Biography
“I travel these highways/and listen to the wheels roll along/just telling my story …” Simple and true. That’s what Kort McCumber does. To the tune of about 50,000 miles in the last year alone. “I don’t know for sure,” says Kort, “but I’d guess I’m creeping up on a half a million miles over the last ten years.” That’s a lot of miles, a lot of smiles, and a fair share of calamities, mishaps and broke-down rigs along the way. Not all the stories are born when the “wheels roll along.” Some roll along when the wheels don’t.
“The road is tough,” admits Kort, “but I love it in a ‘man-am-I-crazy-or-what’ kinda way.” While he readily admits to loving the ‘playing music part of it … anywhere, anytime’, it’s the in between times that get tough; the getting there, getting set up, getting packed up and getting up to get goin’ to the next show that makes the road wearisome. That and the fact that he misses his home, wife, dogs “and the sanity they afford me. But when I weigh it all out, I know this is what I want to do. This is what I gotta do.”
Over the last ten years, Kort has honed his skills as a working musician playing more than 1000 live shows throughout the U.S. and Europe. Kort writes, plays and sings Americana - equal parts folk, country, blues and bluegrass, with a healthy dose of something fresh. After moving to Colorado in 2003, the music took a decidedly more country/bluegrass turn and dug deeper into the roots of his Scotch-Irish heritage. In 2007, he released his sixth CD, “Lickskillet Road,” featuring appearances from Vince Gill, Sally Van Meter, Don Conoscenti and more. Last year, he was back in the mixing booth putting the finishing touches on a live DVD, captured at the famed Boulder Theater on an awesome night that saw no less than fifteen great musicians join him on stage. Somewhere along the line he also found time to compete in, and win, a couple nationally known singer songwriter contests.
Kort weaves a rich and diverse tapestry of musical experience, skill and energy into each and every one of his many musical endeavors. A classically trained pianist & cellist (he learned from his mom, Joy Myers, who played for the Jacksonville Symphony for more than two decades) today Kort plays guitar, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, piano, bouzouki, cello, bass, and more. He also plays golf. Or at least he used to – NCAA Division I golf. His Father Jim owns McCumber Golf, a worldwide leader in course design and operations and Uncle Mark spent nearly 30 years on the PGA Tour, playing today on the Senior Tour.
“People ask me why I chose music over golf,” says Kort. “Well, I didn’t. I didn’t choose music, it chose me.” Music fans are glad it did. Live and in person or through the magic of recording technology, you gotta check out this hard driving and hard driven musician. He’s back in the studio this year with a “really exciting project for me,” as he says. “Not quite as country as the last record - a little more back to my folk roots. Of course I’ll still play the country and bluegrass live. I love that stuff. But the time is right to record some other stuff, a little more social commentary and a little more direct to the times.” Look for the new CD later this year and look for Kort in a town near you soon – at a gig, hangin' around a festival, sleeping in a campground, broke down on the side of the road or heading down another new one, “listening to the wheels roll along.”
songwriter-Kevin Deforrest
***Recent Highlight Performances***
2009 Finalist for the ISC, International Songwriting Competition (over 15,000 entries) The song "Middle Child" won honorable mention in the Country category
2008 Winner of the Flat Rock Music Festival songwriting competition in Flat Rock, NC
2008 Main Stage at Founders Title Folk & Bluegrass Festival which featured Tim O'Brien, Sam Bush Band, Chatham County Line, Hackensaw Boys, Lori McKenna, Peter Rowan, The Wilders and Cherryholmes.
2008 Kort selected as a nominee for the
ISSA contest: Independent Singer-Songwriter Association
2008 Bohemian Nights at New West Fest in Ft. Collins, CO wich featured Taj Mahal Trio and Little Feat
2008 Main Stage at Carbondale Mountain Fair in Carbondale, CO
2008 CD Release at the Boulder Theater, Boulder CO with opening Special Guests Mollie O'Brien & Rich Moore
2008 Lickskillet Road named a Finalist for BEST ROOTS CD OF 2007 by Indie Acoustic Project!
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2007 Winner of the Founders Title Folk and Bluegrass Festival Songwriter Showcase
2007 Sundance Film Festival Songwriter Showcase
2006 Chautauqua Auditorium, Boulder CO opening for Rosanne Cash
2006 Fox Theater, Colorado
2006 Boulder Theater, Colorado
2006 Sundance Film Festival, Utah
2005 Rocky Mountain Folk Festival (Wildflower Stage), Colorado
2005 Songwriter Competition Finalist Susquehanna Music Festival, Maryland
2005 “Greetings From McCumberland Gap” Finalist, Best Roots CD 2005 by Indie Acoustic Project
2004 “Until I Return” Finalist, Best Americana CD 2004 by Indie Acoustic Project
2001, 2002, 2003 Nashville River Stages (only musician to appear 3 years in a row;
previous artists include Bob Dylan, Black Crowes, and The Wallflowers)
2001, 2002, 2003 Opened for Vince Gill in Nashville, Tennessee
2002 Performed Kort’s original song “Living On” with the Jacksonville Symphony
Orchestra in their Memorial Day Tribute Concert, Florida
Instrumentation
Kort McCumber: vocals, acoustic guitar, bouzouki, mandolin, banjo, harmonica, upright bass, cello, piano, dobro
Joined by an array of talented musicians depending on the setting.
Beth McCumber Wilberger: vocals, fiddle, viola
Jim Gilmour: Electric Bass
Greg Schochet: Electric Guitar, Mandolin
Monte Thorin: Drums
Discography
"Ain't The Same As Before" - 2009 w/ Russ Lawton on Drums... will be released late spring!
"Live Licks from the Boulder Theater" - 2008 Live DVD
"Lickskillet Road"- 2007 w/ special guest Vince Gill
"Greetings from McCumberland Gap" - 2005 w/ special guest Tim Stafford
"Until I Return" - 2004 w/ special guests Don Conoscenti and Ellis Paul
"Bobber's Bentgrass" - 2003 - EP - Bluegrass CD
"...after the rain" - 2002
"Somewhere To Go" - 2000
Links
| http://www.kortmusic.com |