A Pirate Looks at 10

The other day, I had a post on our blog entitled “BEACH Playlist”. I had some great comments from readers on favorite songs and artists and even got a few new ones to look up – and I LOVE finding new tunes to add to my collection.

One comment in particular piqued my interest and it came from Rum Therapy Facebook friend Liz Morton. Her comment – “My favorite beach music is my 10 year old son Fletcher, his Little Martin guitar, and all of the Buffett, Eagles, Scott Kirby, and Bob Marley tunes in his repertoire!” Liz attached a link to a You Tube video and I thought what the heck – half expecting to just see a young kiddo strumming (without playing the chords) and singing a few words of a Jimmy song.

A few seconds into the video, I realized Fletcher was not just a cute kid making a fun video for mom, but a talented young man.
Not that I’m an expert, but I actually did teach private music lessons for, well, let’s just say – a lot of years and am impressed with not only his guitar skills, but his musicality. I mean, this young man FEELS the music and genuinely looks as if he loves what he’s doing! And – at 10, he’s not only playing and singing songs from Jimmy Buffet, the Eagles, Elton John and more, he’s already getting booked for gigs! I asked if I could interview Fletcher about his music career so far and here is what I learned:

1. When did you first become interested in music?
I have always loved music!  I started playing guitar when I was 7 years old.  The first concert I attended was Bruce Hornsby when I was 2 years old.  I went to an Eagles concert last year and saw Jimmy Buffett for the first time in West Palm Beach on 4-23-11.

2. Tell me a little about your musical background.
I have an ear for music.  I hear something and pick it on the guitar!  My mom plays the mandolin and my dad plays brass instruments. I have taken lessons from David Keith and Jim Liberato but right now I am learning by myself.  I also play the keyboard a little bit.

3. What other musicians do you listen to and admire?
Jimmy Buffett, The Eagles, Elton John, Ella Fitzgerald, John Hiatt, Styx, The Who, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, B.B King, Zac Brown, Bing Crosby, Nat King Cole, Bob Marley, and Sam Cooke.

4. Do you have other hobbies or what else do you like to do?
My hobbies are acting, singing, dancing, learning to fly airplanes, and learning all about space.

5. What grade are you in?
I am in 5th grade.

6. What kind of guitar do you play?
I play a Little Martin LX1E that my Grandpa bought for me.  I also have a full size 1960’s Sears Silvertone electric guitar from my Uncle Allan but I’ll have to grow into that one.

7. Do you have a favorite type (genre) of music, ie: rock, country, jazz.etc?
I like all genres except rap and whiny girl music.

8. Do you do a lot of gigs or performances? What’s your favorite song to play?
I’ve played at Vintage Guitar Closet, Wahoo’s, The Key Lime Cafe, Finz, and the Lyric Theatre here in Stuart, FL.  I also got to open for Scott Kirby in Klamath Falls, Oregon last year.    My favorite song to play is You Belong To the City by Glenn Frey.

9. Do you write some of your own music?
I have written one original song called I Like Earth The Way It is.  It’s about an alien coming down to earth, bringing some humans back to his planet for his birthday, and then bringing them back to Earth.  My favorite part of the song is when I make spaceship noises at the end.

10. I’m sure some of the music you like to play may have lyrics that are a little innapropriate for your age. How do you handle that?
If there are bad words, I make up my own words for that part of the song.  For example, when I play LA Freeway by Guy Clark, I say “that crazy gremlin” instead of the bad words.

11. How does playing music make you feel?
Playing music makes me happy! My guitar is my heart, soul, and life.
12. What other artist would you most like to play with?
I would love to play with Jimmy Buffett one day.

13. What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
I want to be a ROCK STAR! I also want to be an airplane pilot and a super star on the stage and in movies, TV shows, and musicals.

14. How can people find out where you’re playing?
My mom and dad post my gigs on my facebook page http://www.facebook.com/FletcherMorton . You can see videos of my performances there too.

15. Is there anything else you’d like us to know?
My favorite part of performing is making people happy.  I like it when girls watch me play and think I’m cute!

So there you have it! Considering Jimmy didn’t even start to take this music thing serious until he was in college, Fletcher has gotten a pretty good start – and I’d love to see him up there strumming with Mr. Buffett someday!

So, listen and enjoy as this 10 year pirate sings and plays JB’s “A Pirate Looks at 40”.