By Stewart Mason--
San Diego-based singer and multi-instrumentalist Rob Crow is an exceptionally prolific and eclectic musician who splits his time amongst a variety of projects. Along the way, Crow has released a pair of solo CDs that are distinctly odd even for this quirky musician.
Crow began his public career as one-fourth of Heavy Vegetable, whose first EP, A Bunch of Stuff by Heavy Vegetable, came out in 1993. When that group split in 1995, Crow and Heavy Vegetable singer Elea Tenuta started a new band, Thingy, almost immediately. At the same time, Crow released his first solo project, half of a split CD with the art noise electronica artist Lesser. Crow's half of the disc consists of 25 ultra-short tracks, mostly instrumentals, including three tracks recorded with the side project Fantasy Mission Force. (Fantasy Mission Force released their own EP, Circus Atari, in 1997.)
Crow's first full solo album, Lactose Adept, came out in 1996. Even more fragmented than his half of the split CD with Lesser, Lactose Adept consists of 30 bizarre song fragments ranging from seven seconds to seven minutes, well over half of them coming in at under the two-minute mark. Crow's scribbled liner note explains that the songs were recorded with a four-track cassette deck in the apartment next door to his and Tenuta's, on equipment belonging to Heavy Vegetable bassist Travis Nelson. There is no element of Lactose Adept that is not totally strange, from the music to the bizarre cover art featuring a hacked Ernest Shepard drawing stolen from a Winnie the Pooh book.
Crow followed his solo sojourn with the duo Optiganally Yours, a duo of Crow on vocals and Optigan (an inexpensive home keyboard instrument from the '60s that plays sounds stored on discs) player Pea Hix. The duo released two albums, 1997's Optigan-only Spotlight on Optiganally Yours and 2000's Optiganally Yours Presents Exclusively Talentmaker, an album built around the sounds of other obsolete home keyboard instruments. Crow has also worked with the bands Pinback, Physics, and Snotnose.
Rob Crow - Up
Rob Crow - I Hate You, Rob Crow
Rob Crow - Bam Bam Live @ M Theory
Rob Crow Live @ Lou's Records - No Sun
Rob Crow - Over the Summer (Live at Lou's)
Rob Crow - I Hate You, Rob Crow
Rob Crow - If You'd Drive With Your Eyes
Rob Crow - Astro Zombies Live (Misfits Cover)
Rob Crow - Some Things/Bam Bam Live @ TT the Bear's
Rob Crow plays No Sun & Drugs on fm94/9
Rob Crow At Chop Suey-Seattle Part One
Rob Crow At Chop Suey-Seattle Part Two
Rob Crow At Chop Suey-Seattle Part Three
Rob Crow At Chop Suey-Seattle Part Four
Rob Crow At Chop Suey-Seattle Part Five
Sight & Sound feat. Apes of Wrath, The Old In Out, Sven-Eric Seaholm, Caburlesque Kittens, The Gift/Curse, and More - TONIGHT @ Planet Rooth Gallery - 3811 Ray St. 92104
Hey rob, glad you finally allowed our internetual friendship. Just wanted to let you know, you are one of the few influences everyone in our band can agree on.
Art Around Adams: San Diego's Largest Music & Arts Festival - June 6th 2009 - 11am.
Please help us promote Art Around Adams by reposting this wherever you can. Art Around Adams is a fundraiser to keep the Recreation Centers of San Diego open, alive, and well.
Hello Rob Crow Thanks very much for da Add Delighted to be friends & Nice to meet you through cyberlink! Luv your tunes & keep up da Great Work! Wishes you All da Best in 2009!
Forced Letter~ FN Sweet! Woo! You have the BEST Page on Myspace or aNY oF THeSe SiTeZ for someone besides yourself and that individual happens to be the most prolific, talented, unique, brilliant solo artist in the U.S or Planet Earth for that matter! I am getting all of the pieces together including my strongest songs to date for a release of my First Album and I wanted to Thank You for helping me through the last month.. It is very sad to admit and I don't know if any1 really cares considering how busy life is, I mean: Who would want to try and go out of your way to be nice to people who are struggling, struggling in ways that hell seems like a nice option and b4 I go back to Recording a new song, I wanted to let you know that your page and the videos, music & art of Rob Crow literally kept me from waving goodbye right after my Granny died a month ago followed by my Mother's Heart Attack~ I have to work 2 jobs just to help my mother keep her house and help pay for the ridiculous Medical Bills~ Oh, Woe Is Me! I Apologize! After a Pinback show in Gainesville, Rob gave me his cell number and put me on the list for Orlando. There are two conversations that we had that shed light on what I was capable of and I am forever grateful for that brilliant man, truly one of a kind~ You have A GREAT PAGE & OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW WHAT THE F#@K iS UP!! once again: THANKS! Happy Holidays - Merry Crowmas & Happy New Year! If You Have A Blog, Please Link Up With Me Because I Just Started One And I Don't Have Any Friends On There! (Yet, Perhaps?) 42hours.blogspot - I truly mean well and for absolutely no reason, I took a break from the last 4.2 hours of building a new song and I went right to your page and decided to type this psychopathic letter, I believe I dreampt about this exact situation after I dreampt about starring in a real life Gran Turino~ I Have Problems, A??! Thanks. xo KNiFA
ROB WASSUP NIGGA,HAPPY KWANZA/FELIZ NAVIDID/ AND A MERRY-CHRIST-MAS BE BORN!!! IS YO WHITE BLACK ASS GONNA BE IN VISTA FOR THE HOLIDAY'S?BY THE WAY WHY IS EVERYBODY FUCK'IN BANG'IN ENCINITAS THESE DAYS THAT'S GETT'IN ON MY NERVES BACK WHEN YOU AND DEL WORKED AT SOUND ASYLUM RECORDS AND YOU KNOW DAMN WELL YOUR BANG'IN VISTA,DANNY WAY IS BANG'IN VISTA (WELL ACTUALLY RAINBOW)BUT HE WENT TO ALTA VISTA),MARIO RUBACABA'S MOM LIVED AROUND THE CORNER FROM ME ON ROBELINI AND EVEN MATT HENSLEY HE'S FROM C-BAD (CARLSBAD) BUT BACK IN 1992 HE WAS BANG'IN VISTA WHEN ME AND DEL USED TO KICK'IT RIGHT WHEN HE STOP SKATING FOR SESSIONS AND HE WOULD JUST LISTEN TO SKA MUSIC AND WATCH OLD SKATE VIDEO'S OF HIMSELF,ALPHONZO ROLLS BLACK SKATER FROM O'SIDE,AND ROB RICHIE, ANYWAY'S FOOL YOU AND WIFEY W/BABY HAVE A HAPPY HOLIDAY
P.S NIGGA DON'T FORGET THE 78 EAST BLUE COLLAR EVEN THOUGH U LIV'IN OFF THAT 1-5 HIPPIE/YUPPIE'S SMOK'IN WEED SURFERS COOL
BUT WATCH OUT FOR THEM POSERS THAT DON'T LIKE WHITE TRASH,CRIP GANGSTA'S,CHOLO'S,AND BAD ASS PUNK ROCK KIDS OFF THE 78 east freeway don't forget were you came from!!!!ROB CROW
wooop and yes, it's out now: the Lump200 album UNSIGNED
please feel free to comment, recommend etc. UNSIGNED is available on iTunes, finetunes etc. (world) and as CD (D/CH/A), please check your preferred shop
hey rob this is ur buddy from elpaso hey i was wondering if make believe was playing any other shows with you other than in chicago? cant wait till san antonio/austin!!
