Robert Abernathy Is On The Hook For His “Big Bass Problem”

In 1995, as part of a vocal group from his home state of Alabama, Robert Abernathy won the annual Nashville Starbound Competition at the Grand Old Opry House. The future looked promising for the young singer-songwriter—until his band separated later the following year. Then, life took over, but from time to time, he'd dust off the six-string, play his favorite Eagles tunes, write a song or two and then get back to his commitments.

When a friend suggested in 2009 he starts gigging around town and get back to what brought him joy, he humbly accepted and garnered attention which took him to play solo shows and attract the accolade of being named the #1 Country Artist by The Bash (formerly Gigmaster) from 2016-2021 and Alabama Male Country Artist of the Year in 2018.

At 48 years young, Robert Abernathy is fulfilling his destiny and bringing forth the country bop, "Bigg Bass Problem," to your speakers. Inspired by a text from his son while on a military assignment in the Mojave Desert, this playful and infectious record celebrates a borderline unhealthy obsession with - you guessed it - fishing. Robert Abernathy pokes fun at himself and adds brilliant glimmers of humor to this record and music video.

Kicking off with him asking Siri to send his wife a message that he's gone fishing, you know you're in for a feel-good riot of laughter. Directed and produced by Luis Ernesto Gonzalez Hernandez, Robert Abernathy is up to no good in Mark's Outdoor Sports store in Birmingham, Alabama, as he raids the shelves and acts silly busting a move with his friends and team of avid fishermen.

Trying their luck on the lake, making some solid b-roll footage, we love how Robert Abernathy tours us through the various spots of his city while emphasizing his fishing problem. So much so that he runs into trouble back at Mark's Outdoor Sports; the police officers that chase him down have better luck catching Robert than he did catching a fish that day.

All in the name of fun and bold country anthems, you can't help but smile and sing the words to "Big Bass Problem" out loud. Robert Abernathy provides excellent entertainment, from a pastime to passion to winding up in therapy over his habits.

As the video ends, we're met with the words 'To Be Continued' placed over the screen as the visuals fade to black. We'll see how this pans out as Robert Abernathy lures us in for more.

Welcome to BuzzMusic, Robert Abernathy! We're thrilled to have you chatting with us about the release of "Big Bass Problem." Let's start from the beginning! How did a text message from your son ultimately create this wave?

I get ideas all the time from people. I’m a teacher too, and I have songs in my catalog that were also born from hooks given to me by students. I received a random text message in May 2022 from my son, Alex, who came up with the idea from a conversation while on Military assignment in the Mojave Desert. It simply read, “Big Bass Problems.” I thought it was a great idea, but we were in the middle of planning to move to Nashville, and it got put on the back burner. Later in the year, while searching through my “hook book” I was reminded of this idea, and the song was born. I envisioned a guy who was helplessly drawn to the lake and needed serious therapy. I reached out to my co-writer, Durand Robinson, and we finished the song in no time.

The concept for the music video is so witty and hilarious, and it fits right into the scope of this song perfectly. How did this idea come to life?

We tossed around so many ideas. Ultimately, we dialed in the idea that the problem was so severe that he needed to be in a 12-step program. He has a one-track mind and is so consumed with ideas of finding the perfect lake, fixing a tangled spool, and catching every fish down at the bottom, that he doesn't have any desire to work a job or answer his phone. Once we had finished writing, we thought it would be great if we could make the entire song a text message to his wife through “Siri.”

Being filmed in several destinations, how long did it take you to put this together? What was it like on set and working with everyone to bring this idea to fruition?

On a Sunday, we had a crew of dozens of people that took over Mark’s Outdoors in Birmingham, AL. The store was closed, and they were gracious enough to open the doors and let us have free reign inside the store. The entire cast, which consisted of my band, a few officers, and a former student, Riley White, as the therapist, made the store our playground for much of the video. We had a good idea of what we wanted in the video, but someone once said, “what if you got tased trying to leave the store with a trophy bass off the wall.” It was a unanimous YES, LET’S TRY IT, and we got that entire shot in just two takes. The second part of the video was shot on a lake 30 minutes down the road on a boat supplied by Browns Outboard Marine in Glencoe, AL. We had to find a lake that was in close proximity and could accommodate the cast for this video, and for the second one we shot on that day.

With over 300 original songs in your untapped catalog, what can you tell us about the coming music?

Interestingly, this video is PART 1 of the second video we shot on the lake that day. PART 2 is a song titled “You Can't Have My Boat,” which will be released sometime in late February. The same character's struggle with "Big Bass Problems" leads to serious marital issues. These two songs are in the same vein of humor. I have a whole album completed, and we will follow these songs up with one light-hearted country song after another for the next several months.

How long have you worked on this catalog?

This entire project has been a year in the making. I have been waiting for the right opportunity to release it. After signing a record deal with Destiny Records, I felt we were already ahead of the game to get these songs out to the public. Most of the songs featured on this album are a stab at a country way of living with a bit of humor.

Have you found that relocating yourself and your family has helped you create more efficiently and towards your goals?

While living in Birmingham and finishing up a 25-year teaching career, the move was inevitable. I had been driving back and forth to Nashville playing shows on Broadway, joining in on writers' rounds, and attending various songwriting opportunities. We felt like the move was one step closer to making a run at writing songs and performing at a level I had always dreamt of. We have so much more ahead that we are excited for everyone to hear!

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