Rob Roper: acoustic guitar, keyboard, voice.
Julie Oxenford O'Brian frequently accompanies me on violin.
On my recorded songs I primarily play guitar, but also harmonica, piano, keyboard, mandolin, bass, and drum machine.
Influences
The Who, Jackson Browne, Randy Newman, Tom Waits, The Church, The Cure, Lloyd Cole, The Wallflowers, Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Police, U2, Peter Himmelman, Jesse Winchester, Loudon Wainwright III, Todd Snider, Chris Isaak, Dave Alvin, Jimmy Buffett, John Prine, Jerry Jeff Walker, Steve Goodman, The Dubliners, The Pogues, The BoDeans, The Crash Test Dummies, Bruce Springsteen, Mary Gauthier.
Sounds Like
Jules Shear, Lloyd Cole, Steve Kilbey, Jakob Dylan, David Gray, John Prine.
I'm a guitar player and singer-songwriter. Originally from Jackson, Mississippi, I grew up in Texas and Arizona, and have been living in Denver since 2000. A rock guitar player for most of my life, I also always loved the quiet acoustic songs.
In Tucson, Arizona. I bounced around various Tucson bands, then I made two home recordings on 4-track cassette with my friend Kurt Loken in 1994-95 under the band name "Faded Innocence". Kurt wrote and sang most of the songs and played bass. I played guitar and did the arrangements. You can hear some of those songs on the Faded Innocence MySpace site, check under my top friends.
I continued to accompany singer-songwriters on lead guitar in Tucson and then Denver. Then in 2004 I started getting serious about learning songwriting and singing. The result of that was a "Do-It-Yourself" CD called "Some Songs I Wrote", which is available at cdbaby.com/cd/robroper. You can also download the songs for only 50cents here on the myspace site.
Here's what other songwriters say about me:
"Rob writes songs that are alternatingly sarcastic, self-aware, and heartfelt. He delivers lines with a kind of guarded openness. In one moment he may be cursing the world for all its faults, in the next admitting that the faults he sees in the world are really his. This may sound like heavy stuff but he won't let the moment stand too long before cutting the whole thing apart with some sly observation that leaves you laughing aloud. He's a rock 'n roller and raconteur with an acoustic guitar." --Tim Riordan
"Rob Roper's music is filled with wry observations of the world around him and us. He shares his unique viewpoint of personal stories and makes each audience member sit and think...'Hey, I've been through that.'" --Robert Mattson
"There's nobody these Boston songwriters would rather bum a beer off of than Rob Roper. He's a producer, a sideman, and singer-songwriter-wiseguy. Originally from Mississippi, the same state that other hip-swiveling guy is from, he can do country, he can do rock, and he'll remind you of Randy Newman, Neil Young and your funniest best friend." --Charlene DiCalogero
"His thoughtful, yet playful tunes invariably have you tapping your foot to the beat. Loves lost, destroyed and found, along with drinking songs like "The Screwup Song" make for a great evening of entertainment." --KG Morris
You are so original it hurts." --Natalie Illeana
For more info go to www.robroper.com. To get on my email list, send an email to rob@robroper.com.
Ah...as my 40th birthday crashes down upon me, I have indeed enjoyed listening to your Screw-Up song as you suggested. What an amusing place this world is...I suspect it might have been created for the sole purpose of creating material for songs. ;)
Are you down for some Halden Wofford this Friday night? We're doing some b-day celebrating.....can't say my age online...lol, but we hope you can join the wife and I:)
It was good ol' Brian who turned me on to the song Kilkelly, Ireland. I can't get through it without crying my eyes out...to be honest, I don't think I have ever listened to it without doing so. I would loooovvee to hear you play it!
I finally uploaded your disk to my iPod. My favorite song of yours is still "A Special Request," but a very close second, now, is "When They Go." ...yet another great tune of yours I thought that I had heard...that I hadn't. Jeez, man, I'm missing your very best stuff. ;)
Hey Rob - You are the sweetest! I hope you are well! I really enjoyed hanging out with you when you were here so know you are welcome in Austin any time! Thanks and I'm working on getting the songs up - check out my wallpaper and photo (finally!) See you soon! Kerry
Thanks...but I think I missed my calling as a headbanger...lot easier to write those kind of songs. I plan to write a black metal polka next called "The Brain Sushi Polka." I think the youngsters will like that one.
Very nice time playing a show together in Denver. You sounded great, and the new songs are some of your best! The crowd loved your originals and harmonica playing, well done man...
