Category Archives: “Rob Roper”

Playing music in The Netherlands

"Rob Roper", Chicago Mike Beck, Holland, songwriting, The Netherlands

For the past week and a half I’ve been in The Netherlands. I was hanging out with Chicago Mike Beck on the Netherlands leg of his European tour. Mike did a presentation about playing in Europe at the Lyons Song School last August, and I decided to come over and check it out. Mike was gracious enough to let me hang out with him, and play a few songs to open his shows here.

Mike plays a rocking acoustic show, mostly blues-rock in style, playing mostly popular covers but also his own songs, which are good. He uses a looping pedal so he can play guitar solos over the chords, and was usually joined by two great Dutch musicians on keyboard and bass, Tim and Eibe. He’s been doing this for several years now and has a following in Holland. Check out his website, mikebeck.us.

Here’s where I played:

Sunday April 28: arrive in Amsterdam.
Monday April 27: open mic/jam at the Oude Pothuys in Utrecht.
Tuesday April 28: open mic at Sappho in Amsterdam.
Wednesday April 29: open for Chicago Mike at Scooters in Drachten.
Thursday April 30: open for Chicago Mike at Scooters in Leeuwarden.
Friday May 1: open for Chicago Mike at Skutsje in Haarlingen.
Saturday May 2: open for Chicago Mike at De Gouden Leeuw in Geldermalsen.
Sunday May 3: open for Chicago Mike at Café de Merckt in Tiel.
Monday May 4: a day off! went to the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam.
Tuesday May 5: open mic at Cafe Averecht in Utrecht.
Wednesday May 6: another day off. Slacker.
Thursday May 7: open mic at Skek in Amsterdam.
Friday May 8: back to Denver.

It’s been a good trip. I’ve learned about some of the places to play and made contacts, met some great Dutch musicians and made some new fans. And I learned from Mike about some of the logistics of playing here. I plan to set up some gigs for myself and come back sometime in the next year.

Another thing that was reinforced on this trip is the primacy of the music in songwriting. Almost all the Dutch speak English–some very well. But I could tell when I was singing my songs that, for many of them, they missed the nuances of the lyrics– slang words, metaphors, etc. So in choosing which songs to play, I started using the songs where I created a good melody, and/or had an interesting rhythm. The English language is not universal but music is.

-Rob

How to Describe your Music

"Rob Roper", Ariel Hyatt, Derek Sivers, describing your music, marketing your music

When I meet someone in a band, or a solo performer, I ask “what kind of music do you play”. Frequently they’ll say, “I don’t know, I can’t really describe it. My music is original and unique”. That doesn’t help me decide if I want to pay money to go see them, or buy their cd. “Original and unique” is great, but it doesn’t mean I’ll like it.

But that’s exactly what I do when people ask me about my music. I fumble around; I’ll say it’s a little this, a little that… I really don’t know how to describe my music.

That’s a problem. It doesn’t help get people interested in coming to hear me.

There was an interesting blog about this by Derek Sivers, a video with Ariel Hyatt about the need to be able to describe the your music in a short phrase, see

So I’m trying to come up with a description that’s reasonably accurate that would help people know what kind of music I play.

Several months ago I put some songs up on the folkalley.com website just to see what sort of reactions I would get. A songwriter friend told me, “you know, you’re music isn’t folk music at all”. Another songwriter friend told me “you know, you play true folk music”. Aarghh! Not helpful! Or is it?

I’ve been playing solo acoustic for the last few years, but that’s only because I got away from playing electric guitar in bands to focus on songwriting. Once I get a bass player and drummer, I plan to pick up the electric guitar again. Then I doubt anyone will use the term “folk” to describe my music.

Last year I asked some friends to describe my music, and they wrote some wonderful things, which I put on my website, and my myspace site. That was great, and I’ve been using those quotes. Tim Riordan said I’m “a rock and roller and raconteur with an acoustic guitar”. I like that. But I still need a simple category that most people will understand.

I suppose I could say “acoustic rock” or “folk rock”.

“Alternative rock” lost its meaning a year after it was invented. “Alternative” quickly meant “mainstream”. I fear “indie rock” will soon suffer the same fate.

Any suggestions for me? Got an opinion on this subject in general?

-Rob

Recording a 2nd EP

"Rob Roper", recording

Today I scheduled a recording session at Swallow Hill in Denver for May 21. As of now, my plan is to make a 5-song EP of songs I’ve been playing for the last year or so. I’ll record the 3 songs I wrote a year ago– “Like a Child”, “Me”, and “You Could Have Had Me”, and two of the first songs I wrote that I didn’t put on my DIY record, “Daddy’s Little Girl” (2004) and “I Miss Me” (2005).

“Some Songs I Wrote” was a DIY record I recorded myself in my basement 2 years ago, mixed and mastered it, played all the instruments, and did the artwork–even took my own photograph. This time I’ll have Swallow Hill’s recording engineer and live show sound man, Brian Hunter, handle the technical duties. And I’ll have my violin player who’s been accompanying me the last two years, Julie Oxenford O’Brian, record her parts.

The tentative title is “More Songs I Wrote”. It will come out in a cardboard sleeve (I HATE jewel cases).

Of course I reserve the right to change my mind on any and all of the above. 🙂

-Rob

The Man in the Movies

"Rob Roper", songwriting

I dug up some free writing from my journal from a couple years ago, created some potential lines, and liked “she was looking for the man in the movies”. Initially I came up with a simple melody with some rock and roll music, nothing very original. A few weeks later, I was noodling around in the DADGAD tuning and thought of these lyrics, and decided this slower, more melancholy music was better. So I started writing lines and the melody and tweaking the music. I’ll put a rough recording on my demo site later today, myspace.com/robroperdemos.

The Man in the Movies
by Rob Roper 3rd draft December 16, 2008

She had no time for sadness
Didn’t believe in second chances
She was looking for the man in the movies
She wanted flowers without the rain

Guess I scared her a little
when I let her see my cry
She was looking for the man in the movies
and no clouds to block the sun

I guess I’ve changed
’cause I no longer play the game
She’s still looking for the man in the movies
I take the flowers with the rain

Misfit

"Rob Roper", songwriting

by Rob Roper 2nd draft Dec 8, 2008

Too weird for straight
too straight for freaks
not a redneck
not a hippy
Don’t have a tatoo
don’t have piercings
don’t have dreadlocks
don’t wear a hoodie
Misft

Don’t watch sitcoms
or the cop shows
Don’t watch the Oscars
or the Grammys
Don’t like the Idols
or the hit songs
The music that I like
you never heard of
Misft

Don’t eat McDonalds
I’m not a vegan
don’t drink Jaegermeiser
or Bud-lite
Don’t have children
or a wife
not gay
or even bi
Misfit

Not a Democrat
or Republican
not a Christian
not a Jew
not a Muslim
or a Buddist

What’s a misfit boy gonna do?
Gotta find me a misfit girl
Like you.