MUSIC

Goode's Armadillo Palace is proud to welcome Jimmy Kaiser.  With Ryan Carroll (acoustic)!

Jimmy Kaiser (pictured) knows that life is about making choices. After all, the budding Texas country rocker has already made some big choices in his young life: leaving the security of a well-paying job to pursue his musical dreams, and then moving on from the comfort of the rising Texas country act he led with his brother to go it alone as an artist.

Kaiser shares his aspirations, life questions and the lessons he's learned with his growing legion of devoted fans in songs like "Always Searching." Their appreciation for what he offers is witnessed by the way they pack themselves at the front of the stage and sing along with his words.

And with his new album, I'm Gone, Kaiser's followers now have a dozen more numbers to add their voices to. "How do you know when you're headed down the right road? How do you know which way to go? How do you know when to follow your dreams or how do you know when to let go?"

They're notions that the Beaumont-reared Kaiser didn't initially expect to be pondering. He thought his life would be normal. He did what all good Texas boys do: he worked hard, got into a good school (Texas Tech), earned his degree, and then landed a solid, well-paying job selling pharmaceuticals.

Though he had always dabbled in music and fronted several bands in his youth, he did what most people do with their dreams - put them up on a shelf where they collected a bit of dust while he lived the life he thought was expected of him. But when given the choice between having security and living out his passion, Kaiser chose the road that his heart suggested without reservation.

The boyishly good-looking country rocker didn't plan on being a performer, but somewhere along the way it became glaringly clear that an ordinary life was not an option that would work for Jimmy Kaiser. Because back before he toted a briefcase of drugs - the medicinal and legal kind - Kaiser carried around his guitar, playing at family functions and local parties, often teaming up with his younger brother David Lee.

A onetime choir boy, he always thought of himself more as a singer than a guitar player. He picked up bass when he was thirteen and then moved to acoustic guitar before being joined by David on the drums for late night jams in the barn out back behind their house on Spurlock Road - a now famed locale in the growing Kaiser legend.  After high school, Kaiser attended a local college before heading west to Lubbock to study at Texas Tech. His songwriting skills took shape there as he found an interest in analyzing poetry and honed his songwriting craft in a creative writing course.

After graduation, Kaiser returned to Beaumont, donned a three-piece suit, and entered the business world of pharmaceutical sales. So began long days on his feet knocking on doctor's doors and nights entertaining them with corporate credit cards.  On evenings when he wasn't working, Kaiser began dabbling in music again. Eventually he and David Lee joined a local band called Honky Tonk Jones. After a short stint with the group, Jimmy and David ventured out on their own.

He was making a nice paycheck selling allergy medicine, but when the suit came off at the end of the day, his music was also flourishing. In time, Kaiser realized that the safe and secure life wasn't meant for him, not even close.  Then one November day, the list of resumes on that manager's desk went to 99. He hung his suit in the closet, turned in his corporate credit card, abandoned the security of his day job, and told his manager, "I'm gone."

He then dusted off his love for music, and hasn't looked back since. Kaiser walked away from it all to pursue a life far more fulfilling than the trying existence of a salesman.  People have called him crazy for walking away from the safety of a fat paycheck, but Kaiser disregards such comments. He has never been a man who lived to regret, and so far his choice to follow music has not done him wrong.