A Chat with Jacob Furr - Part 1
Navigating Grief, Growth, and Creativity with Jacob Furr
This episode of Curious Goldfish features host Jason English in conversation with Jacob Furr, a 38-year-old singer-songwriter from Fort Worth, Texas. They discuss Furr's integration of his personal experiences, particularly the loss of his wife to brain cancer in his twenties, into his music, exploring the ongoing process of grief and transformation. The discussion covers Furr's musical journey, his latest album 'Turning,' which symbolizes a message of hope and emergence from despair, and the intricacies of songwriting as a medium for processing emotions. Furr shares stories of growing up, his brief move to San Francisco, and his deep connection to the music scene in Fort Worth, including efforts to gain recognition for the city's musical talents. Additionally, Furr gives insight into the challenges and rewards of being an independent artist, the supportive music community in Fort Worth, and the personal evolution that reflects in the positive outlook of his recent work compared to earlier melancholic themes.
00:00 Navigating Grief and Embracing Life's Freshness
01:06 Introducing Curious Goldfish: A Musical Journey
01:45 Meet Jacob Furr: A Singer-Songwriter's Tale
02:36 The Heart of Fort Worth's Music Scene
04:59 Exploring the Legacy of Townes Van Zandt
08:15 The Independent Artist's Life in Fort Worth
12:53 Turning: A Trilogy of Grief, Growth, and New Beginnings
17:44 Songwriting as Therapy: The Healing Power of Music
23:47 Finding Love and Moving Forward After Loss
27:15 The Hustle Behind the Music: Teaching and Creating
32:05 Wrapping Up: Stay Curious with Curious Goldfish
Transcript
yeah, and it stays fresh.
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:That's the thing.
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:Like you can, you can look at it as like,
oh, it was in the year, but then what, 10
4
:years later now or 11 this year, um, it's
still things will happen and things will
5
:come up and you're like, oh, that's just
as fresh as it was, you know, day after.
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:So, you know, it's, it's a, it's a
process like that grieving process.
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:It doesn't stop.
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:And it's, it's just, how can you integrate
that into your life and how can you
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:like make that part of who you are now?
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:Cause it's not like you're going
to get over it or forget it.
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:You know, and which I was afraid of
doing for a long time of forgetting
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:the way that that felt or the way that
it felt to be in love in that way.
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:and yeah, you don't forget it.
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:You just sort of like incorporate it
and then appreciate it as it comes
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:up a new, each new, you know, each
new time or each new day, I guess.
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:Jason English (Host): Welcome to
curious goldfish, a podcast community
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:where music and curiosity come together
through interesting conversations
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:with the music makers of our world.
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:I'm your host, Jason English.
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:You can find curious goldfish and all the
major podcast and social media platforms.
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:And of course, we have all of
our content on our website.
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:Curious goldfish.
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:com.
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:Jacob Furr is a 38 year old
singer songwriter from Fort Worth,
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:Texas, who makes you feel like
you've been best buddies forever.
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:Maybe it's our mutual love and respect
for many of the same musicians and music.
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:Maybe it's our upbringing in the American
evangelical church, a shared experience
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:that we are both slightly embarrassed
by and also partially enamored with.
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:Our connection can't be facial hair.
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:His beard runs circles around mine.
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:And of course it can't be around shared
musical ability because he has all of that
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:and I have none of it, whatever it is.
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:I am so incredibly grateful that
Jacob reached out to me when I first
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:launched this podcast, just wanting to
gauge my interest in a chat with him.
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:I had just published an episode with
Vanessa Peters who Jacob talks too often.
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:And while I am able to do remote
interviews, it's always best to
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:meet in person, try to build some
sort of camaraderie face to face.
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:And that's exactly what happened.
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:And I hope that connection comes across
as you listen to us talk about the
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:music scene in Fort Worth, the album he
released last year called turning and the
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:tragic story of losing his wife to brain
cancer when he was just in his twenties.
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:He performs the title track to that
album for us a signal of hope to the
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:world that you can emerge from tragedy
and heartbreak even though those
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:feelings of despair never really leave.
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:I wish I lived closer to Jacob.
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:He's someone that you can picture
yourself just hanging out with.
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:And it would be a thoughtful conversation
with a hell of a lot of laughs.
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:I know it's just not me.
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:I imagine he makes so many people
feel like best friends forever.
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:just after a few minutes.
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:I'm excited to introduce him to you today.
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:Jacob Furr of Fort worth, Texas.
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:Let's dive in.
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:Jacob.
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:It's really nice to meet you.
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:Jacob Furr: It's really
nice to meet you, Jason.
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:Thanks for having me in
your, uh, hotel room.
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:Jason English (Host): It's a little
weird, uh, but, you know, everybody
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:that's listening, don't worry, you
know, we just wanted some privacy.
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:Jacob Furr: It's very
soundproofed in here.
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:Jason English (Host): Yeah, it's good.
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:I'm here.
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:Um, yeah, we're in Dallas.
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:I'm here.
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:I have a day job and I thought
I'd sneak in an interview.
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:Obviously nights and weekends.
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:Just make sure my boss isn't,
uh, isn't freaking out.
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:But, um, yeah, so you live in Fort Worth
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:Jacob Furr: I do live in Fort Worth
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:Jason English (Host): and
you, you grew up there, right?
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:Jacob Furr: I grew up there, yeah.
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:Um, yeah, I was born there in 86
and then moved to San Francisco
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:in like 2010, I think for a little
bit, and then moved back here.
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:Jason English (Host): That's different.
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:San Francisco is
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:Jacob Furr: Yeah, it was a, uh,
it was a, it was a big change.
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:It was a good change.
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:needed it.
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:Yeah.
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:Jason English (Host): well,
yeah, that's, that's awesome.
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:And you're, you know, and just watching
you online and social media and stuff,
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:like you're really embedded into the,
not just the music community of Fort
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:Worth, but the community at large, right?
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:Jacob Furr: Yeah, I try to be like,
um, especially Fort Worth because
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:I, uh, Yeah, I just believe heavily
in Fort Worth music and like the
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:people that create over there.
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:Um, and so I try to do everything I can
to support the other people like me.
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:I mean, cause it's, you know, it's
an all boats sort of situation.
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:Um, so yeah, I think we have, uh,
we have a really high quality, um,
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:Music scene over there that gets sort
of overshadowed a lot by Dallas and
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:Austin and all that kind of stuff.
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:So, um, but I think everybody, everybody,
everything that we do over there is
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:like on par with that sort of scene.
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:Jason English (Host): Oh, that's awesome.
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:I mean, even just this weekend,
you guys did a Hometowns Fest.
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:Jacob Furr: We did hometowns fest
this weekend to sort of celebrate
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:towns, Vanzant, and that was.
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:Yeah, that's good.
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:That's been, I think that's the eighth
year that we've like officially done it.
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:And this guy named Bruce Payne
puts it on and he, I mean,
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:it's just all volunteer stuff.
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:Like he just loves town so much
that he puts that festival on every
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:year and it's not really a festival.
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:It's more like a birthday
celebration more than anything else.
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:And then we do this like open
mic on the last day of it.
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:And everybody plays towns, fans,
aunt songs, and tries to bum each
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:other out as hard as they can.
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:Jason English (Host): Oh my gosh, yeah.
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:So I didn't really, I mean, I
guess I had heard his music.
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:I didn't know really his story
up until a few years ago.
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:Did you see that Ken Burns
documentary on country music?
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:No.
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:Jacob Furr: Wait, the Oh, yeah.
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:No, no,
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:Jason English (Host): PBS.
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:Jacob Furr: Yeah.
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:Yeah.
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:The thing that I remember from that
one was like the Carter family stuff.
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:Like I was obsessed with that, like first
era of it, like, and just how interesting
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:like the Carter family specifically was
and how they collected all that stuff.
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:But yeah, he does get into it a
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:Jason English (Host): Yeah.
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:Yeah.
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:And I think, uh, it was, you know,
it was one of my favorite things on
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:television that I've seen, but towns
actually, uh, He's he's an important
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:part of the history of country music
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:Jacob Furr: Yeah, for sure.
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:Jason English (Host): sort of represented
that changed into like more of the folk
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:Jacob Furr: folk Yeah, he's like,
yeah, I think he like translated a lot
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:from like, um, Sort of like what Dylan
was doing, like, cause a lot of those
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:dudes from Houston, they were, they
were like really into that like, hippie
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:beatnik culture and it was like, Yeah.
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:Yeah.
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:Yeah.
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:Jason English (Host): their,
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:Jacob Furr: Down in Houston was like
their version of San Francisco and
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:their version of the hate Ashbery.
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:So they're all kind of hippies, but
they have that like Texas sort of,
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:you gotta wear the cowboy hat and the
blue jeans sort of thing going on.
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:Um, so they never really fit too well
into the country thing like that.
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:They almost had to just because of
like the location where they were is
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:the way it's my take on it anyways.
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:Um, So, yeah, what I love about Townes
is that, like, yeah, he is this, like,
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:transitional figure from, like, Dylan,
who's doing this, like, pop rock thing,
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:into this, like, country folk Americana,
for lack of a better word, sort of
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:thing, and he's, yeah, the poetry
that he's using is, like, way more
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:interesting than, like, the songwriting
aspect of it, you know, so, yeah,
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:he's a, he's a fascinating character.
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:Jason English (Host):
from Fort Worth, right?
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:Jacob Furr: Yeah, he
was born in Fort Worth.
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:His family was like, Bruce is going
to get mad if I get this all wrong.
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:Um, his, the Van Zandt family basically
like, Fund founded Fort Worth in a lot
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:of ways and like found that a bunch of
stuff around here in Texas They're a big
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:big money family from from East, Texas
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:Jason English (Host): Um,
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:Jacob Furr: So yeah, he was born in
Fort Worth His great granddad's cabin is
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:like you can go see his great like they
preserved his cabin So you can go like
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:hang out at the Van Zandt cabin in town.
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:It's really weird But we've yeah,
we've we've gone a long time without
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:celebrating people like him and like
Ornette Coleman's from Fort Worth, which
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:is like mind blowing to like, it's just
never been a part of like the story that
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:we've told about ourselves over there.
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:So we're, we're getting better at that
through like places like here, Fort
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:Worth and the city itself is sort of
like helping promote that and being
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:like, Hey, this is a part of our,
like who we actually are in this town.
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:So
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:Jason English (Host): That's neat.
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:So what are the advantages of being
an independent singer songwriter
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:in a place like Fort Worth?
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:And then what are the disadvantages?
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:Jacob Furr: Oh, that's a good one.
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:Um, advantages.
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:It's real safe and it's real friendly.
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:So you can kind of get away with
whatever you want to get away with.
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:You can try it like I like to
do lots of different things.
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:Um, so you don't have to like box
yourself into anything at any point.
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:Um,
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:Jason English (Host): and
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:Jacob Furr: Yeah, it's
just really supportive.
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:And I think that's great for people.
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:Um, but the, the flip side of that
is that it gets really, um, insular
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:because everybody's just sort of
swimming in the same pond, um, which
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:we're, we're breaking out of that.
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:Like that's been a problem in the past.
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:I think, um, that like, If you were from
Fort Worth or you came to Fort Worth,
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:like you were just from Fort Worth.
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:And it was just like, we're really,
really proud of being from Fort Worth.
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:Cause we're not Dallas.
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:Like, you know, we're like the little,
it's that little brother syndrome.
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:And so we're like, really
proud to be from Fort Worth.
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:And so now it's like, okay, we're
proud to be from Fort Worth.
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:Let's like, Export this out and like, see,
you know, let's all get a little bit more
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:ambitious about what we're doing and, you
know, sort of get out, like, use the scene
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:as like our home base, but sort of like
get out of just playing the same five bars
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:over and over again with everybody else.
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:Jason English (Host): with everybody else.
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:That's good.
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:Uh, what are, what are
some of the disadvantages?
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:Um,
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:Jacob Furr: Um, I mean, let
that insularity I think would
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:be the main disadvantage of it.
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:Um, It's not really, we're not
super connected to the industry.
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:Right.
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:But once again, we're changing all that.
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:Like we're, we're, there's a lot of work
that we're putting into like changing
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:that, like connecting people, um, to
sort of bigger things outside of us.
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:Um, I think the whole Leon Bridges thing
like changed a lot of people's minds,
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:but I don't know that it, it, in a lot
of good ways, but also in a lot of bad
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:ways to it, like made people like really
focused on this like outward thing and
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:like, um, You know, what can we get?
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:Can we get Atlantic records to come here?
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:You know, that kind of thing.
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:And it, it sort of, it,
you know, I don't know.
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:It's a good thing.
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:It's a bad thing.
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:Everything's interesting.
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:Jason English (Host): I mean, I
think Fort Worth doesn't really pop
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:into someone's head right away when
you talk about the music industry.
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:Right.
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:Cause it's usually, you
know, Nashville, Memphis,
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:Jacob Furr: Yeah, exactly.
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:Jason English (Host): do you think like
in this day and age, I would imagine, you
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:know, I'm not part of the music industry,
but, For a long time, it's like, you know,
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:I'm going to Nashville to like make it.
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:Do you think you have to do that,
you know, still, or, or not really?
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:Jacob Furr: it depends on what you want.
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:Like I say, I'd have a lot of friends
that have done it that have gone to
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:Nashville specifically to like make
it and to go do the 10 year town thing
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:and write and you know, and absolutely.
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:And like I have friends that still live
in Fort Worth that like tour with big
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:bands and like, you know, from Nashville
and they fly up there and everything.
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:So I think there's a, there's
a connecting point between it.
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:Um, yeah.
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:I don't think you have
to do anything anymore.
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:Like you can be from anywhere and
like connect with people these days.
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:Like you can go, you can go to the
conference, you can get on the plane, you
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:can, you know, connect with them online.
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:Like we were talking about earlier,
like, you know, like I just sent you
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:a message, like, let's talk, like, you
know, so there's, yeah, the geography
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:thing, I don't think matters anymore.
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:And I think it's more a matter
of like Fort worth sort of.
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:Catching up mentally to that and, and not
getting stuck in this, like, well, we're
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:from Fort Worth and if you don't know
us, you know, screw you, you know, like,
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:and now it's like, Oh no, we're from Fort
Worth and we would really like you at all
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:to like, see what we're doing over here.
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:Jason English (Host): Yeah.
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:Seriously.
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:Well that's good.
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:So, you know, we talked about the,
the documentary, like part of that
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:documentary was also about Willie
Nelson, who, you know, he'd laid down
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:in the middle of Broadway one night.
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:Basically trying to kill himself, I think,
in Nashville because it was so difficult.
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:Yeah.
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:And then, you know, he ended up
coming back to Texas and Yeah.
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:Rest is history.
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:Jacob Furr: Did the thing.
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:Yeah.
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:Jason English (Host):
years ago or 50 years
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:Jacob Furr: Yeah.
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:And I have some friends that have
considered like Nashville's rough.
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:I've done Nashville, like a couple of
just like dip my toe into like, Oh,
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:I'm going to go see, you know, met with
like publishing people or whatever.
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:And it was like, ah, I don't
think I want to like do this.
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:Like, and that could be fear
on my part, but it is like, it
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:is very much, you know, yeah.
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:If you're going to go up there,
You have to be committed to
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:the thing and do the thing.
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:And I admire people that are
and have been able to like make
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:a life for themselves there.
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:But for me personally, I
was like, ah, I'm good.
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:Jason English (Host): Although if
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:Jacob Furr: Although if anybody wants to
offer me a record deal from Nashville, uh,
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:Jason English (Host): a record
deal from Nashville, I'm up.
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:Jacob Furr: out in
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:Jason English (Host): and it
was called Turning Mm-Hmm.
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:, is that right?
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:Called Turning, put it out in September.
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:Yeah.
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:Jacob Furr: It was the, uh, the
third album of a cycle that I was,
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:had been working on for a long time.
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:So it was sort of like the end, the end
chapter to a long period of writing.
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:Jason English (Host): Yeah.
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:Well, I think.
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:I need to make one comment and then
come back to the album, but it's,
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:it, it feels like much more positive
than, uh, than the previous ones.
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:And by the way, in some of these
other interviews, you, you sort
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:of described yourself as like Mr.
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:Mr.
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:Melancholy.
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:I mean, I haven't laughed this
hard even before the interview then
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:Jacob Furr: Think it comes out
in the music a lot of times.
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:Yeah,
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:Jason English (Host):
seem like a happy guy.
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:I
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:Jacob Furr: I'm okay.
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:Yeah, I'm a happy cynic
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:Jason English (Host): Yeah.
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:Yeah.
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:But is that the album is much
more, it felt like a more positive
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:outlook than the other ones.
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:Jacob Furr: and that was like surprising
I think in a lot of ways because I
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:knew that I wanted to Finish the whole
thing, but I hadn't intended on writing
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:a happy album I was just sort of still
using writing as like a process for
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:grieving, all this kind of stuff.
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:And so it just sort of like ended
up being that way that like, that's
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:what was coming out as I was writing.
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:And I was like, Oh, I guess I should,
this is this is the thread that
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:connects this to those other things.
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:It doesn't have to be some new thing.
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:It actually does involve the
past two records and how they
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:all sort of fit together.
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:So
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:Jason English (Host): yeah.
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:Is it your own trilogy?
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:Jacob Furr: to be happy.
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:Jason English (Host): I mean,
you're like a totally happy guy.
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:Uh, yeah,
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:Jacob Furr: now I am
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:Jason English (Host): yeah,
well, that's, yeah, that's true.
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:Uh, but it's your own,
it's your own trilogy.
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:It
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:Jacob Furr: is yeah, and I don't I didn't
mean to do that like I you know, I When
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:I lived in San Francisco, I was talking
about this yesterday at the town's fest
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:that that was like my first introduction
to towns fancy it And because I, I got a,
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:I got a record, um, or a bunch of records
of his for my birthday one year there.
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:Anyways, long story short, that
was when I like really wanted to
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:start songwriting because I was
obsessed with that in like:
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:it was like, I think I can do this.
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:And so I started writing some stuff.
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:Um, yeah.
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:Um, yeah.
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:And then, yeah, like life happens
and some, some bad things go down.
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:You gotta, you know, grieve
through it and work through it.
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:And that sort of became like how
I did it was through the writing.
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:It wasn't like, it was
like two separate things.
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:It was one thing that kept going.
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:Um, and I didn't know when it would end
or if it would stop, or if it would be
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:like the only thing that I ever wrote
about for the rest of my life, but I was
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:just riding through it just to try to get
through it and yeah, turning ended up.
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:Like, it starts off real sad.
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:That first song is like, Uh, Bal Marai,
I think is the first track on there.
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:That's a really intense
song for me emotionally.
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:But then by the end, the, the equal
and opposite emotion is happening too.
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:Like, it's this very, like, I'm, I'm
ready to like, go out and do things again.
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:You know?
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:Jason English (Host): Well, it seems
like the song turning, it seems like
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:that's the, uh, it's like a love
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:Jacob Furr: is yeah, it is and and I
don't think I wrote that specifically
349
:about any particular love like I'm in a
wonderful relationship right now and Like
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:it's just I the language of love works
really well for that emotion of like
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:I'm ready for something new I'm ready.
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:I'm ready to let you in.
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:I'm ready to express myself, you know, so
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:Jason English (Host): that's awesome.
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:So, you know, you mentioned the grieving.
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:I think you have it on your website.
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:Uh, you lost your wife to brain cancer.
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:You're in your late twenties.
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:Jacob Furr: 2013.
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:So that was been like 24, I think.
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:No, 20.
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:I don't remember.
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:Jason English (Host): I mean,
you're in your twenties.
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:That's,
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:Jacob Furr: Yeah.
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:Like mid twenties.
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:Yeah.
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:It's a lot to
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:Jason English (Host): That's a lot.
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:Jacob Furr: Yeah.
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:It's a whole thing.
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:Jason English (Host): And I, I think
you did, I listened to an interview that
373
:you did within a year of that happening.
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:And I was like, so impressed of, uh,
I forgot the name of the podcast, but
375
:it was like a radio show or something.
376
:And, you know, Yeah, it
was country fried rock.
377
:Yeah.
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:Yeah.
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:Jacob Furr: Sloan.
380
:Jason English (Host): Yeah.
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:And you're, you're on, you're on the
phone or something, you know, you were
382
:remote, but I was like, Oh my gosh, this
guy's talking about like this thing.
383
:And it was fairly fresh.
384
:Jacob Furr: yeah, and it stays fresh.
385
:That's the thing.
386
:Like you can, you can look at it as
like, oh, it was in the year, but then
387
:like, what, 10 years later now or 11
this year, um, it's still like things
388
:will happen and things will come up
and you're like, oh, that's just as
389
:fresh as it was, you know, day after.
390
:So, you know, it's, it's a, it's a
process like that grieving process.
391
:Um, It doesn't stop.
392
:And it's, it's just, how can you integrate
that into your life and how can you
393
:like make that part of who you are now?
394
:Cause it's not like you're going
to get over it or forget it.
395
:You know, like, and which I was afraid of
doing for a long time of like, forgetting
396
:the way that that felt or the way that
like it felt to be in love in that way.
397
:Um, and yeah, you don't forget it.
398
:You just sort of like incorporate it
and then appreciate it as it comes
399
:up a new, each new, you know, each
new time or each new day, I guess.
400
:Jason English (Host): a songwriting
perspective, did it change?
401
:approach
402
:How you approach the process of that,
or, you know, something that emotional
403
:and that tragic, or what did it just,
uh, enhance your attention to the words
404
:and the emotions and things like that.
405
:Like, yeah.
406
:Can you put your finger on
407
:Jacob Furr: Yeah, no, I think it,
um, shoot, that's a good question.
408
:Uh, I don't know that it like enhanced
the songwriting process necessarily
409
:as much as like The songwriting just
gave me a way to like work it out.
410
:Like I listened to your Grace Pettis
interview yesterday or day before and Like
411
:she said something about that like that.
412
:She uses it as like free therapy
413
:Jason English (Host): Um,
414
:Jacob Furr: And I mean if you're
a musician you have to have free
415
:therapy because you can't afford it.
416
:Otherwise Like so it definitely
very much is this like how
417
:do I feel about this thing?
418
:um My problem and not to get too
real about it, but like my problem
419
:with it is like, how real do you
get about it in your writing?
420
:Like, are you like, how much space
is there to put down like the rawest
421
:thing that you can put down and then
with the intent of either releasing
422
:it or keeping it for yourself, that's
a really hard, um, line to walk.
423
:And like Balmorae, that's a great
example of that on the new record.
424
:Jason English (Host): a
425
:Jacob Furr: I wrote that
song a long time ago.
426
:Like that was like, that was
like a very distinct memory of
427
:something that I wanted to remember.
428
:Um, and so that's why it's like
really emotional for me now to hear
429
:that song or play it or whatever.
430
:But it took me that long to like
be comfortable presenting that to
431
:the world and being like, yeah,
this is, this is another memory.
432
:This is another way to kick off this
like story that I'm trying to tell here.
433
:So, um, yeah, I don't
know if that answered the
434
:Jason English (Host): Yeah, that's good.
435
:Jacob Furr: rambling about that.
436
:Jason English (Host): Yeah.
437
:That, that, that makes sense.
438
:Uh, and I, you know, we talked
about the hopefulness of the
439
:album compared to other ones.
440
:I think the, probably the most popular
song on the album is take care.
441
:What, like who's That message for, uh, I
442
:Jacob Furr: I tell this as a joke
at my shows, but it's actually true.
443
:I was dog sitting for a friend,
and I, he, like, this is no joke.
444
:It, like, sounds like a joke,
but it's legitimately true.
445
:I was dog sitting for a friend.
446
:He had a lazy boy that had, like,
a USB phone charger on the side.
447
:And so I just sat there one day
for, like, six hours in this chair
448
:and watched American Pickers.
449
:And, like, there was a guitar on
the wall, and, like, just, like,
450
:pulled the guitar down and was just
kind of goofing and wrote that song.
451
:And, In that like time period
of watching American Pickers.
452
:So it wasn't, I know it wasn't.
453
:And the thing was like,
I don't know how it was.
454
:It was so that first line is take care
of the things that get left behind.
455
:Like that was directly
inspired from the show.
456
:Cause I was like really enjoying,
you know, like these people's love
457
:for their heirlooms or whatever.
458
:And then from there, I just sort of like.
459
:Yeah, sort of like peeled it apart
and sort of like found out, you know,
460
:what else, what else that line could
like inspire you to say, you know,
461
:so yeah, I like people laugh when
I, and it's meant to make people
462
:laugh cause it's a funny story, but
it's legitimately how I wrote that.
463
:Yeah.
464
:Jason English (Host): and barns.
465
:Yeah, that's my
466
:Jacob Furr: Yeah.
467
:And I, I, one of the episodes was
my favorite is like the guys that
468
:like, The old dudes that bring the
pickers in and they're like, Oh
469
:yeah, come look at all my stuff.
470
:I'll sell you something.
471
:And then they don't sell them
anything because they're just
472
:like, I'm going to get on TV and
get to show off all my old junk.
473
:And like, those are my favorite anyways.
474
:So that's how I wrote.
475
:Take care everybody.
476
:The
477
:Jason English (Host): So
478
:So my favorite episode of American Pickers
is when they find the original Von Dutch
479
:inscribed badass motorcycle in some
barn, like in, you know, in Timbuktu.
480
:I mean, those guys, they are
treasure, they're treasure hunting.
481
:Jacob Furr: Yeah.
482
:Yeah.
483
:And they're finding such, and they, you
know, I love, uh, I'm a history nerd, so
484
:I love like the storytelling behind the
history of each piece and everything.
485
:So yeah, it's a, it's a
very inspirational show.
486
:Jason English (Host): I mean, if I,
you know, in my next life I could,
487
:I would either be a musician or.
488
:Jacob Furr: I mean, how cool
would it be to be a picker?
489
:Jason English (Host): a picker.
490
:Jacob Furr: killer job.
491
:Killer.
492
:Jason English (Host): personalities
that they meet, right?
493
:Jacob Furr: that's awesome.
494
:Jason English (Host): Yeah.
495
:Jacob Furr: I'm into it.
496
:Jason English (Host): It's so funny.
497
:so in all your albums, the, the, or I
guess the three that you've done, what,
498
:if someone was to say like, what's the,
the best representation of Jacob for
499
:what's the song that you would go to?
500
:My
501
:Jacob Furr: Oh, man.
502
:Uh, that's a good question.
503
:I would say the best representation
would probably be either
504
:Branches or Mockingbird.
505
:And those are off the first album,
which is really, um, interesting.
506
:Um, but those, those two
songs mean a whole lot to me.
507
:Um,
508
:Jason English (Host): you didn't
you write branches when your your
509
:Jacob Furr: Branches?
510
:Yeah, well, I wrote that in, in
the hospital, like, yeah, and
511
:it, and if you don't know that
context about it, it's not.
512
:that kind of a song
513
:Like it's like describing it with
that context here makes it sound
514
:like a real bummer of a song.
515
:It's not at all.
516
:It's like, it's a really pretty
song and I love it a lot.
517
:Um, and it, yeah, it's not, I don't
think it's a sad song at all, which
518
:is funny and, and weird, but yeah,
the branches is like my favorite one.
519
:Jason English (Host): would that
be the best representation of you?
520
:Jacob Furr: Um, just cause it's
in like a major key and it's like
521
:all about love and, uh, yeah.
522
:It's got a cool guitar part.
523
:Like I love little guitar parts.
524
:Like the intro to that song is like
this, like, doo, doo, doo, doo, doo.
525
:That goes to this like weird seven chord.
526
:I just love little things like that.
527
:So like, it has a lot of things
that I really like and try to
528
:keep incorporating in later on.
529
:So I can hear parts in later songs
that are coming from that sort of.
530
:Idea for branches.
531
:Jason English (Host): All right.
532
:Jacob Furr: And lots of birds.
533
:I laugh.
534
:Lots of birds in my songs.
535
:So that song's like all about Birds.
536
:Jason English (Host): That's cool.
537
:All right.
538
:Uh, so that was one of your first songs.
539
:And then we talked about really
the last track of the last album,
540
:which is turning, which is again
about a new love potentially.
541
:And you mentioned the
relationship that you're in now,
542
:Jacob Furr: Yeah.
543
:Jason English (Host): you know,
since when your wife passed, how
544
:long was it, was it, was the process.
545
:For you to, to sort of put yourself
back out there, you know, like, was
546
:that, did you, was it a, was it a bit?
547
:Jacob Furr: it took a little bit.
548
:I mean, being that young when it
happened, I think had a lot to do with
549
:um, getting back out quickly, almost
within two years, maybe just because
550
:like when something like that happens
to you when you're that young, what
551
:I've now realized in hindsight is um,
It's not that the heart repairs fast.
552
:It's just life is moving so quickly at
that point when you're 26 that having
553
:something like that doesn't Stop the flow
of everyone else's life around you and
554
:it doesn't stop the flow of your life
And so you have to learn really fast
555
:how to incorporate that stuff into it.
556
:And that's like the unique Challenge
of grieving when you're in your you
557
:know early 20 that not a lot of people
There's not a lot of resources out
558
:there for it And there's not a lot
of people that talk about it because
559
:Jason English (Host):
because I mean, you were so
560
:Jacob Furr: that age Yeah people yeah
people that age are just sort of expected
561
:to pick up and move on because you can
you're young and you have the energy
562
:to Hop back into life in general.
563
:Um, so yeah, it wasn't like a long time
afterwards, but it wasn't, you know,
564
:it You know, it was like a year, a year
and a half or so, something like that.
565
:So yeah, but it's been, um, yeah, it's
been an interesting journey ever since
566
:then, like trying to sort of reintegrate
yourself into life with this sort of thing
567
:that like, cause I don't hide it, right?
568
:Like it's on, it's on a website.
569
:You can like read about it on,
it's a part, it's a main part
570
:of the art that I've created.
571
:It's a main part of my life story.
572
:Um, so yeah, it's, it's an
interesting challenge to sort of
573
:incorporate that into daily life when.
574
:You know, you meet, I'll meet, like,
older people that, um, will be, will,
575
:sort of judge me for being a young guy
that doesn't have any experience, and
576
:I'm just like, you just have to eat
it sometimes, be like, that's fine,
577
:like, you can think that about me,
because, you know, it's okay, but I've
578
:been through some stuff, you know,
579
:Jason English (Host): no, seriously.
580
:Well, I would, I would imagine
also that being a musician
581
:doesn't make dating.
582
:More simple,
583
:Jacob Furr: No, yeah,
584
:Jason English (Host): when you, you know,
so when you take your, the history that
585
:you've had and the heartbreak and the
tragedy, and then you add the fact that
586
:like, you're, you know, your profession
and lifestyle, it can't be easy to,
587
:Jacob Furr: It's not a,
it's not a good combo.
588
:No, it's really not.
589
:Um, I mean, it is for the right person.
590
:Um, but yeah, it's not easy to, to sort
of, um, out that puzzle and be like,
591
:Hey, this is what I do for a living.
592
:Also, I have this whole thing and
also that whole thing, that story
593
:is like the main piece of art that
I create all the time, you know?
594
:So yeah, it takes a, it takes a special
person to be able to handle that.
595
:And,
596
:Jason English (Host): Yeah, they
gotta be really, really secure, right?
597
:Jacob Furr: yeah, really secure and
just, um, But it's also taken me a
598
:long time to like become the person
that can sort of talk about those,
599
:those things and not let it affect me
in my daily sort of stuff, you know?
600
:So it's a two way street.
601
:It's not just like looking for somebody
like just accept you, you know, as you
602
:are, you have to be like, okay, how am
I putting myself back into the world?
603
:And am I doing it in this like
respectful way to the past and to, you
604
:know, whoever's around me right now.
605
:Jason English (Host): Yeah.
606
:Well, yeah.
607
:Good for you.
608
:Jacob Furr: a tough line.
609
:It's a tough line to walk.
610
:I'm not gonna lie.
611
:Jason English (Host): No, I can't.
612
:Yeah, I can't imagine.
613
:Um, So in terms of where you're at with
your career, I think, you know, you're,
614
:you do, you make albums, you, you perform.
615
:And I think I saw where you teach guitar,
616
:Jacob Furr: I teach
guitar three days a week.
617
:Jason English (Host): That's really cool.
618
:And it's all people of all ages, right?
619
:Jacob Furr: Yeah.
620
:It's people of all ages.
621
:And that was a post pandemic thing.
622
:A friend of mine, I kind of
music school and said, Hey,
623
:do you want to come do this?
624
:And I was like, yeah, I need money.
625
:So I started doing it and yeah,
I've really, I've really enjoyed it.
626
:It's, it's very challenging, like,
and very mentally, um, taxing, but it
627
:gives me good structure for my week.
628
:And it gives me like I'm learning stuff
all the time Like I have to show people
629
:how to do stuff on the guitar and like
oh, I I don't even I don't know How I did
630
:that but like let me like Learn relearn
this thing and show you how to do this.
631
:So it's been a good thing to do.
632
:So
633
:Jason English (Host): that's great.
634
:Jacob Furr: it helps
635
:Jason English (Host): that's good.
636
:I, what's interesting in some of the
conversations I've had, there's a,
637
:there's a guy that's in Nashville,
actually a Wyatt Edmondson.
638
:And I talked to him in January.
639
:He's one example, but really
it's almost everybody.
640
:Um, I'm really impressed with
like the hustle of musicians.
641
:You know, a lot of people would think,
Oh, they're the ones that are like,
642
:you know, artsy and just care about,
you know, the craft and looking good
643
:or sounding good and stuff, but.
644
:For the most part There's so much going
on behind the scenes That you know, I
645
:really appreciate the hustle and like
the teaching guitar is an example of
646
:Jacob Furr: It's a whole lot of work.
647
:Yeah.
648
:I mean, yeah.
649
:Cause yeah, you've got to be
hustling on your promotion side.
650
:You gotta be hustling on
your, like, you gotta create.
651
:More stuff like you have to You're
there to make music like that's the
652
:life that you chose, but then yeah also
teaching guitars like having another
653
:job Like on top of all of that job,
you know, and so it's hard to keep
654
:them separated sometimes and like It's
hard to still love guitar after three
655
:days of teaching guitar sometimes.
656
:And you're like, man, I really need to
sit down and write some stuff, but I just
657
:do not want to play guitar right now.
658
:So it's, yeah, it's a lot
of, it's a lot of work.
659
:It's a lot of hustle and you gotta,
you just gotta do it these days.
660
:It's the way to do it.
661
:Jason English (Host): You
gotta break out the banjo.
662
:Jacob Furr: Yeah.
663
:I, I had a banjo that I sold
for rent one time, so yeah.
664
:Jason English (Host): Oh my gosh.
665
:Wow.
666
:All right.
667
:Thanks so much for joining us for
another episode of Curious Goldfish.
668
:Please follow and subscribe to
the podcast and on social media.
669
:Also tell your music loving
friends about us too.
670
:Until next time, stay curious.
