Tag Archives: Rob Roper

My 2018 Music Year in Review

Rob Roper

(This is from the 2018 Year-in-Review email I sent to my fans, family and friends.)

Things went well this year.  I played 20 shows, which is the most I’ve ever played in one year.  10 were with my acoustic band, Scupanon, 9 with my new rock band, Electric Poetry, one with both bands, and one solo show– at the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival.  I reached a lot of new people with my music, and increased my fan base significantly.  (My email lists grew 27% this year.)

For the first time, instead of being a songwriting student, I taught a songwriting class at the Rocky Mountain Song School.  That went very well, and convinced me that I need to make music teaching a central part of my life.

You may remember that, in the Spring of 2014 I volunteered for a layoff from my non-music day job, in order to live off my savings for 2 years and focus on music.  I was able to stretch that 2 years into 3 3/4 years.  I went back to school and studied music theory, and took other music classes for two years.  In January of 2018, I took another day job and have been working that all year.  Because of that, I haven’t had as much time to devote to my songwriting, composing, and instrument practice that I would like. However, I did finish three new songs, “The Way,” “The Last Generation” and “You Don’t Know What You’re Missing.”

The time limitations imposed by my non-music day job, combined with the positive experience of teaching songwriting, has convinced me that I should transition from a non-music day job to a music day job;  that is, teaching.  In 2019 I plan apply for jobs as a guitar teacher at music schools and stores, and also teach songwriting.

In 2018, for the first year ever, I did not lose money at music.  I made a slight profit– $275 over expenses.  That may not seem like a big deal, but it is.  For the past 11 years, I have lost money at music– thousands of dollars a year.  A friend told me that I shouldn’t say I lost money;  I should call it “investing” in my music.  Well, I’ve “invested” $110,000 over the past 11 years, and I decided that it’s time  for a little ROI– Return on Investment.  In 2019, as I transition into teaching, this trend will continue to the point where I am making a living from music and can truly call myself a music professional.

I have written many new songs since my last songwriter CD was released in 2012.  I have plans for 3 new EPs.  One will consist of the new acoustic songs I’ve been playing with Scupanon, another of the new rock songs I’ve been playing with Electric Poetry, and one of the more out-in-leftfield rock music that I put under the Total Flower Chaos label.  The main problem, of course, is funding.  A couple years ago, I started The Misfit Club, so that fans can contribute to my recording projects.  I hope to grow the Misfit Club in 2019 so I can get one of these projects going.  Misfit Club members get access to demos of my new songs, such as the ones I listed above.

When I’m not doing music, I’m reading– novels, poetry, history and musician biographies and autobiographies.  Also hanging out with friends, and taking care of my flower garden– although that has been sadly neglected the past year due to the day job and all the music work.  I managed to ski and hike a handful of times last year.

Please reply if you want details on any of this stuff.  I always love hearing from my friends and fans.  I’m very excited about 2019, and I hope you all have a great 2019, too.

Happy New Year!

(If you’d like to join my email list and stay up-to-date on all my musical endeavors, just send an email to rob@blog.robroper.com.

-Rob Roper, December 31, 2018

New Song “Empty” with Revised Lyrics

"Rob Roper", songwriting, songwriting blog,

In January I posted the lyrics to this song.  I wasn’t happy with some of them, and kept poking at it.  Here’s the new– and I think the final– version of the lyrics:

Empty
Copyright © 2018 by Rob Roper

A thousand friends
no one to talk to, so I
sit and stare
at a plastic rectangle, four by three

Everyone’s connected
Connected to no one, it’s a
contradiction
the latest addiction

Chorus:

How can we feel so empty in
a city of a million people?
How can we pretend
nothing’s wrong?

Sit with me and talk for awhile
I want to see your smile
’cause all too soon this moment
will be gone

We started out, in a
garden of Eden, but now we live
most of our lives
under a ceiling

It all builds up, so we
look for ways to vent our rage, we roll
down the street, in a
climate-controlled, metal cage

(Chorus)

A thousand friends
no one to talk to

 

Building a Community of Misfits

"Rob Roper", live music,

I sent this email to my fan list yesterday:

It was probably back in 2004 or 2005 that I started going to see the Denver band, The Railbenders.  I liked their electric guitar-based, old school style of country music, with original songs by bandleader Jim Dalton.  Soon after, Jim started a weekly series of acoustic music on Tuesday nights, which he named, oddly enough, Acoustic Tuesdays.  I began attending those on a regular basis, and got to know Jim as well as many of the hardcore Railbender fans.

By then, I was attending almost every Railbender gig not only for the music, but to hang out with the new friends I had made.  There was a sense of camaraderie among the core Railbender fans;  a sense of community.

Since then I have gone through various encarnations of my own bands.  However, I haven’t seen that same sense of community among fans developing when I play.  I want to change that.  I want to develop this community further, for both my acoustic band, Scupanon, and with Electric Poetry, my new electric band.  It struck me that I have friends from various sources who have never met.  They should.  I know they would like each other.  I would like to use my music as a way of bringing them together.

So from now on, I’m going to make a conscious effort to encourage my friends and fans to come to my shows not only for the music, but for the opportunity to hang out with friends, and make new friends.  Like I did with the Railbenders.  Ever since my friend Kurt Loken labeled me “the troubadour of the misfit” back in 2009, my mission has to create and perform music for misfits.  What better way to bring misfits together, than at my shows?

A community of misfits?  It seems like an oxymoron.  Afterall, misfits, by definition, don’t fit in.  But maybe it could be done, if the music served them.  What do you think?

The next gathering of the misfits will take place on February 8 at Herman’s Hideaway in Denver.  Electric Poetry is playing, along with 4 other bands.  Your new friends will be waiting there to meet you.

Your fellow misfit,

Rob