Kurt Deimer doesn’t want to be boxed in. On his debut double album “And So It Begins…”, the Cincinnati-born rocker lays out a sprawling introduction that blends storytelling, collaboration, and a refusal to stay in one lane. It’s a record built to be consumed as a journey, not as a collection of singles shuffled in a playlist.
“Since I started recording four years ago, Chris Lord-Alge and I have built up over thirty songs just sitting in Dropbox,” Deimer says. “I told him, let’s do a debut double album like the ones I used to love back in the day. Let’s tell the story and introduce Kurt Deimer to everyone.”
The 20-plus-track release does exactly that, pulling from Deimer’s life experiences—struggles with addiction, resilience, and the drive to remain authentic. “If people have an open mind and purchase ‘And So It Begins…’, it’ll take you on a journey,” he explains. “It won’t pigeonhole you into hearing the same song over and over again. The lyrics are coming from my heart and my experiences—beliefs about being a good person, being respectful, taking care of each other. Just the simple principles we’ve lost in life.”
The record also finds Deimer in the company of heavyweights. Bon Jovi’s Phil X co-wrote and shredded across multiple tracks, helping sculpt songs like “Naive” and “Back at the School.” Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate turns Burn Together into what feels like a lost cut from the band’s classic era. “Geoff loved it,” Deimer says. “His voice doing the echoes and higher parts mixed with my low voice telling the tale—it was a magical experience. Geoff put all of Geoff Tate into that, and I can’t thank him enough.”
Deimer sees the project as both a calling card and a blueprint for where he’s headed. “I wanted to reimpose values on people and just make them think,” he says. “We don’t have to be mean to each other. We’ve got one life—let’s all get along, have a good time. Maybe one song touches someone in a way they didn’t think was possible and enhances their life.”
That ethos extends to the diversity of the record itself, which zigzags from covers of Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar” and The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm” to hard-driving originals that highlight his baritone growl. “Nobody wants to hear the same thing over and over again,” Deimer insists. “Look at Post Malone or Jelly Roll—they’re all over the board. That’s what I want to do too. People say, ‘Kurt, you’ve got a deep voice, you’re a southern rock guy.’ No—I can experiment. Some songs will resonate, some won’t. But that’s how you grow.”
If “And So It Begins…” is Deimer’s opening statement, he makes it clear the next chapter will be even louder. “The second album—which, by the way, is killer as fuck—is only going to draw more attention,” he says with a laugh. “That’s why I want to put it out as soon as possible, so people can see the progression in my musical journey.”
For an artist who built his own oil company above a garage and later found himself acting alongside John Travolta, the determination tracks. Kurt Deimer is used to betting on himself, and with “And So It Begins…”, he’s doubling down. “I just want to introduce the world to who Kurt Deimer is,” he says.
Watch Skratch N Sniff’s full interview with Kurt Deimer below!