Inside the Fisher Experience
Just Plain Folks Mentor Ron Wasserman of the hot Major Label Band
"Fisher" gives us an inside glimpse from the eye of the storm. Ron
and Kathy Fisher won the 2000 Just Plain Folks Music Awards for best Pop Song
and Best Pop Album for their independent release "One." Now, they are
signed to Interscope/Farmclub and off to a roaring starts. As promised, they
are keeping us updated on what the experience is like from their point of view.
We last heard from Ron during last year's Christmas Eve interview in Just Plain
Notes V1.49. My how things change in a year!
Ron writes:
Onward.
When Fisher got the word that the new CD "True North" was coming out
in November, we were both excited and terrified. The last 3 months of the year
are almost exclusively 'reserved' for the huge artists as they try to grab the
holiday sales. The reason the label decided to move up our date from Feb. 2001
was because of the amazing reaction our ballad "I Will Love You" was
getting at radio. A station in San Diego had downloaded the mp3 file, played it
once and 48 hours it was the #1 requested song. Word of this caught on at other
stations and soon we were in the top 5 throughout the Midwest and a good chunk
of the East coast.
We spent most of Nov. and all of Dec. visiting radio stations around the
country. An average of 3 stations per morning. We'd arrive around 7am, find a
way to hook up the keyboard and go live on the air. First a little interview,
then play a few songs and then to the phones to chat with the callers. The
single "I Will Love You" that was getting all the attention is a very
slow piano vocal ballad so the type of calls that we'd get at stations was
everything from extreme happiness to extreme sadness. The song seemed to be
getting equal usage at wedding as it was at funerals. It was very strange to have
people open up their souls to us so quickly but they felt they knew us well. We
learned right away to adjust to this psychologically.
We also played several arena shows that radio stations would sponsor for
Christmas. We would always be really nervous because all the other acts were
either full bands and famous, or fully choreographed dance stuff... then there
was us. Just Kathy Fisher and me out there with one keyboard and her on one mic
doing two songs. To our amazement it seemed that at least half the audience
always knew our material and would sing along with Kathy. Talk about being
flattered. It was always an amazing experience.
We closed out 2001 with an appearance on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Dec.
27th. Let me explain how we were so lucky to get this coveted show within 6
weeks of releasing the record. (We've been told no other new artist has ever
gotten that slot so quickly.) We knew the importance of hiring people
specifically to work for the project especially the publicist so instead of
having a tour bus, tour manager, etc., we put that part of the budget into
Promoting the act. I'm glad to say this was one of the best decisions we ever
made. As I've always said you must treat your record label as a partnership and
not your savior. They can't ignore you if YOU make things happen.
So here we are at the beginning of 2001 barely 3 months into the adventure. All
we know for sure is that we'll be gone most of the year touring.
I'll keep you fellow Just Plain Folks updated on all the rest as it happens!
Ron Wasserman, Producer/Co-Writer
and member of the band FISHER
www.fishertheband.com
