WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.660 Welcome to the Deep Dive. Glad to be here. Today 00:00:02.660 --> 00:00:06.280 we've got, well, a really unique kind of career 00:00:06.280 --> 00:00:08.859 map spread out in front of us. Our sources trace 00:00:08.859 --> 00:00:12.839 the, I mean, incredible and often really surprising 00:00:12.839 --> 00:00:15.359 trajectory of Canadian singer -songwriter Jeremy 00:00:15.359 --> 00:00:17.460 Fisher. It really is. This is a story about an 00:00:17.460 --> 00:00:21.620 artist who, you know, basically wrote the template 00:00:21.620 --> 00:00:24.739 for modern indie folk pop early on just through 00:00:24.739 --> 00:00:27.489 sheer grit. Yeah, and then he sort of... Bounces 00:00:27.489 --> 00:00:29.789 off the major label system. Bounces right off 00:00:29.789 --> 00:00:32.109 it. All right. And then takes this magnificent 00:00:32.109 --> 00:00:35.329 and, I mean, really successful left turn into 00:00:35.329 --> 00:00:37.950 becoming a Juno -nominated children's television 00:00:37.950 --> 00:00:40.609 creator. It's just, it's a wild ride. And our 00:00:40.609 --> 00:00:43.329 mission today is to really unpack that, to look 00:00:43.329 --> 00:00:45.310 at the sources and see how he did it. It's a 00:00:45.310 --> 00:00:47.210 master class, really, in creative entrepreneurship 00:00:47.210 --> 00:00:50.829 and adaptation. Our source material is just so 00:00:50.829 --> 00:00:53.649 rich with examples of an artist who is constantly 00:00:53.649 --> 00:00:56.869 defining and redefining his brand. Right. We 00:00:56.869 --> 00:00:58.609 start with his profoundly independent mindset. 00:00:58.710 --> 00:01:01.469 You know, a guy whose debut album tour literally 00:01:01.469 --> 00:01:03.829 rejected the very idea of a tour bus. We're definitely 00:01:03.829 --> 00:01:06.829 getting to that. And we follow him as he translates 00:01:06.829 --> 00:01:09.930 that core foundation of folk storytelling across, 00:01:10.170 --> 00:01:13.349 I mean, wildly different media. From acoustic 00:01:13.349 --> 00:01:15.870 coffee houses all the way to high production 00:01:15.870 --> 00:01:18.870 animated TV shows for kids. That initial promotional 00:01:18.870 --> 00:01:20.930 gambit, the one that really got him on the map. 00:01:21.540 --> 00:01:23.799 That's the absolute hook for me. Oh, the bike 00:01:23.799 --> 00:01:26.159 ride. The continental bike ride, exactly. And 00:01:26.159 --> 00:01:28.159 we are going to dive deep into that. But first, 00:01:28.340 --> 00:01:31.659 let's establish the foundation. We are talking 00:01:31.659 --> 00:01:34.840 about Jeremy Fisher, who was born Jeremy Binns 00:01:34.840 --> 00:01:39.540 in Hamilton, Ontario, back in 1976. And that 00:01:39.540 --> 00:01:42.079 background, it gives us some immediate geographical 00:01:42.079 --> 00:01:44.799 and musical clues, doesn't it? It does. I mean, 00:01:44.819 --> 00:01:47.099 while he was born in Hamilton, he has these really 00:01:47.099 --> 00:01:50.120 deep ties to the East Coast. His mother is from 00:01:50.120 --> 00:01:52.780 Newfoundland. Ah, okay. And that Eastern Canadian 00:01:52.780 --> 00:01:54.859 heritage, that's incredibly important in the 00:01:54.859 --> 00:01:57.959 folk tradition. It's often tied to maritime stories, 00:01:58.159 --> 00:02:00.519 resilience, and a certain kind of travel narrative. 00:02:00.760 --> 00:02:02.400 Which feels like it's setting the stage for everything 00:02:02.400 --> 00:02:04.760 that comes next. Pretty much. And when you listen 00:02:04.760 --> 00:02:07.840 to his core sound, those influences are. They're 00:02:07.840 --> 00:02:10.120 right there on the surface. Heavy on the folk 00:02:10.120 --> 00:02:12.460 and blues. Totally. We're talking acoustic guitar, 00:02:12.819 --> 00:02:15.840 slide guitar, and the harmonica. Instruments 00:02:15.840 --> 00:02:18.960 that feel inherently road tested. Yeah, things 00:02:18.960 --> 00:02:21.500 you can carry in a backpack. Exactly. It fits 00:02:21.500 --> 00:02:23.580 perfectly with the whole vagabond lifestyle he 00:02:23.580 --> 00:02:26.639 later embodied. But, you know, what often gets 00:02:26.639 --> 00:02:29.000 overlooked is that he wasn't just some self -taught 00:02:29.000 --> 00:02:31.580 busker strumming a few chords. No, he had some 00:02:31.580 --> 00:02:33.900 serious training. A strong formal background. 00:02:34.300 --> 00:02:36.400 He was a member of the Hamilton All -Star Jazz 00:02:36.400 --> 00:02:39.250 Band. which is a pretty prestigious thing. Right. 00:02:39.349 --> 00:02:41.870 And this was during his time at Westdale Secondary 00:02:41.870 --> 00:02:44.569 School. He graduated in 95. And that's a really 00:02:44.569 --> 00:02:47.569 critical detail, I think. Why so critical? Well, 00:02:47.610 --> 00:02:49.629 being in an all -star jazz band, that implies 00:02:49.629 --> 00:02:52.270 a level of discipline, a deep understanding of 00:02:52.270 --> 00:02:54.909 complex arrangements, and a technical proficiency 00:02:54.909 --> 00:02:58.710 that goes way beyond just basic folk strumming. 00:02:58.789 --> 00:03:01.110 So he had the chops. He had the chops. Yeah. 00:03:01.229 --> 00:03:04.229 It suggests he had this underlying musical architecture 00:03:04.229 --> 00:03:06.909 that could make his later... seemingly simple 00:03:06.909 --> 00:03:09.629 folk pop melodies, incredibly sophisticated. 00:03:10.009 --> 00:03:12.389 It's the bedrock then for everything that comes 00:03:12.389 --> 00:03:15.330 after. It is. And we also see him developing 00:03:15.330 --> 00:03:18.169 his performance identity long before he was Jeremy 00:03:18.169 --> 00:03:21.030 Fisher. He was initially performing as Jeremy 00:03:21.030 --> 00:03:23.590 Binns. With a band called The Obvious. That's 00:03:23.590 --> 00:03:25.930 the one. They put out a self -titled CD way back 00:03:25.930 --> 00:03:28.629 in 1999. And what I find so fascinating here 00:03:28.629 --> 00:03:31.389 is the early repertoire. The sources point out 00:03:31.389 --> 00:03:34.550 that some songs that became hits or, you know, 00:03:34.569 --> 00:03:37.289 fan favorites later on. Like lemon meringue pie. 00:03:37.449 --> 00:03:40.270 Lemon meringue pie. Exactly. And Kiss the Moon. 00:03:40.409 --> 00:03:43.569 They were already being performed and recorded 00:03:43.569 --> 00:03:46.270 way back in those early days with the obvious. 00:03:46.590 --> 00:03:49.810 It highlights a remarkable consistency in his 00:03:49.810 --> 00:03:51.849 creative vision, doesn't it? It really does. 00:03:51.969 --> 00:03:54.150 He wasn't just like churning out commercial material 00:03:54.150 --> 00:03:56.590 to see what stuck. He was testing these songs, 00:03:56.710 --> 00:03:59.310 refining them, living with them for years. It 00:03:59.310 --> 00:04:02.189 speaks to a very methodical approach to his craft. 00:04:02.409 --> 00:04:04.610 And all of this is happening while he's constantly 00:04:04.610 --> 00:04:06.990 moving. Right. Reflecting that continuous movement 00:04:06.990 --> 00:04:09.349 that's so central to his early work. He lived 00:04:09.349 --> 00:04:11.370 all over the place. Vancouver Island, Montreal, 00:04:11.729 --> 00:04:14.069 Seattle. And he's currently based out of Ottawa. 00:04:14.509 --> 00:04:17.290 But that constant change of scenery, that's the 00:04:17.290 --> 00:04:19.779 fuel for what... critics would later call his 00:04:19.779 --> 00:04:23.420 carawasian rootlessness perfect phrase and absolutely 00:04:23.420 --> 00:04:25.939 sets the stage for the defining moment of his 00:04:25.939 --> 00:04:29.160 debut so let's unpack that first major chapter 00:04:29.160 --> 00:04:31.779 the launch that really cemented his legend let's 00:04:31.779 --> 00:04:35.220 do it so we arrive in 2001 fisher releases his 00:04:35.220 --> 00:04:38.019 independent debut album back porch spirituals 00:04:38.019 --> 00:04:40.860 and the key word there is independent he produced 00:04:40.860 --> 00:04:44.149 this thing himself Emphasizing that raw, you 00:04:44.149 --> 00:04:46.069 know, self -sufficient spirit right from the 00:04:46.069 --> 00:04:48.730 jump. The title alone gives you the genre immediately. 00:04:48.970 --> 00:04:52.029 It feels warm, road -weary, highly personal. 00:04:52.329 --> 00:04:55.470 Acoustic folk pop. And this album... It's really 00:04:55.470 --> 00:04:58.149 a snapshot of that early pure folk identity. 00:04:58.269 --> 00:05:00.189 If you just look at the track list, every single 00:05:00.189 --> 00:05:03.129 title reinforces these themes of travel, spirituality, 00:05:03.629 --> 00:05:05.689 the open road. Give us some examples. Well, you've 00:05:05.689 --> 00:05:07.490 got songs like The Devil Found a Friend in Me, 00:05:07.589 --> 00:05:09.949 which evokes these classic blues morality tales. 00:05:10.050 --> 00:05:12.370 And then there's Ain't Got Nothing But Plenty 00:05:12.370 --> 00:05:15.649 of Time, which is just the perfect summary of 00:05:15.649 --> 00:05:17.829 the lifestyle of a vagabond musician. And then 00:05:17.829 --> 00:05:20.769 you have the really specific geographic and historical 00:05:20.769 --> 00:05:24.160 nods. We have a song called Marengo, Saskatchewan. 00:05:24.279 --> 00:05:26.720 Right. And song for Robert Zimmerman. And those 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:29.360 two titles for me are perfect examples of the 00:05:29.360 --> 00:05:31.639 little deep dive nuggets that defined his early 00:05:31.639 --> 00:05:35.160 genius. How so? Well, Marengo, Saskatchewan. 00:05:35.660 --> 00:05:38.339 It's not a famous destination. It's not Toronto 00:05:38.339 --> 00:05:41.860 or Vancouver. It's this tiny, almost arbitrary 00:05:41.860 --> 00:05:45.189 stop on a very long journey. So it proves that 00:05:45.189 --> 00:05:47.970 the experience of the road itself, that specific 00:05:47.970 --> 00:05:51.230 fleeting moment in a small town, that's the real 00:05:51.230 --> 00:05:53.550 subject of the music. Precisely. And Song for 00:05:53.550 --> 00:05:55.769 Robert Zimmerman is, of course, a direct tribute 00:05:55.769 --> 00:05:58.189 to Bob Dylan. He's aligning himself with the 00:05:58.189 --> 00:06:00.790 ultimate figure of American folk music and protest. 00:06:00.889 --> 00:06:03.069 He's explicitly placing himself in that lineage, 00:06:03.329 --> 00:06:05.810 the lineage of traveling troubadours who reject 00:06:05.810 --> 00:06:08.990 the established path. But the music, as excellent 00:06:08.990 --> 00:06:14.180 and authentic as it was. It almost became secondary 00:06:14.180 --> 00:06:16.139 to the promotional strategy. The one less tour 00:06:16.139 --> 00:06:18.439 bus campaign. That's it. We really need to spend 00:06:18.439 --> 00:06:20.759 some time detailing the sheer logistical insanity 00:06:20.759 --> 00:06:23.240 of what he did here. It was an act of profound 00:06:23.240 --> 00:06:27.259 commitment and also marketing brilliance. Fisher 00:06:27.259 --> 00:06:30.779 spent six full months touring to support back 00:06:30.779 --> 00:06:33.879 porch spirituals. Six months and the logistics. 00:06:33.939 --> 00:06:39.220 He bicycled alone. For 7 ,500 kilometers. Just 00:06:39.220 --> 00:06:42.600 let that number sink in. 7 ,500 kilometers, that's 00:06:42.600 --> 00:06:44.939 what? Roughly the distance from New York to London. 00:06:45.079 --> 00:06:47.300 Something like that, yeah. But done on two wheels, 00:06:47.439 --> 00:06:50.319 carrying your gear, your instrument, your merchandise. 00:06:50.759 --> 00:06:53.000 He started in Seattle, rode across the entire 00:06:53.000 --> 00:06:56.379 country of Canada, and ended up in Halifax, Nova 00:06:56.379 --> 00:06:58.639 Scotia. And this wasn't just a scenic bike ride. 00:06:58.699 --> 00:07:01.600 This was a tour. He performed 30 shows along 00:07:01.600 --> 00:07:04.709 that road. It just forces you to completely reevaluate 00:07:04.709 --> 00:07:06.790 where the music is coming from, doesn't it? Totally. 00:07:06.870 --> 00:07:10.009 When he sings a road song after that, he hasn't 00:07:10.009 --> 00:07:12.529 just driven that road. He has felt every single 00:07:12.529 --> 00:07:15.170 kilometer in his legs. It fundamentally establishes 00:07:15.170 --> 00:07:18.269 authenticity in a way that no corporate marketing 00:07:18.269 --> 00:07:20.250 campaign ever could. This wasn't just promotion. 00:07:20.589 --> 00:07:23.089 No, it was a commitment to the folk ethos of 00:07:23.089 --> 00:07:25.629 self -sufficiency. It was the living embodiment 00:07:25.629 --> 00:07:28.629 of his music. And critically, it had a purpose 00:07:28.629 --> 00:07:30.970 that went beyond just selling records. It was 00:07:30.970 --> 00:07:33.949 tied to a larger cause. Absolutely. The one less 00:07:33.949 --> 00:07:36.329 tour bus name? That wasn't just a clever tag. 00:07:36.589 --> 00:07:39.209 It was part of a conscious effort. So this goes 00:07:39.209 --> 00:07:42.689 beyond just being quirky or indie? Way beyond. 00:07:42.769 --> 00:07:45.410 It was explicitly an environmental and social 00:07:45.410 --> 00:07:48.050 statement. The tour raised funds for a program 00:07:48.050 --> 00:07:50.389 called Tour Day, which collaborated with the 00:07:50.389 --> 00:07:51.970 Institute for Transportation and Development 00:07:51.970 --> 00:07:55.189 Policy, the ITDP. And their mandate was what? 00:07:55.600 --> 00:07:57.959 The mandate was crucial. It was about promoting 00:07:57.959 --> 00:08:01.040 access to bicycle transport and supporting education 00:08:01.040 --> 00:08:04.569 for girls in Africa. So the statement is multilayered. 00:08:04.610 --> 00:08:07.189 You've got anti -consumerism, environmental awareness 00:08:07.189 --> 00:08:10.269 and global charity all wrapped up in one promotional 00:08:10.269 --> 00:08:12.970 tour. It's a high impact, anti -establishment 00:08:12.970 --> 00:08:14.990 stance against the traditional music machine, 00:08:15.129 --> 00:08:17.709 which at that time in the early 2000s still relied 00:08:17.709 --> 00:08:20.029 so heavily on massive budgets and fossil fuels 00:08:20.029 --> 00:08:22.550 to move acts around. It was a radical approach 00:08:22.550 --> 00:08:24.790 and it was a clear signal to listeners. It said, 00:08:24.850 --> 00:08:27.350 you know, my art is inherently tied to a rejection 00:08:27.350 --> 00:08:30.009 of excess. It's an intellectual choice that defined 00:08:30.009 --> 00:08:32.990 his brand immediately. It forced critics and 00:08:32.990 --> 00:08:35.570 listeners to connect the life to the art. There 00:08:35.570 --> 00:08:37.769 was no separating them. And the critics absolutely 00:08:37.769 --> 00:08:39.909 made that connection. Which brings us to that 00:08:39.909 --> 00:08:43.019 famous review. From the Times Colonist. Right. 00:08:43.120 --> 00:08:45.700 Which stated that the tracks seem to have seamlessly 00:08:45.700 --> 00:08:48.039 grown out of Fisher's caroation rootlessness 00:08:48.039 --> 00:08:50.639 and contagious energy. And we have to unpack 00:08:50.639 --> 00:08:53.879 caroation rootlessness. It's such a powerful 00:08:53.879 --> 00:08:57.159 literary device to use for a musician. So what 00:08:57.159 --> 00:08:59.379 does it really mean? Well, Jack Kerouac's philosophy, 00:08:59.519 --> 00:09:03.120 especially in On the Road, it champions this 00:09:03.120 --> 00:09:06.340 idea of perpetual mobility, but not as tourism. 00:09:06.830 --> 00:09:09.190 It's a spiritual quest. A search for truth and 00:09:09.190 --> 00:09:11.730 experience outside of, you know, stable conventional 00:09:11.730 --> 00:09:14.429 life. Exactly. So for a critic to apply that 00:09:14.429 --> 00:09:16.529 term to Fisher, they weren't just complimenting 00:09:16.529 --> 00:09:18.370 the travel narrative in his songs. They were 00:09:18.370 --> 00:09:21.509 saying the music itself embodies that beat generation 00:09:21.509 --> 00:09:24.669 energy, that it's raw, it's spontaneous, and 00:09:24.669 --> 00:09:27.129 it's spiritually questing. It also implies a 00:09:27.129 --> 00:09:29.889 certain lack of excessive polish, doesn't it? 00:09:29.950 --> 00:09:31.850 I mean, if you've been biking 7 ,500 kilometers, 00:09:32.169 --> 00:09:34.250 you probably don't have the time or the energy 00:09:34.250 --> 00:09:37.669 for, like, Three weeks of studio overdue. You're 00:09:37.669 --> 00:09:39.830 performing with the stripped down efficiency 00:09:39.830 --> 00:09:42.370 that Survival on the Road demands. Right. That 00:09:42.370 --> 00:09:45.070 physical effort, it must have translated directly 00:09:45.070 --> 00:09:47.850 into his production style for Back Porch Spirituals. 00:09:47.850 --> 00:09:52.269 The album sound is likely very leaned, very honest, 00:09:52.409 --> 00:09:55.169 focused entirely on the song structure and his 00:09:55.169 --> 00:09:57.190 vocal performance. So the physical limitations 00:09:57.190 --> 00:10:00.129 of the tour actually enforced a kind of minimalist 00:10:00.129 --> 00:10:03.049 artistic aesthetic. I think so. An aesthetic 00:10:03.049 --> 00:10:05.889 that listeners recognized as authentic. That's 00:10:05.889 --> 00:10:08.029 the real power of the bike tour. It wasn't just 00:10:08.029 --> 00:10:10.509 a publicity stunt. It was a creative constraint 00:10:10.509 --> 00:10:13.950 that yielded a distinct, authentic sound. So 00:10:13.950 --> 00:10:16.929 now he achieves this huge grassroots authenticity. 00:10:17.289 --> 00:10:20.149 He generates immense buzz. And naturally, the 00:10:20.149 --> 00:10:21.929 mainstream takes notice. The mainstream takes 00:10:21.929 --> 00:10:24.129 notice, which is the next big transition. So 00:10:24.129 --> 00:10:27.210 we move forward three years to 2004. And Jeremy 00:10:27.210 --> 00:10:29.830 Fisher releases his second album, Let It Shine. 00:10:30.110 --> 00:10:32.710 This is the moment where the independent troubadour 00:10:32.710 --> 00:10:36.470 steps onto the tightrope of the big -time music 00:10:36.470 --> 00:10:39.110 industry. A very precarious tightrope. Because 00:10:39.110 --> 00:10:42.409 this was his first, and crucially, our sources 00:10:42.409 --> 00:10:45.549 say, his only album released by a major label. 00:10:45.690 --> 00:10:47.750 Sony Music Canada. And the fact that it was his 00:10:47.750 --> 00:10:50.850 only major label release tells us a lot. It tells 00:10:50.850 --> 00:10:53.149 us the relationship was probably brief and... 00:10:54.109 --> 00:10:56.710 Likely pretty complex. So Sony saw the narrative. 00:10:56.789 --> 00:10:59.330 They saw the bike tour, the caroation energy. 00:10:59.590 --> 00:11:01.490 They saw the brand. And they figured they could 00:11:01.490 --> 00:11:04.429 polish that raw material into a commercial goldmine. 00:11:04.450 --> 00:11:06.610 Exactly. They wanted the brand he built for himself 00:11:06.610 --> 00:11:09.049 independently, but they needed to make it, you 00:11:09.049 --> 00:11:11.649 know, radio ready. And for a while, that gamble 00:11:11.649 --> 00:11:14.590 really paid off commercially in a big way. It 00:11:14.590 --> 00:11:16.529 did. The commercial engine of that album was 00:11:16.529 --> 00:11:19.049 the second single. High School. A track that 00:11:19.049 --> 00:11:21.450 became absolutely ubiquitous. It got wide airplay 00:11:21.450 --> 00:11:23.750 on Canadian commercial radio, on music television, 00:11:23.889 --> 00:11:27.129 all through early 2005. High School is the perfect 00:11:27.129 --> 00:11:29.529 example of that calculated mainstream transition. 00:11:29.990 --> 00:11:32.909 It kept his observational humor, his personality, 00:11:33.250 --> 00:11:36.029 but it wrapped it in this undeniably catchy, 00:11:36.350 --> 00:11:39.309 super accessible pop hook. It was designed to 00:11:39.309 --> 00:11:41.610 bridge that gap. And he also maintained a connection 00:11:41.610 --> 00:11:44.690 to his history by including Lemon Meringue Pie. 00:11:45.360 --> 00:11:47.620 a song he'd been performing since his days with 00:11:47.620 --> 00:11:50.379 The Obvious. So it was a nod to his origins while 00:11:50.379 --> 00:11:53.360 he was pushing forward. A smart move. And the 00:11:53.360 --> 00:11:56.399 resulting exposure just catapulted him into a 00:11:56.399 --> 00:11:59.500 totally different league. He toured Canada, supporting 00:11:59.500 --> 00:12:02.200 established artists like Sarah Sleen in 2005. 00:12:02.659 --> 00:12:03.919 And then there's the international recognition. 00:12:04.379 --> 00:12:06.539 Right. He was a featured performer at the Canada 00:12:06.539 --> 00:12:09.740 Performing Arts Program at Expo 2005 in Iichi 00:12:09.740 --> 00:12:12.620 Prefecture, Japan. The scale of his operation 00:12:12.620 --> 00:12:15.830 had changed completely. From 30 little bike stop 00:12:15.830 --> 00:12:18.250 gigs to representing his entire country on an 00:12:18.250 --> 00:12:20.549 international stage. The Sony machine worked. 00:12:20.710 --> 00:12:23.590 It elevated his profile rapidly. He was suddenly 00:12:23.590 --> 00:12:26.309 touring with Xavier Rudd, opening for major Canadian 00:12:26.309 --> 00:12:28.990 acts. It's the definition of career acceleration. 00:12:29.389 --> 00:12:31.970 It came at a significant creative cost, which 00:12:31.970 --> 00:12:34.370 the critical reception soon revealed. Oh, yeah. 00:12:34.429 --> 00:12:37.889 And this is that aha. Moment of contradiction 00:12:37.889 --> 00:12:40.610 that we so often see when an independent artist 00:12:40.610 --> 00:12:43.830 tries to translate that raw authenticity into 00:12:43.830 --> 00:12:46.210 commercial polish. The reviews were split right 00:12:46.210 --> 00:12:48.690 down the middle. I mean, a deep identity crisis 00:12:48.690 --> 00:12:51.090 around this album. So on one hand, you have the 00:12:51.090 --> 00:12:53.389 mainstream positive feedback, which confirmed 00:12:53.389 --> 00:12:55.789 the commercial success. Right. The Calgary Herald 00:12:55.789 --> 00:12:57.909 praise Let It Shine for its bouncy songs with 00:12:57.909 --> 00:12:59.950 observational humor and loads of catchy melodies. 00:12:59.990 --> 00:13:02.289 Which is exactly what Sony wanted to hear. That 00:13:02.289 --> 00:13:05.889 review validated their entire strategy. Make 00:13:05.889 --> 00:13:08.629 the music bright, catchy, and easy to consume. 00:13:08.789 --> 00:13:12.000 But then you have the... brutal, almost career 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:15.000 -defining critique from the opposing camp. Stylus 00:13:15.000 --> 00:13:17.399 Magazine? Stylus Magazine gave the album a D 00:13:17.399 --> 00:13:21.340 rating. A D. And they called it, harshly, a badly 00:13:21.340 --> 00:13:24.639 crafted inauthentic mess. Inauthentic mess? I 00:13:24.639 --> 00:13:26.179 mean, that is just a devastating description 00:13:26.179 --> 00:13:28.200 for an artist like him. It's the worst thing 00:13:28.200 --> 00:13:30.299 you could say. And if we look closely at that 00:13:30.299 --> 00:13:34.000 critique, it uses two really powerful, loaded 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:38.279 terms. Inauthentic and mess. Inauthentic suggests 00:13:38.279 --> 00:13:41.549 they took away the grit. Right. The dust and 00:13:41.549 --> 00:13:43.809 sweat of the bike ride that defined his debut. 00:13:44.409 --> 00:13:46.809 They're accusing him of manufacturing emotion 00:13:46.809 --> 00:13:50.269 or experience instead of living it, which is 00:13:50.269 --> 00:13:53.129 the ultimate sin for a folk artist. And mess. 00:13:53.429 --> 00:13:56.730 Mess, suggests the production itself. The polishing 00:13:56.730 --> 00:13:59.129 efforts by the major label, they resulted in 00:13:59.129 --> 00:14:02.149 over -arrangement or confusion that they sacrificed 00:14:02.149 --> 00:14:05.649 the raw clarity of his earlier work for, well, 00:14:05.769 --> 00:14:08.049 for a mess. That raises a crucial question, though. 00:14:08.539 --> 00:14:11.200 Was the D rating really about the music being 00:14:11.200 --> 00:14:13.580 bad or was it a reaction against the context? 00:14:13.879 --> 00:14:16.240 Ah, that's the core of it. Was Stylus punishing 00:14:16.240 --> 00:14:18.980 the major label system for trying to co -opt 00:14:18.980 --> 00:14:21.039 his independent narrative? I think that's where 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:23.840 the analysis has to lie. His initial brand was 00:14:23.840 --> 00:14:27.360 so powerfully anti -establishment that any perceived 00:14:27.360 --> 00:14:29.419 surrender to commercial demands was going to 00:14:29.419 --> 00:14:31.940 trigger a backlash from the Indian folk purists. 00:14:32.100 --> 00:14:34.600 He traded the authenticity of the bike ride for 00:14:34.600 --> 00:14:36.399 the high -gloss production of a Sony release. 00:14:36.740 --> 00:14:39.419 And the critics who valued that carawation rootlessness, 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:42.740 they felt betrayed by the shiny polish. They 00:14:42.740 --> 00:14:44.940 saw it as a sellout. It's the classic tightrope 00:14:44.940 --> 00:14:47.559 walk for an artist, isn't it? Totally. You need 00:14:47.559 --> 00:14:50.730 commercial airplay to survive. but you need authenticity 00:14:50.730 --> 00:14:53.350 to maintain your critical core. And the move 00:14:53.350 --> 00:14:56.669 secured the airplay, but it risked alienating 00:14:56.669 --> 00:14:58.909 the very audience who elevated him in the first 00:14:58.909 --> 00:15:01.370 place. He needed a significant recalibration 00:15:01.370 --> 00:15:03.830 after this. He had to prove that he could be 00:15:03.830 --> 00:15:06.429 catchy and deep, that he could synthesize the 00:15:06.429 --> 00:15:09.230 lessons of major label production with the substance 00:15:09.230 --> 00:15:11.610 of his folk roots. And that's exactly what happens 00:15:11.610 --> 00:15:14.860 next with his third album. So the year is 2007, 00:15:15.039 --> 00:15:18.179 and it brings us Goodbye Blue Monday. And this 00:15:18.179 --> 00:15:20.600 marks his successful exit from the major label 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:23.600 experiment. He moves to Aquarius Records in Canada 00:15:23.600 --> 00:15:26.399 and Wind Up Records in the U .S. That distribution 00:15:26.399 --> 00:15:29.019 structure alone suggests a more targeted approach, 00:15:29.279 --> 00:15:31.799 giving him more creative space. And he immediately 00:15:31.799 --> 00:15:34.200 signals that this album is a return to intellectual 00:15:34.200 --> 00:15:37.240 substance, not just pop accessibility. With the 00:15:37.240 --> 00:15:40.120 title. With the title, Goodbye Blue Monday. It's 00:15:40.120 --> 00:15:42.460 the alternative name for Kurt Vonnegut's satirical 00:15:42.460 --> 00:15:45.350 novel, Breakfast of Champions. That is such an 00:15:45.350 --> 00:15:48.429 intentional, calculated literary reference. It 00:15:48.429 --> 00:15:51.389 instantly reestablishes his literate pop credentials. 00:15:51.690 --> 00:15:53.870 It tells the listener, I am not just writing 00:15:53.870 --> 00:15:57.029 catchy songs. I am engaging with complex themes, 00:15:57.169 --> 00:15:59.889 with satire, with the absurdities of modern life, 00:16:00.009 --> 00:16:02.169 just like Vonnegut himself. And if you connect 00:16:02.169 --> 00:16:05.269 that to his overall artistic project. Vonnegut's 00:16:05.269 --> 00:16:07.929 work is often darkly humorous. It's skeptical 00:16:07.929 --> 00:16:10.730 of institutions. It focuses on the ordinary person 00:16:10.730 --> 00:16:14.029 trying to survive a bizarre Which is a framework 00:16:14.029 --> 00:16:17.629 that perfectly suits the observational, maybe 00:16:17.629 --> 00:16:20.769 slightly cynical tone of folk music. Especially 00:16:20.769 --> 00:16:22.789 after Fisher's own experience navigating the 00:16:22.789 --> 00:16:24.649 major label system. It's a thematic upgrade. 00:16:24.809 --> 00:16:27.269 It's a statement. But this album wasn't just 00:16:27.269 --> 00:16:29.649 about conceptual depth. It was about sonic depth, 00:16:29.769 --> 00:16:32.649 too, thanks to a huge collaboration. A crucial 00:16:32.649 --> 00:16:35.230 one. He brought in fellow Canadian artist Huxley 00:16:35.230 --> 00:16:37.610 Workman. This is arguably the most important 00:16:37.610 --> 00:16:39.970 technical decision of the entire album. Why was 00:16:39.970 --> 00:16:42.370 Workman's involvement so transformative? Well, 00:16:42.409 --> 00:16:44.830 he wasn't just a hired producer. He was a full 00:16:44.830 --> 00:16:47.610 -on multi -instrumentalist collaborator. Our 00:16:47.610 --> 00:16:50.210 sources detail his extensive role. He played 00:16:50.210 --> 00:16:53.289 drums, percussion, xylophone, backing vocals, 00:16:53.649 --> 00:16:56.590 bass guitar, guitar, and synthesizers. Whoa. 00:16:56.809 --> 00:17:01.389 Okay. Drums, percussion, and xylophone. Plus 00:17:01.389 --> 00:17:04.589 synthesizers. That is a significantly denser 00:17:04.589 --> 00:17:06.910 arrangement palette than the self -produced back 00:17:06.910 --> 00:17:09.390 porch spirituals. Or the standard guitar -based 00:17:09.390 --> 00:17:12.150 drums of Let It Shine. Right. So how did that 00:17:12.150 --> 00:17:14.809 infusion of instrumentation change the overall 00:17:14.809 --> 00:17:17.670 sonic texture? It allowed him to move past the 00:17:17.670 --> 00:17:20.569 simple folk rock constraints. The inclusion of 00:17:20.569 --> 00:17:22.849 percussion and xylophone gives the album a much 00:17:22.849 --> 00:17:25.750 brighter, more dynamic, almost theatrical feel. 00:17:25.890 --> 00:17:28.670 A conscious pushback against that mess critique 00:17:28.670 --> 00:17:31.529 by creating intentional complexity. Exactly. 00:17:31.529 --> 00:17:33.990 And the subtle use of synthesizers, which might 00:17:33.990 --> 00:17:36.509 seem counterintuitive for a folk artist, allowed 00:17:36.509 --> 00:17:39.430 them to maintain a rich, catchy texture without 00:17:39.430 --> 00:17:42.210 resorting to over -processed guitar tones. It 00:17:42.210 --> 00:17:44.809 let the literacy and the melody coexist without 00:17:44.809 --> 00:17:46.910 sacrificing production quality. And recording 00:17:46.910 --> 00:17:49.470 this at Signal Path Studios in Almonte, Ontario 00:17:49.470 --> 00:17:51.869 with other collaborators like Jim Bryson on gang 00:17:51.869 --> 00:17:54.670 vocals, it suggests a real community -driven, 00:17:54.789 --> 00:17:57.329 supportive environment. A far cry from the corporate 00:17:57.329 --> 00:17:59.130 pressure cooker he might have experienced at 00:17:59.130 --> 00:18:01.109 Sony. For sure. And this new environment, it 00:18:01.109 --> 00:18:03.329 fostered creativity and it paid off immediately. 00:18:03.789 --> 00:18:06.230 It did. The single cigarette was sent to radio. 00:18:06.650 --> 00:18:10.089 and got this massive surprise ad at Toronto's 00:18:10.089 --> 00:18:15.289 104 .5 CHU FFM. Proving the song had mass appeal 00:18:15.289 --> 00:18:18.150 despite the album's literary aspirations. But 00:18:18.150 --> 00:18:20.569 the real game changer here was the digital strategy. 00:18:21.069 --> 00:18:24.170 We have to remember, this is 2007. YouTube was 00:18:24.170 --> 00:18:26.549 not the ubiquitous machine it is today. Not at 00:18:26.549 --> 00:18:29.410 all. A homemade video for Cigarette went on to 00:18:29.410 --> 00:18:32.210 amass over 2 million views. Which is enormous 00:18:32.210 --> 00:18:34.849 for the time and for the genre. What's so fascinating 00:18:34.849 --> 00:18:37.470 is that the homemade element connects directly 00:18:37.470 --> 00:18:39.869 back to his original ethos. The bike tour. The 00:18:39.869 --> 00:18:42.170 bike tour. He didn't need a huge budget or a 00:18:42.170 --> 00:18:44.690 complex production team. He just needed the compelling 00:18:44.690 --> 00:18:47.950 song and the ingenuity to share it simply. The 00:18:47.950 --> 00:18:50.529 YouTube success proves that the independent, 00:18:50.750 --> 00:18:53.009 resourceful spirit of the bike tour translated 00:18:53.009 --> 00:18:55.569 perfectly to the new digital distribution channels. 00:18:55.710 --> 00:18:57.509 He bypassed the traditional gatekeepers again. 00:18:57.670 --> 00:19:00.230 Proving he could reach millions of people entirely 00:19:00.230 --> 00:19:02.589 on his own terms. And that digital buzz gave 00:19:02.589 --> 00:19:05.269 him immediate visibility outside of Canada. It 00:19:05.269 --> 00:19:07.490 led to his U .S. television debut on The Late 00:19:07.490 --> 00:19:10.430 Late Show with Craig Ferguson on August 20, 2007. 00:19:11.049 --> 00:19:13.890 And he must have impressed them because they 00:19:13.890 --> 00:19:15.829 invited him back the very next month. I didn't 00:19:15.829 --> 00:19:18.279 realize that. Yeah. That return appearance the 00:19:18.279 --> 00:19:20.900 next night, where he was joined by Craig Northey 00:19:20.900 --> 00:19:24.180 and Pat Stewart of the band Odds, it solidified 00:19:24.180 --> 00:19:26.720 his footing in the States. He was leveraging 00:19:26.720 --> 00:19:29.180 his Canadian network while showcasing his new, 00:19:29.319 --> 00:19:32.519 more complex material to a huge American audience 00:19:32.519 --> 00:19:35.400 right before the U .S. release of the album. 00:19:35.640 --> 00:19:38.920 A tactical marketing masterstroke. All driven 00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:41.579 by the viral success of a homemade video. It's 00:19:41.579 --> 00:19:43.960 incredible. Let's just touch on the nuance of 00:19:43.960 --> 00:19:45.839 the album versions for a second, because it shows 00:19:45.839 --> 00:19:48.220 that ongoing marketing tightrope. Right. The 00:19:48.220 --> 00:19:50.480 Canadian version included the track, Remind Me, 00:19:50.619 --> 00:19:53.460 while the U .S. version, which was aimed at a 00:19:53.460 --> 00:19:55.900 market still aware of his prior single. They 00:19:55.900 --> 00:19:58.599 included High School. A careful strategic decision. 00:19:59.079 --> 00:20:01.339 For the U .S. market, which might not have followed 00:20:01.339 --> 00:20:03.599 the whole critical controversy of Let It Shine, 00:20:03.839 --> 00:20:06.460 High School was a proven commercial commodity. 00:20:07.220 --> 00:20:09.839 They used the catchy pop tune to open the door 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:12.420 to the Vonnegut -inspired deeper material. And 00:20:12.420 --> 00:20:14.859 that deeper material included tracks like Scar 00:20:14.859 --> 00:20:17.900 That Never Heals, Jolene, and the highly political 00:20:17.900 --> 00:20:21.700 Lay Down Ballad of Rigoberto Alpizar. We should 00:20:21.700 --> 00:20:23.700 probably discuss that specific track. We should. 00:20:23.779 --> 00:20:26.759 The Ballad of Rigoberto Alpizar immediately grounds 00:20:26.759 --> 00:20:29.359 the album in current events and social commentary. 00:20:29.500 --> 00:20:32.640 It's a full embrace of the folk tradition. Right. 00:20:33.130 --> 00:20:35.509 Rigoberto Alpizar was a U .S. citizen who was 00:20:35.509 --> 00:20:37.890 shot and killed by federal air marshals in Miami 00:20:37.890 --> 00:20:41.730 back in 2005. By writing a ballad about this 00:20:41.730 --> 00:20:44.410 event, Fisher is returning to the protest song 00:20:44.410 --> 00:20:47.029 tradition established by the very person he referenced 00:20:47.029 --> 00:20:50.309 in his debut, Robert Zimmerman. Bob Dylan. This 00:20:50.309 --> 00:20:52.650 move firmly establishes the substance that was 00:20:52.650 --> 00:20:55.250 perceived to be missing from the inauthentic 00:20:55.250 --> 00:20:57.049 mess. This was the evidence the critics were 00:20:57.049 --> 00:20:59.630 waiting for. So let's look at the final critical 00:20:59.630 --> 00:21:02.210 synthesis for Goodbye Blue Monday. Because the 00:21:02.210 --> 00:21:04.970 reception was almost uniformly excellent, the 00:21:04.970 --> 00:21:07.529 recalibration worked. It really did. Explain. 00:21:07.750 --> 00:21:10.329 Magazine noted his pleasingly warm voice and 00:21:10.329 --> 00:21:13.009 a flair for melody while explicitly praising 00:21:13.009 --> 00:21:15.390 the solid instrumentation and production work. 00:21:15.789 --> 00:21:17.930 a direct validation of the Hawksley -Workman 00:21:17.930 --> 00:21:20.450 collaboration and the denser arrangements. They 00:21:20.450 --> 00:21:24.329 noted the album finally felt whole. And No Depression, 00:21:24.809 --> 00:21:27.089 which is the go -to publication for Roots and 00:21:27.089 --> 00:21:30.250 Americana, praised him as a better derivative 00:21:30.250 --> 00:21:32.930 than most, with a loosened voice and an almost 00:21:32.930 --> 00:21:35.390 too easy facility with melody. I want to emphasize 00:21:35.390 --> 00:21:38.380 that phrase. better derivative. In folk music, 00:21:38.619 --> 00:21:41.119 that's high praise. It is. It means he's not 00:21:41.119 --> 00:21:43.019 reinventing the wheel, but he is executing the 00:21:43.019 --> 00:21:45.000 traditional forms with exceptional skill and 00:21:45.000 --> 00:21:47.819 clarity. And finally, the Washington Post just 00:21:47.819 --> 00:21:50.539 neatly summarized the entire package, calling 00:21:50.539 --> 00:21:53.579 it a collection of songs that brim with his jaunty, 00:21:53.619 --> 00:21:57.059 literate, acoustic pop folk. He did it! He finally 00:21:57.059 --> 00:21:59.779 achieved the perfect synthesis, catchy melodies, 00:22:00.039 --> 00:22:02.579 independent spirit, and clear intellectual substance. 00:22:02.960 --> 00:22:05.579 He found his niche? He defined himself as the 00:22:05.579 --> 00:22:07.579 literate pop artist who refused to compromise 00:22:07.579 --> 00:22:10.140 his narrative. He escaped the dichotomy of let 00:22:10.140 --> 00:22:12.640 it shine. He proved that he could maintain commercial 00:22:12.640 --> 00:22:15.279 accessibility without sacrificing the depth the 00:22:15.279 --> 00:22:17.940 folk critics demanded. And now, with that foundation 00:22:17.940 --> 00:22:20.640 secured, he began to diversify in some really 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:23.140 fascinating ways. Following the definitive success 00:22:23.140 --> 00:22:26.160 of Goodbye Blue Monday, Fisher really established 00:22:26.160 --> 00:22:29.400 himself. He became this reliable, respected figure 00:22:29.400 --> 00:22:31.819 in the Canadian scene. Which you can see from 00:22:31.819 --> 00:22:34.339 his continued touring and collaborations. He 00:22:34.339 --> 00:22:37.460 opened for the Proclaimers on their 2008 North 00:22:37.460 --> 00:22:40.240 American tour. Right, and Great Big Sea during 00:22:40.240 --> 00:22:43.519 their 2009 Ontario shows. Opening for acts like 00:22:43.519 --> 00:22:45.319 the Proclaimers, who are known for their blend 00:22:45.319 --> 00:22:48.359 of folk, rock, and heartfelt storytelling, that 00:22:48.359 --> 00:22:51.339 shows his literate folk pop was seen as a perfect 00:22:51.339 --> 00:22:54.259 fit. A complimentary sound. And his relationship 00:22:54.259 --> 00:22:57.019 with Great Big Sea, it extended beyond just touring. 00:22:57.359 --> 00:22:59.619 He made a guest appearance on their 2010 album, 00:22:59.759 --> 00:23:02.019 Safe Upon the Shore. Which demonstrates a deep 00:23:02.019 --> 00:23:04.180 integration into that Canadian folk infrastructure. 00:23:04.480 --> 00:23:06.920 He was part of the club. He was. But he also 00:23:06.920 --> 00:23:09.279 showed this impressive willingness to jump genres. 00:23:09.519 --> 00:23:11.819 He collaborated outside the folk realm, which 00:23:11.819 --> 00:23:14.079 I find really interesting. The Jackalope Duet? 00:23:14.220 --> 00:23:16.519 The Jackalope Duet. For those who don't know, 00:23:16.660 --> 00:23:19.160 Jackalope is a Canadian industrial music supergroup. 00:23:19.480 --> 00:23:22.220 And he did a duet with them on the track, Unsaid, 00:23:22.240 --> 00:23:25.589 from their 2006 album, Born For. A folk troubadour 00:23:25.589 --> 00:23:28.130 meets an industrial supergroup. I mean, that 00:23:28.130 --> 00:23:30.849 is a massive creative jump. It speaks to the 00:23:30.849 --> 00:23:34.130 recognition of his core skill, right? A compelling, 00:23:34.230 --> 00:23:37.289 melodic vocal performance. His voice could anchor 00:23:37.289 --> 00:23:40.009 a track even in a genre that's seemingly diametrically 00:23:40.009 --> 00:23:42.369 opposed to acoustic folk. But maybe the most 00:23:42.369 --> 00:23:45.029 telling project, the one that speaks to his enduring 00:23:45.029 --> 00:23:47.569 independent spirit, was the Catch and Release 00:23:47.569 --> 00:23:50.960 series. With Jim Bryson. In 2012. This sounds 00:23:50.960 --> 00:23:53.740 absolutely insane logistically. The goal was 00:23:53.740 --> 00:23:56.259 to write and release a song in a single day. 00:23:56.380 --> 00:23:59.099 In one day. How did that intensive process even 00:23:59.099 --> 00:24:01.859 work? And why was it important for an artist 00:24:01.859 --> 00:24:03.839 like him at that point? Well, it was a test of 00:24:03.839 --> 00:24:06.619 immediate peer creativity. It's reminiscent of 00:24:06.619 --> 00:24:08.900 his earliest days where every performance was 00:24:08.900 --> 00:24:10.799 a necessity. The catch and release models like 00:24:10.799 --> 00:24:13.119 the digital age equivalent of the spontaneous 00:24:13.119 --> 00:24:16.200 creativity he needed on that 7 ,500 kilometer 00:24:16.200 --> 00:24:19.000 bike tour. They had to be resourceful, fast, 00:24:19.220 --> 00:24:21.220 and just trust their initial ideas. Exactly. 00:24:21.220 --> 00:24:23.400 The first song, The Age of Asparagus, which they 00:24:23.400 --> 00:24:26.519 released on June 7, 2012, is the physical evidence 00:24:26.519 --> 00:24:29.759 of this creative sprint. It's an incredible entrepreneurial 00:24:29.759 --> 00:24:34.299 exercise. It embodies the idea of capturing a 00:24:34.299 --> 00:24:37.339 creative moment and immediately sharing it with 00:24:37.339 --> 00:24:40.839 your audience, bypassing the months or even years 00:24:40.839 --> 00:24:43.519 of typical production cycles. It's pure self 00:24:43.519 --> 00:24:45.619 -sufficiency applied to music production. And 00:24:45.619 --> 00:24:47.859 this hustle was happening at the same time as 00:24:47.859 --> 00:24:50.099 he was putting out a steady stream of traditional 00:24:50.099 --> 00:24:53.279 albums. Right. You had Flood in 2010, Mint Juleps 00:24:53.279 --> 00:24:56.759 in 2012, and The Lemon Squeeze in 2014, which 00:24:56.759 --> 00:24:59.289 notably included that great duet with Serena 00:24:59.289 --> 00:25:01.809 Ryder. He was constantly iterating, constantly 00:25:01.809 --> 00:25:04.569 creating. He even circled back to his acclaimed 00:25:04.569 --> 00:25:07.309 work, re -recording songs for Hello Blue Monday 00:25:07.309 --> 00:25:10.470 in 2021. Which proves the endurance of that particular 00:25:10.470 --> 00:25:12.990 creative chapter. He knew it was a landmark for 00:25:12.990 --> 00:25:15.809 him. But the true stunning pivot that really 00:25:15.809 --> 00:25:18.630 defines the latter half of his career is the 00:25:18.630 --> 00:25:20.970 shift into children's entertainment. The big 00:25:20.970 --> 00:25:23.089 left turn. And this isn't just a side gig. It 00:25:23.089 --> 00:25:25.549 became a defining, critically acclaimed element 00:25:25.549 --> 00:25:28.369 of his entire output. And this transition was 00:25:28.369 --> 00:25:30.230 beautifully organic. That's what I love about 00:25:30.230 --> 00:25:32.509 it. It wasn't a commercial decision first. It 00:25:32.509 --> 00:25:34.849 was inspired by him making music for and with 00:25:34.849 --> 00:25:37.450 his own daughters. It's a very natural evolution 00:25:37.450 --> 00:25:40.250 for a storyteller, isn't it? Adapting your craft 00:25:40.250 --> 00:25:43.049 for the next generation. He launched this. under 00:25:43.049 --> 00:25:46.529 the appropriate moniker Jeremy Fisher Jr. His 00:25:46.529 --> 00:25:49.349 first album in this space, Highway to Spell from 00:25:49.349 --> 00:25:52.690 2018, was an immediate success. It got a Canadian 00:25:52.690 --> 00:25:55.650 Folk Music Award nomination for Children's Album 00:25:55.650 --> 00:25:58.470 of the Year. And that nomination proves the core 00:25:58.470 --> 00:26:01.049 talent, the melodic sense, the narrative focus. 00:26:01.799 --> 00:26:04.019 It all translated seamlessly. And that it was 00:26:04.019 --> 00:26:06.480 a folk music nomination is highly significant, 00:26:06.619 --> 00:26:08.859 I think. Oh, absolutely. It shows that even his 00:26:08.859 --> 00:26:11.180 children's music retained the authenticity and 00:26:11.180 --> 00:26:13.079 the melodic strength that was valued by the folk 00:26:13.079 --> 00:26:15.119 community. These weren't just simple rhymes. 00:26:15.339 --> 00:26:17.599 They were skillfully constructed songs adapted 00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:19.859 for a younger demographic. But he didn't just 00:26:19.859 --> 00:26:22.940 stop at albums. In 2022, he took the ultimate 00:26:22.940 --> 00:26:25.599 entrepreneurial step. He created and developed 00:26:25.599 --> 00:26:28.359 a full children's television series. Jeremy and 00:26:28.359 --> 00:26:31.369 Jazzy. The show co -stars animated versions of 00:26:31.369 --> 00:26:34.250 Fisher and the singer -actress Azeez Intabarakur. 00:26:34.450 --> 00:26:36.769 Now, just think about the leap here for a second. 00:26:37.559 --> 00:26:40.140 Moving from being a singer -songwriter to being 00:26:40.140 --> 00:26:43.200 the creator, developer, and star of your own 00:26:43.200 --> 00:26:46.779 intellectual property, an entire TV series. It 00:26:46.779 --> 00:26:48.880 requires an immense amount of capital, pitching, 00:26:49.099 --> 00:26:52.160 negotiation, creative self -sufficiency. It demands 00:26:52.160 --> 00:26:55.200 the exact same relentless grit he showed when 00:26:55.200 --> 00:26:57.359 he decided to bike across the country and organize 00:26:57.359 --> 00:27:00.740 30 performances entirely on his own. He was prepared 00:27:00.740 --> 00:27:03.440 for this level of self -management because of 00:27:03.440 --> 00:27:05.700 his roots. He learned how to do it all himself 00:27:05.700 --> 00:27:08.740 from day one. And the success continued. The 00:27:08.740 --> 00:27:12.000 companion album Say Hello from 2022, which had 00:27:12.000 --> 00:27:14.440 songs from the series. It was nominated for the 00:27:14.440 --> 00:27:16.680 Juno Award for Children's Album of the Year in 00:27:16.680 --> 00:27:19.700 2023. He has successfully created this sustainable, 00:27:19.900 --> 00:27:22.700 critically recognized niche where his storytelling 00:27:22.700 --> 00:27:25.119 skills just thrive. And as a final testament 00:27:25.119 --> 00:27:27.420 to the enduring catchiness of his adult material, 00:27:27.680 --> 00:27:31.140 his song Uh -Oh, the duet with Serena Ryder from 00:27:31.140 --> 00:27:33.140 The Lemon Squeeze, got licensed as the opening 00:27:33.140 --> 00:27:35.700 theme for the TV series Family Law. It's the 00:27:35.700 --> 00:27:38.299 full circle. Whether he's writing about Croatian 00:27:38.299 --> 00:27:40.500 road trips, political tragedies, or teaching 00:27:40.500 --> 00:27:43.480 kids how to spell, his music remains fundamentally 00:27:43.480 --> 00:27:45.980 memorable and narrative -driven enough to land 00:27:45.980 --> 00:27:48.460 in major placements decades after he started. 00:27:48.700 --> 00:27:51.420 The ability to shift from a major label contract 00:27:51.420 --> 00:27:55.299 to self -releasing concept albums and then pivoting 00:27:55.299 --> 00:27:58.319 to build an entire IP like a children's TV show, 00:27:58.440 --> 00:28:01.440 it just speaks volumes about the knowledge base 00:28:01.440 --> 00:28:04.200 he established so early on. The skill set of 00:28:04.200 --> 00:28:06.960 the independent artist. resourcefulness, persistence, 00:28:07.420 --> 00:28:09.960 and narrative consistency. It was always the 00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:11.960 same. So we've now traced this incredible arc 00:28:11.960 --> 00:28:14.380 of Jeremy Fisher, from a Hamilton jazz student 00:28:14.380 --> 00:28:16.539 and early band member to a fiercely independent 00:28:16.539 --> 00:28:19.460 busker pedaling 7 ,500 kilometers across North 00:28:19.460 --> 00:28:22.259 America for his debut. To a major label pop artist, 00:28:22.420 --> 00:28:25.160 then a critically acclaimed literate pop songwriter, 00:28:25.279 --> 00:28:28.740 and finally, a Juno -nominated children's television 00:28:28.740 --> 00:28:31.829 creator. It's quite a path. The common thread, 00:28:31.890 --> 00:28:33.529 though, running through every single one of those 00:28:33.529 --> 00:28:36.069 career stages, from back porch spirituals all 00:28:36.069 --> 00:28:38.869 the way to Say Hello, is the absolute centrality 00:28:38.869 --> 00:28:41.549 of storytelling. Storytelling and the highly 00:28:41.549 --> 00:28:44.150 personalized, often unconventional approach he 00:28:44.150 --> 00:28:46.690 took to his concept albums and his promotional 00:28:46.690 --> 00:28:49.549 efforts. He didn't just adapt. He constantly 00:28:49.549 --> 00:28:51.609 reinvented his methods of reaching an audience, 00:28:51.809 --> 00:28:54.630 but he always maintained control over his own 00:28:54.630 --> 00:28:57.289 narrative. It's a powerful lesson in artistic 00:28:57.289 --> 00:29:01.829 resilience and entrepreneurial adaptation. That 00:29:01.829 --> 00:29:03.930 bike ride wasn't just a gimmick. We've said it 00:29:03.930 --> 00:29:06.549 before, but it bears repeating. It was a foundational 00:29:06.549 --> 00:29:09.369 lesson in resource management and self -sufficiency. 00:29:09.609 --> 00:29:11.509 And that self -reliance, that's what gave him 00:29:11.509 --> 00:29:14.509 the confidence later on to develop and pitch 00:29:14.509 --> 00:29:16.849 an entire IP like Jeremy and Jess. He learned 00:29:16.849 --> 00:29:18.730 how to be his own logistics manager, his own 00:29:18.730 --> 00:29:21.029 publicist, and his own creative director all 00:29:21.029 --> 00:29:23.910 at the same time. That grit is the connective 00:29:23.910 --> 00:29:26.240 tissue. The persistence you need to bike across 00:29:26.240 --> 00:29:28.480 a continent and perform 30 shows along the way 00:29:28.480 --> 00:29:30.900 is the exact same persistence you need to secure 00:29:30.900 --> 00:29:33.920 funding, production slots, and licensing for 00:29:33.920 --> 00:29:36.819 a successful modern television series. Both required 00:29:36.819 --> 00:29:38.980 a deep belief in the underlying narrative and 00:29:38.980 --> 00:29:41.140 a refusal to wait for permission from the traditional 00:29:41.140 --> 00:29:44.559 system. He used a bicycle to represent anti -consumerism. 00:29:44.740 --> 00:29:47.720 He used Kurt Vonnegut to signal his literary 00:29:47.720 --> 00:29:50.930 ambition. And he used his own family to inspire 00:29:50.930 --> 00:29:53.890 his most recent successful endeavor. The narrative, 00:29:54.170 --> 00:29:56.309 the knowledge base, and that self -determined 00:29:56.309 --> 00:29:58.910 structure, they always came first. What stands 00:29:58.910 --> 00:30:01.609 out most to me is the power of a defining, original 00:30:01.609 --> 00:30:04.869 concept. That bike tour didn't just sell albums. 00:30:05.069 --> 00:30:07.789 It made the artist unforgettable. It embedded 00:30:07.789 --> 00:30:10.390 an authentic narrative deep into the critical 00:30:10.390 --> 00:30:12.369 consciousness that followed him through every 00:30:12.369 --> 00:30:15.079 single subsequent project. So what does this 00:30:15.079 --> 00:30:17.240 all mean for the contemporary artist who's trying 00:30:17.240 --> 00:30:18.960 to break through all the digital noise today? 00:30:19.220 --> 00:30:21.940 Here is our final provocative thought for you 00:30:21.940 --> 00:30:25.440 to chew on. In today's saturated, short -form 00:30:25.440 --> 00:30:27.819 digital landscape where attention is the scarcest 00:30:27.819 --> 00:30:30.839 resource we have, what modern, physical, or highly 00:30:30.839 --> 00:30:33.940 conceptual equivalent of Jeremy Fisher's 7 ,500 00:30:33.940 --> 00:30:36.299 -kilometer bicycle tour could an artist undertake 00:30:36.299 --> 00:30:38.839 to genuinely connect with an audience and build 00:30:38.839 --> 00:30:41.220 a lasting, knowledge -based narrative around 00:30:41.220 --> 00:30:44.289 their work? And what specific skill set, the 00:30:44.289 --> 00:30:46.390 financial discipline, the logistical planning 00:30:46.390 --> 00:30:49.589 or the sheer physical persistence, did that bike 00:30:49.589 --> 00:30:52.130 ride teach him about self -sufficiency that he 00:30:52.130 --> 00:30:54.569 then applied directly to successfully creating, 00:30:54.769 --> 00:30:57.369 pitching and launching a critically recognized 00:30:57.369 --> 00:30:59.529 children's show? The lesson isn't just about 00:30:59.529 --> 00:31:02.210 writing good songs. It's about engineering an 00:31:02.210 --> 00:31:04.630 authentic, unforgettable narrative around those 00:31:04.630 --> 00:31:07.430 songs. And that's the true deep dive into his 00:31:07.430 --> 00:31:09.920 career. Thank you for joining us as we unpacked 00:31:09.920 --> 00:31:11.980 the astonishing folk -pop and family -friendly 00:31:11.980 --> 00:31:14.160 journey of Jeremy Fisher. We'll see you next 00:31:14.160 --> 00:31:15.079 time on The Deep Life.