The ins and outs of “radio tour” are not well known to fans, but it is essentially a right of passage for new artists. It is said to be one the most grueling parts of a country musician’s career. Artists tour radio stations around the U.S. to promote their debut single, and hope for that “add” when the time comes. They perform to either station employees, or a crowd of listeners that the station brings in. In one day an artist can visit not only multiple stations, but also multiple cities. Imagine going on a job interview 3 times a day for 3 months, oh yeah and each one is in a different city. Ummm, yep, that sounds pretty grueling. However, these artists do it for the love of their music.
Cale Dodds has been on his radio tour since mid-January and will continue through March. His debut single, “Take You Back,” will go to radio on March 26. He has spent this week popping up all around Florida country stations. I’ve had the pleasure of being able to see two of Dodds’ radio tour performances. One was in Ohio 2 weeks ago where he played at a local bar, and then yesterday in my home town of Orlando at K92.3FM. The afternoon began with a promo video of Dodds, and we were then shown his music video for “Take You Back.” He performed 4 songs acoustically to an audience of about 25, plus radio employees. If Dodds wasn’t so talented as a musician, I would say he missed his calling as a stand up comedian. Luckily for us, he’s found a way to combine the two. He had the crowd laughing pretty much any time he wasn’t singing. He took photos with those in attendance, and was then soon whisked away to do his next radio tour duties.
We normally try to keep these write ups unbiased and just describe the event. Please allow me a little leniency at this point. As I said, Orlando is my hometown. I grew up listening to K92.3. I’ve known Cale Dodds for almost 4 years, and he’s become a good friend. I’ve seen him bust his butt touring, working for & getting a publishing deal, working for & getting a record deal, etc… It was pretty special to get to go to the station I’ve listened to for, we’ll just say a very long time, and see my dear friend live out his dream. To say I’m proud would be an understatement. So, congratulations Cale on this achievement. The best is yet to come! Y’all be sure to ask your local stations to play “Take You Back” starting on the 26th!
Take a look at our video recap below.
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