Kurt Deimer talks about his new rock album ‘A Grog is Born’

Kurt Deimer. Photo Courtesy of Kurt Deimer.

Rock singer and actor Kurt Deimer chatted about his new album “A Grog is Born,” which will be out on May 8th via Bald Man Records.

How did you approach the song selection process for the new album?

The new album is a total departure from And So It Begins…. Chris Lord-Alge and I, we had saved a bunch of other tunes that I’ve been working on that we knew were just really kick-ass tunes, but we needed to rework them and redo them now that my vocals have improved and I’ve got my vocal cord strength, thanks to my training with Chris and a vocal coach.

I’ve added other octaves to my repertoire, and we just knew we had these killer tunes, but they needed to be sung and that’s how we picked the list of songs that are on here. “Scared To Death” is the song written for the movie Scared to Death, that’s out May 5th on VOD.

“In Deep,” my collab with Josh Todd from Buckcherry, that’s been on the Top 40 Active Rock Mediabase chart for 5 months. That run just ended, and it’s a killer tune.

“Silent Lucidity” featuring Geoff Tate brings awareness to suicide across the world. These are songs that we’ve been banking for a long time that we knew needed to be introduced to the world on my sophomore album. And that is why we saved them, and that’s how we came up with the songs that you’re gonna hear on A Grog Is Born.

What is your personal favorite song on there?

On A Grog is Born, if I just wanna jam and have fun and chill, God, I love every song on there. This is very hard. I think one that’s going to take everybody by surprise, and is a tripped-out song, is “Pringles,” which I wrote 4/28/2020. It’s crazy, but here it is. “Pringles.”

What inspires your music and songwriting?

People inspire my music and songwriting. I care about humanity. I care about spreading peace, love, and kindness. Mean people don’t bother me.

I mean, there’s just meanness everywhere, but I want other people, especially our fans, to know that there’s also nice people in the world that actually care about other people and don’t want to belittle other people. And that inspires a lot of my lyrics.

It inspires a lot of why I do what I do. It’s because I care about humanity. I care about people using common sense and just being kind to one another. And that’s why I do what I do.

How does it feel to be an artist in the digital age? (now with streaming, technology and social media being so prevalent)

Well, it’s hard to be an artist in the digital age because you can’t make any money streaming. You’ve gotta make it all on your shows, your merch, your message, your ancillary items. You’ve gotta work hard.

You’ve gotta go on the road. You’ve gotta take your lumps and you just need to bring it every night no matter how your day goes because the fans who come out to see you deserve to see a kick-ass rock show.

In the digital age, it just puts way more emphasis on the live experience, your interaction with your fans, and spreading the word in a positive way.

What do your plans for the future include?

Well, Scared To Death, my movie starring myself as The Grog, Lin Shaye, and Bill Moseley, is out on demand May 5^th streaming on all platforms, so go check that out. Then, A Grog Is Born, my sophomore album, drops on May 8th, which I’m so excited about.

It’s one you can just put on and play every song all the way through. You’re gonna see a whole new Kurt Deimer, a whole new style, and the evolution of where we are as a band now and where I am as an artist now. We’re gonna be touring.

My other feature film, Hellbilly Hollow, that I star in with Kevin Wayne as a horror duo, Bull and Tickles, will be coming out in select theaters this fall and all over the world on VOD and streaming.

I’ve also got two other movies. I play The Rancher in Pandemic Sex Party, which is a movie produced by Andy Gould, who did House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects. I play the next killer like Michael Myers and Jason called The Rancher.

Really stoked about that. And I have another movie, a drama, bringing awareness to fentanyl addiction called Relapse, where I play the father of the up-and-coming pop star girl that relapses.

We just really want to bring awareness to that problem. We’ve lost too many people in our families and in our lives to fentanyl. So that’s all coming out, and I’m shooting another movie this summer called The Prostitute, which is a trip.

I just can’t wait to go out and see all of our fans and take pictures and sign stuff and just share peace and love with everybody. That’s what I’m doing every day.

What is your advice for young and emerging artists?

If you’re a young and emerging artist, just realize you can have all the talent in the world, but without hard work, it will never amount to anything. You have to be able to work hard. You have to realize that people are going to be coming after you. You’re going to have to watch your back.

Don’t be naive and just focus. Never give up and go for it. Otherwise, you will never make it. It’s a dog-eat-dog world. And you have to believe in your craft, in your art, and then you have to be able to overcome all the negativity and obstacles that will try to prevent you from achieving your goals.

Were there any moments in your career that have helped define you?

Not necessarily in my career, but you know, I grew up in a family of four. My mom and my dad were great parents. My sister, she passed away at 45, a young age.

They inspired me through their appreciation for art, theater, singing, their dedication to their faith, and to their just being good people and taking the high road in life and not listening to all the noise. So that’s what shaped me.

Once I overcame my panic and anxiety when I was younger, they taught me how to succeed, how to fight, how to take the high road. The more you give, the more you get in life, and just be kind to other people. The rest will fall into place. And that’s what’s shaped me as a man, as an artist, as an entrepreneur, as a business owner.

I just try to do what’s right every day and do good by others. Those that want to be part of what I’m doing or part of my team, they work hard and you take care of them and their families as well and give all you can to others in need.

What does the word success mean to you? (My favorite question)

The word success to me means that when I leave a room or I’m not around other people, that they say Kurt Deimer is a really good guy. He’s got a big heart. Never really met anybody like him. He might be quiet and to himself when getting ready to play shows or do movies, but when I leave a room, people say he’s a good guy and that there’s very few like him. It’s not about money.

It’s not about anything other than leaving an impression on other fellow human beings that I’m somebody you can count on as your friend, as someone you like as an artist, as someone who actually really cares about you and your family.

That’s success to me. And if the more people that feel that way about me, then I know I’m doing things right.

What would you like to tell our readers about your new album? (What’s the one thing you want them to get out of it)

On A Grog Is Born, you’re going to see my growth as an artist, as a vocalist, as a writer, top to bottom, especially if you listen to And So It Begins… and then listen to A Grog Is Born. The new album, I think, is going to have an impact on your life.

It’s going to bring messages that make you think, and it’s just a great rock album the way I do rock, not the way other people do rock. I kind of just do it the way I do it, you know. I have my own style. If you like it, great. If you don’t, that’s cool.

Let’s just all embrace it if you like it and be kind to each other and if you don’t like it, don’t listen to it. I know that it will have an impact on many lives, and if that number is one person all over the world then I’ve done my job and people are appreciating my art and the way I do it.

They either like my vibe, or they don’t, and that’s cool too. But I think you’re gonna love it, and it’s definitely on its way to taking Kurt Deimer all over the world to play for all of you. I think that’s what you’re gonna take away from it.

You’re gonna go, “Man, this guy’s really growing as an artist and now bringing us even into different frontiers.”

“A Grog is Born” is available for pre-order on digital service providers by clicking here.

To learn more about Kurt Deimer and his music, follow him on Instagram and check out his Linktree page.