Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Of songwriting and mountain biking

Keith Anderson talks to the News-Bulletin about life on the road

Jackie Schlotfeldt News-Bulletin Staff Writer; jschlotfeldt@news-bulletin.com

Albuquerque With the No. 1 video, "Every Time I Hear Your Name," and several country singles in the Top 10 list, Keith Anderson is quickly making his way up the charts, entertaining audiences all over the United States.

On Thursday, Sept. 21, Anderson will be performing at the New Mexico State Fair in Albuquerque.

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"It's been an amazing run," Anderson said.

Among Anderson's hits are "XXL," "Every Time I Hear Your Name" and "Pickin' Wildflowers," to name a few.

As an Oklahoma native, Anderson grew up like any typical teen — playing sports and hanging out with his friends and family. Although Anderson didn't start out in the music business, he witnessed the effect music had on girls in the audience when his brother sang "Longer" by Dan Fogelberg, at a high school talent show.

"All these girls were going nuts, and he wasn't the athlete," Anderson says in his biography. "That's when I got my first taste of how cool music was."

While he learned how to play drums and backed up his brother at their church in Oklahoma, Anderson went on to excel in academics after his senior year. He earned a degree in engineering from Oklahoma State and also played sports for his college team. The Kansas City Royals approached him, but a shoulder injury ended his thoughts of a baseball career.

Through it all, Anderson kept coming back to music, and although he was accepted into the physical therapy program at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Anderson decided to put that on hold.

"The month before I started, I thought, 'wait a minute,'" Anderson said in his biography. "This is going to be a whole bunch of commitment. If I'm ever going to do music, I need to go for it 100 percent now. Physical therapy will always be there, and my engineering degree will always be there."

While Anderson strove to make it in the music business, he competed in body building competitions and did some modeling for Dr. Pepper and JC Penney's, trying to make a buck while pursuing his music dream.

"There was a lot of lean years, but I have no regrets," he said.

In 2000, Anderson put together a band, and, in 2002, they won the Jim Beam Country Band Search, which gave him the opportunity to open for country musicians Montgomery Gentry, as well as other endorsements. This led to a contract with Artista.

As a successful songwriter and singer, Anderson wrote a duet, "Beer Run," performed by Garth Brooks and George Jones, as well as "The Bed," performed by Gretchen Wilson and Big and Rich.

"You dream of it, and it's pretty overwhelming when it does break wide open," Anderson said.

Last year, Anderson and his band spent the whole year touring, with the exception of a week off at Christmas, and although it's been tough on the road, he said he couldn't complain.

"The hardest part is keeping your sanity on a little bus with 11 guys," Anderson said laughingly in an interview with the News-Bulletin. "It's a lot of down time for just being able to perform a two-hour show."

While Anderson's music has changed some from that first CD with six songs he cut in 1996, he said you often write more bad songs than good ones.

"In the beginning, I hadn't really found my niche," Anderson said. "Now it's more experienced song writing, and it's more of a flow of thoughts than being trapped by the process of rhyming. The more you do it, the better you get at it."

Anderson's family has been a wonderful support system for him, and they keep him grounded. "They're my best friends," he said. "We talk all the time and my family is so solid."

Several people were key in Anderson's rise up the charts, including songwriters George Ducas, John Rich and Jeffrey Steele. "Being well connected and having them believe in what you're doing makes people stop and take a look at you," Anderson said. "They helped teach me the craft of songwriting. It's always more effective to write about something you've lived through."

Anderson is looking forward to performing in Albuquerque, and doing some mountain biking while he's here. "It's always fun to go to new cities and perform," Anderson said. "It's all about learning about performing, and it's so satisfying. The performance is a physical and emotional thing. It's like an athletic event."

And if it all ended tomorrow, Anderson said he would still stay in the music business. "That's what I will always do."

Anderson will perform at the New Mexico State Fair in Albuquerque on Thursday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. For more information about Keith Anderson tickets, visit www.exponm.com.

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