ROB DRABKIN
''LIVE VOL. II, DISC TWO''
2015
93:25
**********
DISC ONE
01 - Down to Fate 05:53
02 - Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes 10:29
03 - Little Steps 06:04
04 - Hope In A Hopeless World 04:47
05 - She Comes and Goes (feat. Harry Drabkin) 08:17
06 - The Boy in the Bubble (feat. Garrett Sayers) 09:28
07 - A Bird Lost 04:08
*****
DISC TWO
01 - Stay (The Morning Light Fades) 05:40
02 - That's How Strong My Love Is 06:51
03 - Sweet Things 06:57
04 - Solsbury Hill 04:54
05 - Feeling Good Again 05:12
06 - For You I Would Die 04:18
07 - Sophisticated Lady; Lullaby 05:13
08 - Girl from Country Floors 05:08
**********
ABOUT THE ALBUM
jambase.com
Colorado rocker Rob Drabkin follows the critically-acclaimed 2013 album Little Steps with today’s release of a 15-track live album titled Live Vol. II. The LP was recorded at The Bluebird Theater in Denver on January 17, 2014. “Our first live album in 2012, a tribute to Paul Simon’s Graceland, was a game changer for us,” said Rob. “It shifted the perception of my music from a mellow solo/singer-songwriter to a full band, jam rocking machine.”
One of the tracks on the new LP is a glorious cover of Paul Simon’s “The Boy In The Bubble” off his iconic Graceland album. Drabkin’s version of the tune laid down in Denver includes a vicious bass duel between Garrett Sayers of The Motet and ‘Bijoux’ Barbosa.
“In 2012 we covered Paul Simon’s Graceland album for a few live shows in Colorado. Afterwards ‘The Boy In The Bubble’ was a track we couldn’t shake from the setlist. Though it’s not the most famous on the Graceland album, ‘The Boy In The Bubble’ seemed to resonate stronger than some of others. It’s powerful. The song pulls out these scenes of modern life and strips them down into roots of hope and loss. Then the great chorus, ‘These are the days of miracle and wonder,’ hits and it just leaves me thinking, ‘Yup, that’s what life is about.’ I love that moment,” Drabkin tells JamBase about the Simon cover.
“Musically, I think this was the trickiest one to learn from the Graceland album. A fun playful African feel drives the song, but a lot of rhythmic intricacies go into it. Once we nailed those, it easily became one of the most fun to play. And a huge bonus we could fit in a break down and bass solo. As soon as I knew Garrett was sitting in, I knew this would be perfect to spotlight Garrett and Bijoux,” Drabkin adds.
**********
OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
The music of Rob Drabkin is spirited in nature, light from the heart and rocking on the six-string acoustic. The 70’s style afro is as unavoidable as his ubiquitous grin, but it’s his music that's put him on national tours and landed him sets at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in his hometown of Denver, Colorado. Rob and his band have become a force in the live scene, touring nationally as headliners and supporting acts such as John Butler Trio, Trevor Hall and Big Head Todd & The Monsters. Rob's full band performances are high-energy blending improvisation and rock while retaining an earnest singer/songwriter background.
Rob has made impressive creative strides in the past few years, and his most recent 2015 album shows just how far his live performances have come. With earnestness and originality, Drabkin and his band thrive within stylistic excursions that range from driving folk rock to understated experiments with classical musicians. His powerful vocals and syncopated guitar drive the soaring opener, "For You I Would Die" and his strumming complements top-notch keyboard and percussion work. “Little Steps,” the title track, takes the listener from zero to 60 on the first downbeat as a lively horn section heralds a sophisticated, feel good rock song.
In 2013 Rob released one of the most unique live albums to come out of Colorado, “Live At The Bluebird Theater 1.19.12” On this particular night, the band released a brand new set of originals as well as a cover of the legendary Paul Simon album, “Graceland” in it’s entirety. The sold-out show generated so much buzz world-renowned Boulder Theater and similar clubs around the country started soliciting Rob to headline. Since then theaters, festivals and Triple A radio stations around the country have caught onto Rob making him a staple in the national scene. He has received multiple invitations to perform live in KBCO along with serious airplay on Sirius XM, Music Choice, KINK, Triple M Radio and charting on Relix Magazine and FMQB.
Rob’s life was not always that of a full time touring and recording musician. He attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas where he studied Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Spanish in hopes of achieving an MD/PhD. Music had officially been sidelined as a hobby until he took a life-changing trip to New York with his family. "My Dad played Jazz full time 30 years before he got into medicine. We re-connected with his old musician friends and it was inspiring to see them playing night after night for so many years. That night I dropped science, dedicating myself to music, and finding a voice of my own. I never sang a note till that night. After school I moved in with my parents, spent every working hour practicing and honed all songwriting skills I could.” After writing enough songs for an open mic set, Rob stormed onto Denver’s music scene, setting his career in motion. He assembled a dream powerhouse band; featuring Brian McRae on drums, Bijoux Barbosa on bass, Eric Moon on keys and Dave Preston on electric guitar. Rob's career is in full motion as his latest effort "Live Vol. II" prepares him for his next national tour.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********
''LIVE VOL. II, DISC TWO''
2015
93:25
**********
DISC ONE
01 - Down to Fate 05:53
02 - Diamonds On the Soles of Her Shoes 10:29
03 - Little Steps 06:04
04 - Hope In A Hopeless World 04:47
05 - She Comes and Goes (feat. Harry Drabkin) 08:17
06 - The Boy in the Bubble (feat. Garrett Sayers) 09:28
07 - A Bird Lost 04:08
*****
DISC TWO
01 - Stay (The Morning Light Fades) 05:40
02 - That's How Strong My Love Is 06:51
03 - Sweet Things 06:57
04 - Solsbury Hill 04:54
05 - Feeling Good Again 05:12
06 - For You I Would Die 04:18
07 - Sophisticated Lady; Lullaby 05:13
08 - Girl from Country Floors 05:08
**********
ABOUT THE ALBUM
jambase.com
Colorado rocker Rob Drabkin follows the critically-acclaimed 2013 album Little Steps with today’s release of a 15-track live album titled Live Vol. II. The LP was recorded at The Bluebird Theater in Denver on January 17, 2014. “Our first live album in 2012, a tribute to Paul Simon’s Graceland, was a game changer for us,” said Rob. “It shifted the perception of my music from a mellow solo/singer-songwriter to a full band, jam rocking machine.”
One of the tracks on the new LP is a glorious cover of Paul Simon’s “The Boy In The Bubble” off his iconic Graceland album. Drabkin’s version of the tune laid down in Denver includes a vicious bass duel between Garrett Sayers of The Motet and ‘Bijoux’ Barbosa.
“In 2012 we covered Paul Simon’s Graceland album for a few live shows in Colorado. Afterwards ‘The Boy In The Bubble’ was a track we couldn’t shake from the setlist. Though it’s not the most famous on the Graceland album, ‘The Boy In The Bubble’ seemed to resonate stronger than some of others. It’s powerful. The song pulls out these scenes of modern life and strips them down into roots of hope and loss. Then the great chorus, ‘These are the days of miracle and wonder,’ hits and it just leaves me thinking, ‘Yup, that’s what life is about.’ I love that moment,” Drabkin tells JamBase about the Simon cover.
“Musically, I think this was the trickiest one to learn from the Graceland album. A fun playful African feel drives the song, but a lot of rhythmic intricacies go into it. Once we nailed those, it easily became one of the most fun to play. And a huge bonus we could fit in a break down and bass solo. As soon as I knew Garrett was sitting in, I knew this would be perfect to spotlight Garrett and Bijoux,” Drabkin adds.
**********
OFFICIAL BIOGRAPHY
The music of Rob Drabkin is spirited in nature, light from the heart and rocking on the six-string acoustic. The 70’s style afro is as unavoidable as his ubiquitous grin, but it’s his music that's put him on national tours and landed him sets at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in his hometown of Denver, Colorado. Rob and his band have become a force in the live scene, touring nationally as headliners and supporting acts such as John Butler Trio, Trevor Hall and Big Head Todd & The Monsters. Rob's full band performances are high-energy blending improvisation and rock while retaining an earnest singer/songwriter background.
Rob has made impressive creative strides in the past few years, and his most recent 2015 album shows just how far his live performances have come. With earnestness and originality, Drabkin and his band thrive within stylistic excursions that range from driving folk rock to understated experiments with classical musicians. His powerful vocals and syncopated guitar drive the soaring opener, "For You I Would Die" and his strumming complements top-notch keyboard and percussion work. “Little Steps,” the title track, takes the listener from zero to 60 on the first downbeat as a lively horn section heralds a sophisticated, feel good rock song.
In 2013 Rob released one of the most unique live albums to come out of Colorado, “Live At The Bluebird Theater 1.19.12” On this particular night, the band released a brand new set of originals as well as a cover of the legendary Paul Simon album, “Graceland” in it’s entirety. The sold-out show generated so much buzz world-renowned Boulder Theater and similar clubs around the country started soliciting Rob to headline. Since then theaters, festivals and Triple A radio stations around the country have caught onto Rob making him a staple in the national scene. He has received multiple invitations to perform live in KBCO along with serious airplay on Sirius XM, Music Choice, KINK, Triple M Radio and charting on Relix Magazine and FMQB.
Rob’s life was not always that of a full time touring and recording musician. He attended Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas where he studied Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Spanish in hopes of achieving an MD/PhD. Music had officially been sidelined as a hobby until he took a life-changing trip to New York with his family. "My Dad played Jazz full time 30 years before he got into medicine. We re-connected with his old musician friends and it was inspiring to see them playing night after night for so many years. That night I dropped science, dedicating myself to music, and finding a voice of my own. I never sang a note till that night. After school I moved in with my parents, spent every working hour practicing and honed all songwriting skills I could.” After writing enough songs for an open mic set, Rob stormed onto Denver’s music scene, setting his career in motion. He assembled a dream powerhouse band; featuring Brian McRae on drums, Bijoux Barbosa on bass, Eric Moon on keys and Dave Preston on electric guitar. Rob's career is in full motion as his latest effort "Live Vol. II" prepares him for his next national tour.
**********
WEBSITE
**********
TO THE TOP
**********