussing the vital role of a spouse in a creative's life to striking the delicate balance between emergency services and strumming on a guitar, the depth of our stories harmonizes with the soul of country music. We also reveal the personal highs and lows from Nashville's bustling scene to the intimate, shared experiences of family and loss. Join us for a heartfelt rendezvous that's as rich in narrative as the melodies we live by.
Thanks for listening! Follow us at youtube.com/c/skiphappens
Here we are. It's another edition of Skip happens, and Welcome to it, my friend. It's so good to see all of you. Thank you for hanging out with us. I just you know we're live on YouTube, we're on the skip happens Facebook, around the official country music fan club Facebook and my personal Facebook, just because I have 5,000 friends and I just want to say hi. But most importantly is the fact that we say hello to To Rob Fitzgerald. Rob, no stranger to the skip happens podcast. Yeah, we were looking it up Just that just a moment ago. It seemed like it was longer, but seven months ago you came on and we talked about you and everything about you. Hello, rob, what's up? I'm good. Skip, I'm doing well. How are you? I'm well. Looks like you've been working out a little bit. Do you have a couple of new tats?
Speaker 2:Uh, not new.
Speaker 1:No, I think I'm due, but no, nothing to do it since since the last time, so you know, um, my wife is not one into tattoos but all of a sudden, for mother this is going back a while she wanted to get a tattoo, just a small one. So we designed one. You know, I've yet to get it for her, but she just reminded me the other night saying you know, you still owe me for mother's day that tattoo. I'm like, oh okay. Well, you know, I guess I got to do it.
Speaker 2:So the stigline tattoos has changed so much to my. My parents are still the old school that every time they see me you know like this is like you're not gonna get any more tattoos, are you? And I just tell them no, but there is more coming.
Speaker 1:But yeah, I know you know, I mean, well, you've seen this. Well, I was, I got one there and I have another one over here. But now that I have those two, it's like you know what, I want to get another one. Or I want to dress this up a little bit more, maybe with the radio station, call letters or something, or you know something along those lines. So well, I don't know if I do the call letters, because what if I get canned? Yeah, that's true, it's true, it's a memory I wouldn't want then, right, exactly, but I could put a radio tower or something by the microphone I have and for me it just becomes kind of a story of your life.
Speaker 2:You know, you just add to it when things are significant enough and and you know, it's just that, that permanent reminder of things. You know everything on me, so people just like to get art on them. For me Everything kind of has a meaning, kind of cool. So that's there, that's right, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, it's not only you but other artists that I talked to you and, believe me, you have very few compared to some that I've talked to you, but every single tat has a meaning behind it. That's right. It's not just there, or it's you know, it's got something behind it. So that's how everybody. Where are?
Speaker 2:you. So I'm just outside of Toronto, canada, mm-hmm, a place called Burlington, ontario, and said population is grown significantly. It's a little over 200,000 now but but it's a quieter bedroom community here now and I used to. I kind of grew up in the country north and and Came down here for work, so it's it's kind of a good place to be central wise. It's close to the border for one that you know I want to drive into the US for some of the places that I need to go, so it's it's a good central location.
Speaker 1:Catching planes in Toronto, things like that and you want to send your smoke our way? That's okay, yeah, yeah, you know I.
Speaker 2:Was down on. I know it's not supposed to talk about it with a, you know the radio people, but I was down and I was all the way down into into Alabama and it was so smoky there all I was doing was saying sorry on the air.
Speaker 1:Well, you know even well, here in upstate New York we had to cancel a couple of the baseball games just because the air quality wasn't what it should be and you know. So anytime I have somebody or I know somebody from Canada or we, we chit chat.
Speaker 2:It's like thanks, thanks for that it made its way all the way over to to England you know, that amazes me.
Speaker 1:When you think about it, that amazes me.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so, and I guess you that's the air currents and you really get to know what it's, what it's really like when you see it. I see up that far over over the pond.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I might add and he'll probably get mad that I'm mentioning this, but Rob knows what smoke is all about. He's a firefighter, also in the beautiful city of Toronto, so yeah, Third generation.
Speaker 2:My sister's on the job as well, so it kind of kind of runs in the family. So, oh my, do you guys get to work a shift together? So she is actually on the the inspections investigations.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay, all right.
Speaker 2:When I run into something that I see that shouldn't be a certain way, I'll call her and say, yeah, I'm inspect this place. Yeah, so, yeah. So she's from a different side of it, but yeah, we chat, we chat all the time. Still, you know, when we're in dress uniform, we look exactly the same. But my grandfather was on the job and my dad too.
Speaker 1:Well, same here. You know, my dad did it, I did it, my brother did it.
Speaker 2:Um, it's all in the family, man it is you know, and doing this music thing, you know I'm kind of lucky that I kind of get the time because of my shift work. But you know I got two great passions, that that I absolutely love doing. So you and it shows, shows, man Appreciate it, yeah. So and I get a lot of, you know, life material to be able to write about.
Speaker 1:I bet you do, having been there some of the situations that you get thrown into. You could go.
Speaker 3:I'm gonna write a song about or this.
Speaker 1:You know, I mean everybody's different. The world is a really weird place.
Speaker 2:You're actually right, some things you'd never want to talk about, but it's uh, you know it. Just I wrote a song some time ago and there was this this one person you know affected me enough and it was a homeless girl and she was a teenager and she kept coming around the station and she wouldn't deal with authority figures and it. It affected me enough that I actually wrote a song about. So, just just little things like that, where you get a chance to see more than you would, just when you, you know, go from home to work and you come home, park your car in the car and go inside. There's just so much more to see out there.
Speaker 1:Sure, did you Establish some sort of relationship with this person, like they could combine, they could talk to you, they could hang out and just kind of. Or was it just somebody that was there but yet they didn't want to be there?
Speaker 2:they were there and the circumstances were that there was some abuse going on at home. There started to be abuse going on in the streets with who she was hanging around. Yeah, she got to the point where she was taking water from us, but you know, that was a stretch just to just to get that far and.
Speaker 2:So, and then we just never saw her again. So you never know. Did you never know? Right, that's right. So that's the other part of the. You know the, the, the cliffhanger story that you know. Did she go home to her family? Did she? Did she turn things around, or, you know, is it the worst-case scenario?
Speaker 1:You never know you know we're here to talk about your music. But we do have some things in common and that's kind of why I'm bringing it up and talking about it. But even with the radio station and where we're located in the city of Syracuse, we get a lot of the homeless and a lot of those that I don't just kind of want to go why and there was one day there was somebody across the way laying on the field in the field and swear God is Receptionist called the police, saying I think there's a body across the street, but he wasn't. He was just under a whole lot of clothes and just doing his own thing. I walked over there, got to find out who he was. I got his name and all that and we hooked him up with some food and everything else and then we even offered him Offered to get him some help or get him somewhere. Then he said no, then he's. He just wouldn't accept it.
Speaker 3:Yeah that.
Speaker 1:So it's, it's pretty sad, it's pretty sad?
Speaker 2:Yeah, it really is, and they all have a story and you know. So it's it's. You know, we all look at it and think you know, why don't they, why don't they do something different? Well, we don't. We don't really know what the story actually is, right?
Speaker 1:so so music? Yeah, let's stop. Everybody's probably gonna. It's boring no, it isn't, though. It's so cool and Definitely thank you for doing what you do in your line of work as well as giving us some great music, from bad and boozy to drunk on you. Bad and boozy, I was rocking it out just before we went out in the air. Of course, drunk on you is the latest, latest effort that you're pushing out there, and can you tell us a little bit about, about that, about the?
Speaker 2:new song, drunk on you. Drunk on you, so drunk on you, was one of these things. It was a noodle around kind of song and and I had this little bit of a soul feel vibe to it and the hook came drunk on you. It wasn't quite the same, but as it started to develop, it just turned into this Love song of a comparison between what it feels like to be drunk on alcohol as opposed to what it feels like to be drunk on love. So and therefore, then that's, it's that what I call the comparison between love and libations. I love it now.
Speaker 1:How did you, you, would you, come with the idea to write this? I mean, you just mentioned it a little bit, but Tell us about that again.
Speaker 2:Yeah it. A lot of times I try not to make things too contrived, I'll, I'll say, and a lot of times I'll just be fooling around on guitar and it's like, oh, I like this structure, I like the way it feels. It's got a little more it's not necessarily countries got a little soul feel to it, which is, you know, another side of some of my influences. And and for me, I chip away and Find a hook that comes first to the field and then write about the hook and the song took about three or four different iterations before it finally flowed enough to to be able to support the hook Met with my mentor I have a mentor out of California and ran it by him and Gave some suggestions.
Speaker 2:But then I recorded the demo and when I brought it down to Nashville, the Nashville session musicians were they. They just went with it and you know, especially when I said, okay, I'd like to have this a little bit of a Chris Stapleton feel to it, mm-hmm, that soul side, and it just happened to be that session day, tammy King from the steel drivers is playing fiddle on my soul. Wow, how cool. Okay, so they, they captured it absolutely perfectly and Especially with the guitar part the guitar inch or the way it is, and does it sound?
Speaker 1:something like this so bluesy, I just gonna play a little clip of it here.
Speaker 3:I Love this Like a sweet red. Very last drop. You've got me feeling so fine. You're like a little Shutter to kill. Jesus, drive me out of my mind, don't you know?
Speaker 1:You know, so cool, it's so good, it's not. You're right to soulfulness in that, and then the bluesy sound, a little bit of that, and it bring it all together, rob Wow.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and it just felt right. When the song was done and I knew I had to make it a Single for this year and it's funny, you know, I sent it out for some people to critique it and listen to it and there was another couple that they likes we said, okay, we'll put this song last for this year and it actually has done the best so far of all the song.
Speaker 1:I mean from somebody that you know. I sit in the studio all day and I'm playing a lot of music, but there's certain tunes that'll definitely make you want to. You know I got to turn this up. That would be one of those. One of those tunes.
Speaker 2:Real happy with the reception for this one and this one, as well as all the others that they'll be on the upcoming album that I'll be releasing is Any of this getting played in on country radio in Canada? Yeah, it's actually doing real well in Canada and it's on Sirius XM here as well and Called top of the country. 171 love that.
Speaker 1:What if we get that? Because I have serious to and I believe any.
Speaker 2:Anybody that gets serious can tune into any of the station.
Speaker 1:So one seven you want to be able to get to now I have to go check that out. I had no idea that it was 171. Yeah, I'm usually on the highway, or you know I shouldn't say this too loud, but I'm usually on the highway. But then again I, you know, I listen to the wolf, of course, my station, yeah, it's all good. It's all good, it's the music. How would you say that country music in Canada is different from the country music here in the United States? Um, there's a reason I'm asking that, but go ahead.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they're. People have asked me this as well and I'm trying to and I try and keep a pulse on to really what the difference is. The deeper into country land that you go in the US, they cherish the traditional. Okay, even though there's the Morgan Wall ins and you know, and you've got so many others now that are kind of bringing that are modernizing it a little bit, that actually happens a little more in Canada. There's a little more of the pop side that seems to be oh well, this seems to be pushed a little bit more.
Speaker 2:For me I'm kind of a mix in between the two. So I've got a little more of that Modern mix with the traditional. I can hear that yeah, yeah, I don't, I'm not gonna change it, that's me. So that's, that's where I come from, that's where I feel. So I would. I would have to say that you know, just, you know, when you're in deep in the heart of Alabama, you know that they love their Alabama. You know they love their traditional stuff as well, and To the point where some of them say I don't even like the new stuff. So we're here most of what. You're still getting a lot of the traditionalists here, but you got a lot more people that have jumped on board of country because the lines have been blurred.
Speaker 1:So yeah, they are a little bit. You're right. You're right, the lines have been blurred. But if you don't know this and you're watching this and you're listening to this country, in Canada, country music has its own chart, its own everything You'll. There'll be artists on that chart. They could have a number one song and you wouldn't even know who they are here in the States and vice versa. I think it works both ways. I know I'm a fan of Doc Walker, I've been a fan of Emerson Drive back in the day, I can go on and I was some of the country artists. Just, I think Carolyn Dawn Johnson was from Canada on that mistake. Well, she's living now, I think, in Nashville.
Speaker 2:But yeah, michelle writes another one. All right, yes, exactly, michelle Wright was signed to a Nashville label way back in the 80s, but she's a traditionalist as well. But now you've got Josh Ross, you know, you've got daily Zimmerman, yeah, you've got. You've got a lot of upcomers that that have come from Canada. Yep, now they've. They've made the move to the move correct. So it's. It would be nice. It would be nice where the artists don't have to leave, but it's a different market. At the same time, it is and it's even with radio.
Speaker 1:It's a whole different feel. It's like you know, I have, I know people that work in radio and in Canada, north of the border, and it's, it's, it's different, it's different. I mean, I hate to say it, but it's different, at least in my opinion, anyways it is and, and, and.
Speaker 2:I don't I don't ever want to, I'm not gonna, you know talk negatively about one or the other, but you're absolutely right. It is different, yep, and, but the market is different as well, at the same time.
Speaker 1:So yeah, so your songwriting. You've had the opportunity to write in Nashville. You're a member of the songwriter's Association, if I'm not mistaken. That's right. So have you been like the bluebird and other places like that? Yeah, I had a chance to play the bluebird.
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, that was scared to death. I Think I was. I would say I was really nervous.
Speaker 1:I'm nervous for you guys. When I hear somebody's gonna be playing the bluebird I'm like oh boy, oh boy, and it's funny because you shouldn't be, because it's such a small venue.
Speaker 2:I mean, max you might have 80 people in. That's why that's right, but it's so iconic that you know it. It plays with your confidence. I think it about how who's been there in that room and you? You can hear a pin drop.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and you don't know who's sitting at that high top right in front of the stage.
Speaker 2:That's right, exactly so. I gained some followers. I played there 2019, 2018 or 2019 before the pandemic. Okay, yeah, and there were people that they they started following me since then just from being in that room. Yeah, oh yeah, and, and, and, still, and still comment on I remember the time that I saw you at the bluebird, so, yeah, it was. It's a very, very special room.
Speaker 1:Do you get involved with any of the big festivals up north Canada? I know they have a whole bunch of different festivals. Do you get to play those?
Speaker 2:as an independent, it's harder to play the bigger festivals. So what has happened in the past year is I got a chance to play what we make called maybe the the medium level of festivals. Okay, that was a big jump for me to be able to jump on a bigger stage and have, you know, 2000 people in front of me and Because of that I've already been scheduled for for more festivals this year.
Speaker 1:See, yeah, so snowball.
Speaker 2:That's right. So and for me that's what it was all about I plug away one song, a single at a time, a single at a time in a single at a time, just kind of build on each one, and it's worked quite well. So 2024 is Looking to be a bigger year already for me, which is I.
Speaker 1:I would just that that's what the plan was if we have anybody that's listening or watching, that's just that wants to do what Rob is doing. Some great advice, I mean, because you're still working your full-time gig but you're still able to do something that you absolutely love.
Speaker 2:That's right, I actually work three jobs. So I have my full-time gig and I have two other part-time jobs that actually pay. That goes straight into paying for this. How cool. Can I ask what they are? Well, they're related to firefighting. Oh, okay, all right, okay. And the one is it's actually a confined space rescue job. I got you. We work with companies that need to go into some very dangerous places.
Speaker 1:Oh my.
Speaker 2:God, that need to work and I'm thinking I don't think I'd ever do that job, but there are people that do then certainly there are so many people that don't even know that these jobs exist.
Speaker 1:Right, right, right. Confined spaces. So would that be like a crawl space or really tightly enclosed and you gotta get somebody out of there? See, I could never do that. I have a problem going to the doctors and getting one of those scans.
Speaker 2:I can't go in those things, you're talking like gas refineries, oil refineries, where they're crawling into heaters to be able to repair what they call the elements that are in there and there's no room for them to move when they're in there. Oh my God, we have to plan to get them out if that's the case. So I do that as well, as I'll work overtime. That's kind of the second part to that is on top of my main job as well.
Speaker 1:So we're talking about the music, of course, but still, you know, I have a big interest in what else you do. Are you an app pump operator driver? What is your position on the rig? So I'm a lieutenant.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you get the ride to camp, that's right. Yeah, so in Canada we call it an acting captain, but it's the actual lieutenant, and so when my captain is off, I'm in charge of the truck, and right now he just happens to be injured. So I've been in charge straight for the last four months. Oh wow, so it's, and I've got a great crew and it's just. We just have a blast all day long. Brotherhood, it's, that's right Women.
Speaker 1:it's a brotherhood. Yeah, that's right yeah so Absolutely Back to the music. So you're heading to Nashville pretty soon.
Speaker 2:Yeah, hoping to be down there, looking to be down there for CRS. So I'll be working with Grassroots to see what we can do. I love it. I'm hoping to catch up with you while I'm there and just be able to get all the people on radio and the idea is I'll be a salesman. So I'm just gonna try and sell myself and see if I can get more radio play with the next single that comes out, and it's yeah, what's you go to CRS?
Speaker 1:Is this the first time you've done that?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, and I hadn't planned on it before, but and we'll see what we can do this time.
Speaker 1:I think you might have something, are you? What kind of marketing are you gonna do? I'm just, I've been to CRS for over 20 years. I'd go. I've gone almost every year, all right, well over 20. Here's I know back in the day the artists used to come in now they don't do this but they'd hand you a CD and it'd be like all right, I'm gonna carry the CD around all day. I don't think so. I mean, let's just be realistic. And but if you have like a flash drive or something with your music on it, they're more than they'll and they'll put it in their pocket and then when they get back to the room or wherever, they're gonna listen to the music.
Speaker 2:So yeah, so the idea is and I've done this and it really works as I actually have a postcard, so head shot information, but it's actually got the barcode to scan. I was just gonna say QR code, yeah, they can scan that and it'll take them right to my website and for there they go wherever they need to. After that, Perfect and cheap.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's right. So you take your word out. Absolutely, you could do that right on your home computer.
Speaker 2:That's right, Exactly so cool. You flip it over, it's got bio and everything everything you need to know right there. And if you want to go further, just scan the code.
Speaker 1:And it'll take you and a free beer at BarLines.
Speaker 2:Maybe that's a good idea. There's a good idea.
Speaker 1:I know I'm gonna take it in there, yeah, you know, hey, that'd be cool. But yeah, how cool is that? So you're heading back down there pretty soon. I know CRS is at the end of February this month. Oh my God, it's February already. How do you say February, february, february. You know, that's a hard month to say Think about it.
Speaker 2:I just say I'm cold. I need summer to be here.
Speaker 1:You're always cold up there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know what? It's actually not bad here right now. I know Syracuse is not far from us right now.
Speaker 1:No, it's not bad here right now either. Yeah, this is the warmest winter we've had. Yeah, same here We've, I can tell you right now. I think it was like 39 today, fahrenheit. That's exactly what we're talking about, and a couple of weeks ago it was colder in Nashville and they had more snow in Nashville than we had here, which is very, very crazy.
Speaker 2:I was watching that. I had friends that lived down there. Yeah, yeah, it is crazy. I know they get dustings every once in a while, but not snow, snow like that.
Speaker 1:No, right, right, and they get that. Just a few flakes and they shut the city down because they don't have the equipment to put out on the roads to make sure everything's cool Around here. You know, being where you are, you get a foot of snow and, depending on how the wind, blows across the lake.
Speaker 2:That's right.
Speaker 1:And we still go on every day like it's every day. That's right, yeah.
Speaker 2:And we put our snow tires on because we're supposed to here and here we're driving around in snow tires and just wearing them down, Do they? Is that a law in Canada? It's not a law, but it's. You get a discount on insurance, Really, yeah, if you have snow tires, they recommend that you do. So that, because if you get into an accident, the first thing they're gonna say did you have your snow tires.
Speaker 1:So around here. It's back in the deck and remember my mom and dad putting snow tires on the car with the studs. You'd hear them go down the road, click, click, click, click, click. But nowadays you know, with the tires that they have, they say you really don't need snow tires.
Speaker 2:Yeah, especially like the truck that I have. I've got my snow tires, so I'm not changing those out. Oh, no, no. But, for the two cars that we have. I put snow tires on and do the right thing. Especially my wife and son and daughter are driving them, so you know it helps them to be safer in the snow. I'm happy with that.
Speaker 1:Exactly. So what else is going on in the world of Rob Fitzgerald when it comes to music? What do you got coming up here Like this? You know we. I know you're going to CRS, as we talked about, but let's go a little bit further down the road. You said you're getting invited to some festivals.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so that you have to work on from the fall right into, you know, Christmas and even now. But the big thing that's taken my time up is I'm releasing a full album Nice and this is my first one. So, just going through everything that I need to for the financing side and I'm going to do an actual run on vinyl. Really, how cool. Yeah, so we've been meeting with the people for that, investors that want to jump on board on this side, so, and it could be, you know, a fairly decent, you know, run a vinyl with the factory here as well as a Nashville.
Speaker 1:So I can. You know that's coming back because, being in my line of work, I'm getting vinyl again, not to play on the air but well, maybe to play. You know, on air we get it all off. You know we have a service, but I got to carry an Underwood album, I got a Scotty McCrary, I've got a, I think, cody Johnson. These artists are, you know, they're pressing it on vinyl and they're sending them out, which is pretty cool.
Speaker 2:And to the point now where it's like people say, are you going to go to CD? It's like I don't know if I should, because cars don't have CD players in them anymore. No, computers don't, that's right. Computers don't laptop stones. So it may be a waste of going with a media like that instead of going with vinyl. And I think we're going back to the vinyl, is? You know, you and I, when we had vinyl, it was all about everything about the packaging, yes, the bass, the sleeve, the lyrics. Yes, you know you had that whole experience of listening. Yes, and you know how warm it actually sounds. And I surprised my wife last year when I got a 1960 General Electric console stereo. Oh, man, dude, it looks like it came from the showroom floor.
Speaker 1:Oh, I would die for that. It's funny how it's all come back, but it's so freaking cool.
Speaker 2:It's got tubes. It's the everything worked. The guy that sold it modified it a little bit where it can also have streaming so I can stream spot. I can just push a button in the back and it'll flip it over and I can stream Spotify to it. So if you just want to, just hey, Google play this, you know, on the living room stereo it will, and it sounds so warm because it's original speakers, tubes, Everything is still original. Anything with tubes you can't go wrong. Yeah, so it's got that. You know, not everybody's going to be able to define that, but now they've got turntables, you come out and you hook it up to your Sonos system Right.
Speaker 1:And here's the funny thing I want a turntable. I kicked myself in the ass for getting rid of everything I had like that. And you're talking about this console. I can remember my parents having a console in the living room with the turntable, with the AM FM radio, with the television, everything built in. It was the best I know and you know. Now we just recently, my wife and I, went to Boston and we stayed in a hotel and the hotel was very retro Every single room at a turntable. And I'm going, this is so freaking cool and you could go to the lobby and go through albums and take albums back to the room with you To listen to. It was just amazing and I'm going, honey.
Speaker 2:I said I wanted turntable well, I love that idea and you know I was. Record stores have started to open back up here in town. Really, wow, sunrise records is back open and I remember the first when they first opened. I went. I was the only person flipping through the albums but I went unboxing week and everybody was flipping through around me and the other side the next side and people were standing in line with albums from money they got for Christmas and Fantastic, the country section just got bigger in one year.
Speaker 1:I love it. I love it. What was the first album you can remember for you first?
Speaker 2:album. Although first albums were Never, never from me, they were Well they were an artist.
Speaker 1:What was the first album you owned? Let me put it that way I.
Speaker 2:Would have to say it was probably the rolling Stones, rolling Stones into the Rolling Stones.
Speaker 1:I remember having sticky fingers. That wasn't that the album with the zipper in the front? Yeah, yeah, yeah, I had that, and that, me too. The Stones were pretty good.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and and you know artists like the Almond Brothers, you know I absolutely love the Almond Brothers and and then you know you know Brooks and Dunn Garth Brooks, things like that. It just it was me Album collecting was quite eclectic, so it wasn't just one genre, it was all over the place.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, me too.
Speaker 2:That was because of my mom. My mom had all her. She had country to soul. Yeah, you know, you name it. She had this old record called can't stop dancing and it was one of those Albums that has every. It's got 40 artists played yeah, yeah, and I wore the grooves right off of it when I was so cool, but yeah. So now we're back to collecting albums again. So I think just a little. Christmas we got five albums between Eric Church, chris Stapleton, laney Wilson and there's a few other.
Speaker 1:Yeah, tell you how heavy was that console. Did you need everybody from the truck crew to bring it in?
Speaker 2:So it actually it's not. It had to be a certain size. It's only 48 inches, so it's small on the small side of what we know. Consoles. Okay, just a stereo. There was no TV in it, but the mahogany may, it is a.
Speaker 1:Terri like a. It'll add weight to it. Yeah, nothing lamb in it. It is solid, mahogany. It's that's got to be beautiful. Rob, that is so cool. I'll send you a picture after this because, yeah, it's like it's for you. She must have been like Static over it that I'd be like oh my god, this is the best ever.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and you know and nights that I'm not playing that, so you know there be a bottle of wine opened and we just put on records.
Speaker 1:Oh my god, down to Rob Fitzgerald record.
Speaker 2:That's yeah you enough.
Speaker 1:I hear you all day. When you're off, I Know I hear you. So You've got the album coming. What are we talking? 12 tracks or?
Speaker 2:oh, it's gonna be. I'm shooting for 10, I'm shooting to be at least nine, okay, and which is still enough for for a full-length album, so, but yeah, so there's. They're gonna include some of the past songs that I've had, but there's Four new ones that'll be on there as well. So you know, that's. That's almost half that people haven't even heard yet, and it'll be singles. They'll be upcoming singles that are coming out, all recorded in Nashville.
Speaker 1:Very cool studio musicians and you and you know what. Maybe what people don't know is that these musicians, that they work for the Studio or you can hire them as an artist and a steel player, a drummer, fiddle guitar and there's some of the best in the industry because they can play with anybody.
Speaker 2:They are. I mean, they, some of them play with fairly big acts Tammy can't I was mentioning was just one of them and the nucleus for the last three years has stayed the same for these, these guys, which is great. So when they kind of put out saying Rob Fitzgerald's got three new songs, you want to record that. It's pretty much the same people. If they're available there, they're on it. And yeah, I can't say enough about them, because if you hear the demo with me recording just here in my little old studio, right then what they put to it from the finished product after only hearing it in the studio For the first time, then they head back to their own little stations and everything is live off the floor, seven-piece band Live.
Speaker 2:So what you're hearing is live. So cool and and most of the time it's it's one take. We'll run through verse and chorus just for tempo and feel, but then it's a full take and then some of them stay in their spots. They just do some of the overdubs and they handle the whole thing. I just tell them what I need and it's funny, it's like I walk in and it's like I'm singing karaoke to my own song.
Speaker 1:So it's well in a sense you know I mean, but it's you still that's right and just where they take it it's.
Speaker 2:You know, I let them have that creativity, giving them kind of that feeler because I'll usually have an example as to what I'm looking for Artist wise, so that they get that visual in their head, like Chris Stapleton being, for example, for drunk on you but yeah, like bad and boozy was a little bit of that, brothers Osborne feel yeah no, it's not like three, something like that. So I kind of give that to them and and then they go and they, they just capture it.
Speaker 1:That's just so cool, so cool. Collaboration. If you could collaborate with anybody, is there anybody you'd like to say come on, let's do something?
Speaker 2:Well, chris Stapleton is definitely definitely high on my list, that's coming out with a brand new song, by the way. And if that's on his newest album, I've probably heard it because it's he's coming out with a brand new song.
Speaker 1:It's very it it. You know you mentioned soulful and bluesy. It's kind of got that feel to it. I listened to it today.
Speaker 2:Really, yeah, if it's not on the album, I can't. I can't wait to hear it. He's one of them guys like Eric Church I'd love to be able to write with. I'd love to be able to write with Darryl and you know, there's on the female side, you know, laney Wilson. Oh my god, she's just killer to be able to write right with her. Chris young, I'd love to be able to write with Chris you know the names that you're mentioning, absolutely 100%.
Speaker 1:The real people, the really cool. I did a podcast with Laney here maybe a year ago and her story just blew me away. See how she got the. Nashville lived in a camper. The floor was falling out, plumbing was back, you know, everything was backing up. It was just a mess. She didn't have a pot to piss and nothing, absolutely nothing. And and now, now look at her. But yet she does. She will never. You know, she's so cool and so down to earth. I actually gave her for my skip happens mugs and she played uh at the New York state fair last August, august 23rd. I showed up, I walked backstage and she's like skit, she goes. Oh my God, I got your mugs on my bus and I'm going. You know, that's so freaking cool. I just that's the type of person she is. She goes. I love those mugs. We drink out of them every day. We're on the road, we're double, and she was just the coolest. The coolest, you know and her song writing.
Speaker 2:I know she's got people that she's with in terms of collaboration, but her song writing she's figured it out. She really, really has and, uh, you know, every song that she puts out it's like I wish I could write that. I wish I could write that so many other artists I said the same thing about, but it's like it's it's she's got it going.
Speaker 1:I don't ever have any like at the station. I don't have to call it the station, the firehouse fire. Years ago he's called the fire bar, but uh, at least here in the States. But um, do you ever get any downtime where you can just sit around with the guys and maybe pick up the guitar and say, hey, listen to this, what do you think I've?
Speaker 2:done that. It's, it's and it's a captivating audience the whole time, like right and I and I usually do that um, after I've written the songs, polish them all off and I'm ready to go into the studio. So it was like, okay, I got these songs to play for you and let me know what you think, and uh, and then they get a chance to hear that. Then, when I come back, then then they hear the, the, the, full production.
Speaker 1:Are you ever afraid that these guys are going to go, because you know they know you probably is as well as your wife does that they're going to go. Rob, it sucks. I mean, try doing something. You know what I mean. They could be out, they'll be honest with you, or they could just mess with you too.
Speaker 2:They could too, me being most of their superiors. That's right, you don't want to piss off the boss. Yeah, my wife that says it, because she's my biggest fan and my biggest critic all at the same time.
Speaker 1:I was going to ask you that, and that's usually the way it works, so yeah, and, and that's what keeps it real, which is a bless her.
Speaker 2:And once again, I need people like that instead of somebody saying that sounds great, that sounds great.
Speaker 1:She's a strong woman. She's married to a firefighter.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:And you know everything that you go through emotionally, everything every day. You never know. You never know what you're going to run into. And she's there to support you and God bless her. It's a strong woman.
Speaker 2:So I give her credit. And you're absolutely right, she definitely is and she knows what it's all about too. So she is. You know she was the one I'll just back up a little bit here.
Speaker 2:I used to be just a songwriter. The idea was that full time job, I'll go to work as firefighting by day, come home and I'll write songs, I'll pitch them. And you know I was pitching and pitching and a few times the comment came out that is that you singing, have you thought about being an artist? Right, and because I'd write more from where I would come from, instead of saying, okay, I'm going to pick an artist and write like them. So I consulted with a few people and and Sherry was one of the people I said what do you think about this? Because if I'm going to do this, there's, this is how far I need to go, and you know it's not Lainey Wilson with a can of camper, with, you know, with no floor, but it's, it's. It's going to take a lot of my time and you know it's my kids are older now, which is good that you know we have our time together.
Speaker 2:But she said go for it, because the way these songs are turning out and the way the, especially after recording a national for the first time, it was like I think there's something here that we should, that we should, you know, we should give it a try. And now we travel together. So that's, that's what we have to be able to go from place to place and see places, especially down in the U? S, that we never would have thought to see before. Bring her to Nashville. Yeah, she loves Nashville, she actually she's not from CRS.
Speaker 1:Then she go. I'm never coming again. This is crazy.
Speaker 2:You may see, you may hear her answer in the background saying yes you can come, we'll take care of you she loves Nashville I know it's such a great city.
Speaker 1:It's a great city, even though Broadway is a little crazy now for us old folks. I call myself old even though I'm not, but still I'm. My wife and I were there in June and we went to the NASCAR race. We went to the Nashville super speedway and we went to the NASCAR both NASCAR races that weekend and then we got back early on a Saturday and I said come on, honey, we're staying at the Omni right downtown. I said come on, we're going to run over to it, let's go down to Broadway, let's get a cold one. Let's let's walk around a little bit. We got down there and it's just like let's go back to the hotel, hang out at that bar, because it was just mobbed. I mean you could walk on heads. It was crazy.
Speaker 2:So I believe I was down there the same time you were, because I remember you posting and I think the NHL draft is going on at the same time.
Speaker 1:You know, I think you're right.
Speaker 2:That's why it was crazy. It was crazier than usual.
Speaker 1:You know, that's right. There was something going on. Thomas Rhett was performing. They had the street blocked off. And had the street blocked off, you know what? I think it was right after that. Right after that, I think it was coming up. That's right. The street was blocked off. It was mobbed. I mean, there were issues almost on every corner, if you know what I mean. Yeah, people getting pushed and shoved, and I'm just like this isn't for us.
Speaker 2:We're going back to the hotel, so unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to really enjoy it. I had dates that I needed to play the next day, so we had to turn in early. But it was. It's always fun, it's, you know, everybody goes there, Everybody's happy and it's all about the music which is great.
Speaker 1:So what do you do on your days off? Because I know you know working the shift work, you work so many days on, you get so many days off, if I'm not mistaken, I mean, that's how it works here in the States. But do you ever take time for just yourself?
Speaker 2:Well, that's most of what my weekdays off are is. First half of the day will be music business. Okay, so most of it will either be writing or practicing for upcoming shows or the honeydew list. But there is a honeydew list there all the time, so my daughter doesn't live at home anymore. So she actually asked I had to go over there today and fix her toilet. Yeah, that's what parents told me I have to go fix their computer. So there's heads to different directions, so I'm able to juggle it.
Speaker 1:That's pretty cool man. It's pretty cool, so it's good you got your guitar in your lap. Did you want to play a song?
Speaker 2:Yeah sure, I didn't know if you wanted me to play Drunk on you or.
Speaker 1:You pick it, but I'm digging the song. I know I got the recorded version here, but let's go for it.
Speaker 2:So this is a song that was a single that came out this time last year and it was basically written with a little bit of frustration. It's you know why are we not nice anymore? You know why do we not Say sir or ma'am anymore? Why, you know if and if we could go back to a place where we got more of that and lived by the traditional country lyrics of yesterday, what would that town be like?
Speaker 1:So the song is called If Country Was a Town All right, I'm going to shrink, I'm going to go down, it's going to the screen's going to be all you. So don't think I lost you. I did not. So, all right, here we go. Rob Fitzgerald.
Speaker 3:Let's go, let's go, baby.
Speaker 3:You see me on the Go ahead. Well, we paint a perfect life online. If we could live the lines of a George Strait song, that'd be a real good place to start, a place we can all belong. If country was a town, not a lot gonna do to be found and we'd be okay to get in the truck and take the long way around. There'd be room here at the table For you to join us if you're able, and we'd be living in the middle of the moments I really count. Imagine where we'd be if country was a town. Showing up, working hard Sundays at church and time with your mom Falling in love ain't a throwaway and cause. The roots we put down are here to stay. Jordan Davis singing just by the dirt when her sleeves are all rolled up and digging deep, don't hurt.
Speaker 3:If country was a town, not a lot gonna do to be found and we'd be okay to get in the truck and take the long way around. There'd be room here at the table For you to join us if you're able, and we'd be living in the middle of the moments I really count. Imagine where we'd be if country was a town. It's not just a place. It's a feeling. Maybe we'll get there if we believe it. If country was a town, not a lot gonna do to be found and we'd be okay to get in the truck and take the long way around. We'd all meet at the bar, at a favorite table, and friends will join us. If we're able Living in the middle of the moments I really count Imagine where we'd be. It all starts with you and me. Imagine where we'd be if country was a town. Imagine where we'd be if country was a town.
Speaker 1:Wow, wow. Now you're over there and I'm over here.
Speaker 2:Wow, so true so true, that's right. Yeah, so, and it's. It's not meant to be a negative song, it's just meant to be what happens if we get back to that.
Speaker 1:No, exactly right, I get it. I get it. So true, so true and so good I was. I just text my wife to you to see if my son Zach wanted to come down and say hello. You were talking about the fact before that Zach and I go on. We do a podcast called a second tack with dad. We never know, I never know which way it's gonna go, but it's always so much fun and, of course, if people watching or listening my son Zach is down syndrome and if you follow skip happens, you'll see the Zach attack with dead podcast and you know he's a big fan of Artist, he's a big fan of firefighters. He you know because I've done it, he's just. And his grant, we know I was in the family. It's just amazing. I don't know if my wife's gonna bring them down or not, but our last podcast we I don't know if you have pets. Did you say you had pets?
Speaker 2:We did. We had 13 year old as and you know what rusty looked exactly like your dog identical. We just lost our dog. Yeah, and I'm sorry to hear that, and I saw that you posted that and I'm very sad to hear that.
Speaker 1:I'm sorry. Yeah, it's a, you know, 14 and a half years. She was a yellow lab, but the reason I'm saying that is you know as well as I do the part of the family, so we kind of knew something was happening. It's the first time we've ever actually lost a dog at home, if that makes sense of that on a weekend. It's like now, what do you do? But we had her. You know she's now in with our other dogs and a little display in the family room.
Speaker 1:But Zach, he was so grown up on that last podcast talking about it and how he just handled it like such a man, so proud, just everything you know. Sometimes you wonder how people are gonna react and how they take it, but that's what I wanted to tell you and I guess you did see it on my Facebook that Zach was, or you saw Miley and then you know this is a can how well he handled it and supported his mom and everything. It was just his. Miley was, I mean, everybody's dog and we loved her. But my wife works from home and in the upstairs office Miley would sit there every day.
Speaker 1:Just sit with Nance every single day and now it's like it's so quiet, you know. But Zach, Zach kind of he knows that and he just does this thing so well that's so cool. It's hard to explain, but it's just.
Speaker 2:I know, and it's great to hear the resilience as well, because you know, you never know with your kids what's going to happen when something, something adverse like that, that actually right, right it's hard, it's cuz.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you and you know, and it's, it's still tough for us. It's been four years and we're kind of still not over. We won't. A lot of people will bounce back and say I'm gonna get another dog to kind of replace that. But for us it's like then it would just be a constant comparison. So we and we're a little more mobile now as well. But you know, sure, everything that I that would be happening, it's like you know, would I be comparing that dog to rusty, exactly like your dog.
Speaker 1:This is not. This is going to be 28 years. We've had a dog in this house for the last 28 years. We've always had a dog and we've always gone. We had one. As that one got old, we got another one. There was always that overlap which was, you know, kind of Nothing's ever easy, but it's still kind of there was always a dog, that family. We got one for Miley. We rescued a dog at Nike absolutely beautiful dog. Nike got cancer and passed away last year. So Now we didn't have somebody from Miley, you know, or else we would have Nike now and Miley. You know what I mean. It would be that overlap.
Speaker 1:But yeah it's just the first time in 28 years that we have not had a dog in the house and my wife and I have talked about it and it's like you know what. First of all, it's the middle of winter. It's kind of hard to Get out there and do something with the dog if the weather's crappy or whatever. Also, we have some traveling coming up, for example in Nashville for me and my wife's got business in New York City the same week. So you know it does. Somebody would have to come over and watch the dog and make sure you know and this and that. But now we don't have to worry about that and we we're not in any hurry to get another dog at this point just because of our age and we want to do, do a few things and, like you said, being mobile, you're gonna go out, you make travel.
Speaker 2:We go to the outer banks every year, you know we might just wait a little bit and you'll know in the time we've even talked about it. Now that you know we're not saying that we're not gonna get another dog that there will be the time that it's like you never know. It will know when that time is a guy. I guess it happens. Our household was always the same.
Speaker 1:We always had a dog always, always a member of the family. Rafferty, gerald, you're, you're so cool. I mean that in a good way. You, I just I totally respect what you do, who you are, the music is, you know, you definitely got something. Your wife is right. I mean not only right, I mean listen, listen to what you're doing, dude, you probably go. It's my voice, oh. But you know what, from somebody that I Listen to it, I go like bad and boozy, oh, this is for it Can awesome. And then I hear, drunk on you and the bluesy feel to that I said this is awesome and the song you just, you just performed that is, it's so true and, and that's the idea is to just, yeah, take, take life and and just Bring it to the foreground.
Speaker 2:You know, and, and let's talk about it, because you know Something like that. You know bad and boozy just one of those songs, it's like, you know, we all experienced bad and boozy. Yeah, whether we, you know, we don't do it anymore or we still do it now, we've all, we've all experienced it, but it's, you know, and and that's the whole thing about writing is, where does it take you? And I've got enough people in my camp now that they keep joining in. That, you know, solidifies that there, there's, there's something happening and there's more to come which is that a great to.
Speaker 1:You know Grassroots and I think I mentioned this before they are one of the, if not the best, when it comes to supporting their artists, getting their artist out there. They're well worth every single any they are.
Speaker 2:I can't say enough about what they do for me single time that I put a Single out. How hard they work and how and how good their reputation is is out there as well, so it's great to be able to have the opportunity to be with them.
Speaker 1:All right, can't wait to see a Nashville dude.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I'm looking forward to it skip.
Speaker 1:I don't know I did what. What? What? Do you drink anything? All right, no, should I. Should I like have a Canadian beer ready?
Speaker 2:No, no, no I don't want to look like a tourist, so it's.
Speaker 1:He's from Canada. Can you tell?
Speaker 2:look what he's drinking now whiskey, bourbons of the beers. You are the Budweiser, danny.
Speaker 1:I got covered, dude. I can't wait to buy you a drink. Yeah, I'm looking for the scene, that they have a lot of fun and have a really cool conversation, sit there and laugh and whatever that's right, and you know, and I'll just see what kind of strategy I can work out.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and I'm just, the big thing is to just take it all in, absolutely.
Speaker 1:We've been chatting with Rob Fitzgerald. Tonight. He's up in Canada. He does apologize for all the the messes he sent our way Earlier this year, but it's all you know. You must get sick of that.
Speaker 2:I will yeah we're always sorry.
Speaker 1:And one thing I didn't hear. I didn't hear any a's tonight. You know what?
Speaker 2:I think I have more of a you know, being able to talk internationally like this, to not to make a conscious effort. I think it's working, that I know. I don't think I mean.
Speaker 1:I would have never known unless you told me where you were from and I already knew that kind of. So that's cool. Hey, I've got. Bless you, my friend. I want you to stay safe in your job and think about retirement and Going into music full-time and you know, we'll be playing your songs on the radio forever. Yeah, it's so good. Wait a minute. What's he saying? Michael James? Michael is actually. He's commenting, he is my godson. He's also the chief of police. Wow, our communities. Do they even sell Canadian beer in Nashville? Yes, they do. Yeah, they do, do they? That's a good question I could.
Speaker 2:I think I've seen Canadian down there, most of kids I think I've seen.
Speaker 1:You're right, you might have seen Molson. Yes, I don't think you're gonna see a lab ad. I don't know, I could be wrong.
Speaker 2:Yeah, good question and we're gonna check into that.
Speaker 1:She called bar lines right now. If I had that number, I don't know. I think it's on the glasses that I stole from the bar, but don't tell anybody, you don't want to know that. Anyways, yeah, that's cool. No, that's a good question. Uh, rob, thanks for joining us here tonight. God bless you. My friend, I want you to stay safe account. This is gonna be so awesome. Be able to say hello to you, and that's one thing. We do the five podcast and With a lot of the independent artists and people like yourself, and then they do come to Nashville. They could they show up at CRS. It's so cool to say hello. It's just like, oh, you know what I mean. I mean, this is one thing. You see me on a screen, I'm looking at you on a screen, but to actually physically shake your hand and thank you for being you is pretty cool.
Speaker 2:I really appreciate that. I'm looking forward to meeting you and so many others that are gonna be there as well, but I really appreciate you taking the time to do this skip. It means an awful lot to me and it's always a great.
Speaker 1:And absolutely always here. Anytime you have something coming out, you tell Shannon to give me a call and say well, you know you want to get on, skip happen, so you just reach out to me. You can do that as well. If somebody wanted to get a hold of your music, I would imagine they can go to all socials, wherever they get their music.
Speaker 2:Yeah, so any of the streaming platforms you know Spotify, apple, amazon, these are you name it. From there on in it's just look for Rob Fitzgerald YouTube. You can find a lot of videos that I'm posting up there now, whether their shorts or full length. It just looks like Fitzgerald and all the socials. Rob Fitzgerald music awesome.
Speaker 1:Rob, you're awesome. Thanks for joining us tonight. Stay on the line there. Good night everybody. Thanks for watching skip happens in a good way. It's been a great night.
Speaker 2:Thanks.
Speaker 1:Awesome dude.