Rob Drabkin

Rob Drabkin

Rob Drabkin warmed up for Trevor Hall at the Fox Theater in Boulder Colorado on August 15, 2009 and within seconds of hitting the stage had the packed house in the palm of his hand. There are way too many comparisons of who Rob is like but for the benefit of those who have not heard this incredibly talented artists first hand lets just say…

he is a cross between Jack Johnson, Dave Mathews and Jackie Green, does that help, probably not. Just do yourself a favor and go to his website by clicking on his name above and find out where he is playing next and check him out. Then you can be one of the lucky ones that can say I say Rob Drabkin before he blew out of Denver like a shooting star. He won the Westword Music Showcase and the write in vote to get to play the prestigious Mile High Music Festival 2009.

Here are what others are saying about him:

“The surprise of the night was the middle act, Denver’s Rob Drabkin. Taking the stage armed with an acoustic guitar, a djembe (small acoustic drum) player and an afro that would have made a Will It Go Round In Circles-era Billy Preston proud, Drabkin lit into the first of many short stories told with guitar and drum….His intricate finger picking method and character driven songs got our attention. With a voice and song structure not too far from Dave Matthews, just this side of Jack Johnson, Drabkin won me over… By the end of his set, I was a fan, bringing his cd home for closer inspection.” – A.J. Crandall, KINK FM Radio. Show Review Oct 6th, 2008.

“Drabkin did it again.
This time, he added a viola, a saxophone, an upright bass and background vocals to his already charming voice. Drabkin’s five-songE.P. is a pleasant release to tide fans over. For a while.
The Denver resident has been exploding in the local scene for the past couple of years. His afro, coupled with his guitar and serene voice, is all the singer/songwriter really needs to make our town go round.

“Rob Drabkin somewhat mirrors Jack Johnson. Not so much in a musical way, but in a singer/songwriter way that will shoot him from MySpace to MTV faster than he can cut his distinctive hair. People were obsessing about Jack Johnson in 1997 when he appeared on Napster and now, almost 10 years later, his name is as common as a hipster drinking a PBR and riding a Vespa. If he keeps this up, he will shoot out of the local scene faster than The Fray”
–The Colorado Daily.

Many people choose music, but for others music chooses them. Rob began playing the electric guitar at age 11, learning note-for-note solos of every Metallica and Guns ‘N Roses tune he could find. He moved from metal to jazz when he enrolled in his school’s jazz ensemble. Here he was exposed to an array of new artists, rhythms, chords, and most importantly, the beauty of improvisation. Noticing his natural talent for the instrument, guitar virtuoso Ted Reece took Rob on as a private student. Reece introduced him to the acoustic guitar while helping him develop his ear and strengthen his playing. After high school Rob attended Trinity University in San Antonio. Throughout college, Rob maintained music only as a hobby and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in Biochemistry/Molecular Biology and Spanish.

His academic aspirations suddenly halted one evening in New York City when it dawned on him he also wanted to sing. Having never sung a note in his life, Rob began spending six to eight hours a day, developing his voice and songwriting skills. With a unique voice, an incredible guitar style, and a handful of original tunes, Rob stormed onto Denver’s local music scene, leaving audiences impressed. Within a mere week of open stages, he was offered his first gig at Arvada’s D-Note. Shortly thereafter, he was playing to full crowds at Boulder’s legendary Fox Theatre and in March 2007 they invited Rob as the main support for their sold-out 15th anniversary show with The John Butler Trio.

Over the past three years, Rob has toured across the country supporting long time Dave Matthews collaborator, Tim Reynolds and British band, Back Door Slam. Rob has performed for former President Bill Clinton, Senators Ken Salazar and Bob Hernandez, and Congressman John Salazar and to crowds at The Democratic National Convention in August 2008. His music has been in rotation on Sirius Channel 30: The Coffee House, 93.3 KTCL, 102.3 KCUV and 99.5 The Mountain, and 101.5 The Independent Alternative. 97.3 KBCO has invited Rob to perform in its world renowned Studio C twice.

In his three years on the music scene, Rob has shared the stage with many amazing and talented artists including: Colin Hay, Matthew Moon, Raul Midon, Reed Foehl, The Wood Brothers, Back Door Slam, Katie Herzig, Kevin Mileski, Jim Bianco, Rebecca Folsom, Kate Nash, Nina Storey, Kinetix, Leon Russell, Gregory Alan Isakov, Jessica Sonner, Lucy Kaplansky, Tim Reynolds, Jonah Werner, Vonnegut, The John Butler Trio, Dan Craig, Trace Bundy, Aaron Espe, and The Flobots.

A Rob Drabkin show can range from a small club, him on stage solo with his Martin, to a venue such as Boulder’s Fox Theatre packed with 300 people, him on stage with a full band, complete with bass, drum kit, keys, tenor saxophone, cellos, a violin, and the occasional accordion. Regardless of the venue or fellow performers, Rob can hold an audience captive, playing a variety of songs from sappy ballads to drinking songs, tossed together with the occasional cover that ranges from Disney to Paul Simon to Nelly. Any Rob Drabkin show is entertaining and his career consistently advances as he gains fans and recognition wherever he plays.
Rob recently released a full band studio album recorded in late 2008.

“What sets Drabkin apart is his sizable talent as both a singer and guitarist. Lots of people can sing, and lots of people can play guitar, but very few people can blow an audience away with both at the same time. Those that can are now household names – John Mayer, Damien Rice, Dave Matthews. Drabkin is on this level. His crisp voice smoothly blankets his audience with an attentive comfort, and his ability to simultaneously execute complicated guitar riffs is enough to impress the most seasoned musician.“
- Jesse Walker of The Flobots, Colorado Music Buzz -View Website

For a complete set of photos from this performance see the Flickr set:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/30893898@N08/sets/72157622034541121/

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 15th, 2009 at 10:00 am. It is filed under Live music reviews, Past shows and tagged with Fox Theater, Rob Drabkin. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.