'Podunk' singer comes home for video

By Rachel Kubicek

MIAMI, Okla. — It was a homecoming for Keith Anderson, who decide to perform and film a music video in Miami, Okla.

A 1986 graduate of Miami High School, Anderson attended Oklahoma State University and majored in construction engineering. An athlete, he played football at OSU and also participated in the Mr. Oklahoma bodybuilding competition. He was drafted to play for the Kansas City Royals, but a shoulder injury brought an abrupt end to his baseball career.

He took a job in Texas, but later decided to pursue his lifelong interest in music by moving to Nashville in the late ’90s.

In 2005, he released his debut album — “Three Chord Country and American Rock & Roll” — which produced hits such as “Pickin’ Wildflowers” and “Double XL.” He has toured with Blake Shelton and Rascal Flatts, performing with both artists last year at Buffalo Run Casino.

Footage from Anderson's recent Miami concert is be used in the video for his next single, “Podunk.”



During a phone interview, Anderson talked about coming back to his hometown, who he looks to for inspiration and the thrill that comes from performing live.



Q. Your life has led you down many different avenues, including baseball, engineering and bodybuilding. Why music?



A. I have always loved music. It was a part of all the other things I did. Music was a part of bodybuilding and sports. Everything I did was around music. I always had the radio on, and music was a motivating and driving force in my life.





Q. What is it like to come back home and play a live show in Miami?



A. It’s awesome. I’ve been working so hard and dreaming of breaking out in music, and the big thing is to do this video. Being a new artist, you seldom get to do four videos, but we were able to push the idea, and it’s going to happen. There’s no place like home.





Q. What do you miss about living in a small town?



A. I miss the easy traffic with no traffic jams and being able to get anywhere in town in 10 minutes. I miss the family values and the closeness to your family. Miami was a great town to grow up in.





Q. What did you do in your spare time growing up in Miami?



A. I studied a lot. Any down time was spent at the batting cages. I think it would surprise most people that I am doing what I do now because I was mostly known as an athlete. When I lived here, I was still a drummer in my brother’s band. I really wasn’t a singer. I started playing piano and began songwriting in college. I didn’t take it seriously until I was in Dallas (after college).





Q. What was it like starting out in Nashville?



A. It was really hard not knowing anyone and trying to break into country music. It’s like going from college to the pros in any sport. You are a big fish in a small pond and then you come to a place where the biggest stars are. You find out if you really have it or not. It was scary. It took me eight years. Realistically, there are those baby steps you have to take.





Q. What advice would you give to someone who wants to pursue country music seriously?



A. First of all, you have to be realistic on your abilities. There are a lot of people who go to Nashville. You have to have a certain amount of songwriting talent, and you have to be prepared to never give up. You have to be in Nashville. Chance meetings and networking possibilities are from being here (Nashville). It’s the only place to go.





Q. Who are your music heroes and mentors?



A. I grew up listening to Restless Heart, Kenny Rogers, The Eagles, Aerosmith, Rich Mullen and Michael W. Smith. My mentors are Garth Brooks ... my main mentors have been songwriting mentors, because they were the ones who helped me break into music.





Q. What is the best thing about performing live?



A. The energy from the crowd when they are singing the words back is great. My band is just awesome. When the crowd is into it and it’s really rockin’, there’s nothing like it.



Rachel Kubicek writes for The Joplin (Mo.) Globe.

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