The turning points in one’s life are often unexpected and full of trials and tribulations that can have a lasting impact on our journey through this wonderous thing called life.
For singer-songwriter Kurt Deimer, he remembers a recent turning point in his life that led to a collaboration with one of the world’s top guitarists and engineers that has helped him fulfill his life-long passion for music.
The turning point for me was getting the role in Halloween back in 2018," he said. "That really put something on my resume getting killed by Michael Myers. So many people were coming to take advantage of me after that, but it eventually led to me getting hooked up with Chris (Lord-Alge) so he could remix my demo. When Chris took me under his wing and I came together with Phil X, that the turning point, and we've been off and running ever since.
Deimer released the album “Work Hard, Rock Hard” back in November 2021, and album he worked on with Grammy-award winning engineer Chris Lord-Alge, who has worked with the likes of James Brown, The Rolling Stones, Prince and Rod Stewart, and was his first collaboration with guitarist Phil X, who is best known as Bon Jovi’s lead guitarist, and his side project The Drills.
Deimer's rich vocals gives new life to rock music and many have called Kurt "the future voice of hard rock."
Deimer and Phil X are on tour with Tesla to end the summer, and have a run of shows in Texas, including Dallas (Sept. 9), Houston (Sept. 10), Midland (Sept. 12), Lubbock (Sept. 13) and San Antonio (Sept. 15).
Phil X says he got a call last year from Chris asking him to work his guitar magic on a cover of the Pink Floyd classic “Have A Cigar” from a new singer he was working with. It didn’t take Phil long for him to realize there was something special in what he was hearing.
"Chris asked me to throw some guitars on 'Have A Cigar' and that was the beginning," Phil X said. "Kurt heard it and freaked out. Then Kurt sent me some lyrics and asked me to put some music to this. The process was painless. The songs came together quickly. He sent me something and I felt really connected to it and bang, we had a song. And from then on, we knew we had something special going on."
It was great hearing what Kurt does on this song," Phil said. "I mean we're doing a cover of 'Have A Cigar' but we're doing it our way. So many people ask me about covering David Gilmour or Richie Sambora on Bon Jovi, but I tell them I'm not covering Richie. I'm just delivering the emotion intended in the song, and that is harder than playing it technically accurate. My approach to 'Have A Cigar,' I'm not doing David Gilmour, but I know the intended emotion of that song and I'm going to put my stamp on it and tell my story and that's what happened. That's why the song came out so good.
This came at a perfect time for Phil, who was looking for something musically different than what he was doing with Bon Jovi and The Drills. An arena where he gets to sort of “lose control” on his guitar and work with limitless creativity.
"I've been looking for something like Kurt to come along that was a voice that was different than what I had been working on," Phil said. "Everybody tells me that you've got Bon Jovi and The Drills and now I'm working with Kurt, but they are all different. Each experience is different. With Kurt, I get to be Crazy Phil X on guitar. I'm unleashed."
The release of the EP led to Deimer opening for Geoff Tate of Queensrÿche on a tour across the country. Before the tour was to commence, Deimer's manager suggested a duet with the two singers. Deimer immediately knew which song would be perfect.
"'Burn Together' was a song I didn't I would put out when I first heard it," Deimer said. "I wrote it with my original writing partner, Ben Treschel, who helped me with the demo that got me out to Los Angeles. Then Chris Lord-Alge said we're going to make this into something special and put Phil X on it. But then my manager said we're going on tour with Geoff Tate and he suggested Geoff guest vocal on a song. I knew immediately that it should be 'Burn Together.' The song was perfect for Geoff and me to go back and forth with our voices. It came out really great."
Deimer released his new single and music video "Hero" on Friday, a song for the members of the military and our veterans.
I wrote ‘Hero’ to honor and thank all of the men and women who are frontline workers, who are first responders, who are in our military and our veterans,” explains Deimer. “Without them we could not live free, live safe, or be able to live peacefully in this world. I also wrote ‘Hero’ to point out that anyone can be a hero - your neighbor, the kids playing at the park, a co-worker. Everyday people. Someone gets hurt in a car crash, or is drowning, or needs help crossing the street No matter where we are, the situation may arise for you to step up and be a hero. That is the essence of this song. Look deep inside, help others whenever you can, and you too can be a hero. Don’t be selfish. Be kind. Be a hero.
When asked where he see's his musical journey taking him, Kurt says there is a whole lot of open territory out on the road and potential fans in every city that he can't wait to perform for.
"Every city we play in we're getting new fans," Kurt said. "Phil and I finished the EP and the next day, we were writing new songs, so this collaboration is something special. We both love to write so we're going to keep this partnership going. We both know this chemistry is something you don't find every day. The sky's the limit. You've only got one life."
The Yngwie Malmsteen will bring Kurt Deimer to Dallas on May 27 at the Granada Theater.
TESLA/KURT DEIMER TOUR DATES
Fri, SEP 09 House of Blues Dallas Dallas, TX
Sat, SEP 10 House of Blues Houston Houston, TX
Mon, SEP 12 Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center Midland, TX
Tue, SEP 13 Lubbock Memorial Civic Center Lubbock, TX
Thu, SEP 15 Aztec Theatre San Antonio, TX
Sun, SEP 18 House of Blues New Orleans New Orleans, LA