We caught up with Robby Rothschild before he took off on another tour through California to discuss his inspiration, history and future of his new self titled EP.

His Roots…

Born in Santa Fe, around the Casa Solana area. Robby is a multi talented musician who has played across the world with several bands. He most notably played percussion with the legendary musician Kip Winger who played bass and sung for Alice Cooper’s band for several years. Robby’s music reminds us of an Elliot Smith, Early Bon Iver or Sufjan Stevens in Steven & Lowell. His approachable voice and delicate melodies cause you to be drawn in immediately, which are perfectly paired with his precise wording. His use of unique sounds and rhythmic patterns help to keep you surprised and consumed from the beginning with the plucking on Untie Me and ending with the almost whimsical sound of Bead of Glass.

The Origins of his sound…

His interest in percussion grew because of his experience in his brothers band as a kid where he played drums. He was just a little lad peeking over the drum set learning to hold a rhythm and listen for the pocket. Shortly after that band ended, he and his brother went out to listen to the Irish Trad Icon Andy Irvine at the Kimo in Albuquerque and caught up with him at a dinner afterwards. This happened to be a monumental sequence of events for Robby as he spoke to Andy about Ireland’s music and how timely it was for his growth as a musician. Andy jokingly said he was “The Oracle” for Robby but this as not far from the truth as not long after that, Robby went to Ireland and then Mali, West Africa. Shortly after arriving in Mali, he played the Djembe for a drum and dance cultural exchange group. That lead to the Djembe being one of the main components influencing his rhythm and his expansion from Pop music.

His journey through percussions…

His percussion driven lens on music then drove him to meet a man names Prince Diabate who played the Kora, the iconic African long necked lute/harp. Robby said…

“I couldn’t stop listening to the recordings of the instrument and then I ordered one shortly after, It came in this big box that looked like a coffin, I had to scour the early internet just to learn how to tune it.”

He later took lessons directly with “Prince Diabate”. Although Robby is not a traditional kora player, he connected with the how he described, “fluid emotional liquid water feeling sound” and felt driven to respectfully incorporate its magnificent sound.”

His most proud moment…

Robby is a soft spoken but emotionally vulnerable person so when we asked his proudest moment he dove in, expressing just how important this EP is to him.
”I am really proud of this album because of the emotion of it and what it brought me to come up with. Anybody who listens to it, they will hear it was a big moment in my life. Getting to put it into song. It felt really transforming for me. I feel like music keeps teaching me who I am more and more.”

We pried a little bit deeper in asking what that moment was. He took a moment then he said slowly…

“well, it’s a break up album. I was with the same person for most of my adult life, and this album is about that break up. It helped me process my grief. At the beginning of the pandemic, I was in a little casita with some down time and a recording setup that was good enough to get me going. It was the combination of down time and emotional urgency that brought it together. It was a special moment that will never be repeated.”

Robby maintains a respectful relationship with his coparent, and is close with his children. 

How does he handle nerves?

“I guess the gift of having done this for so long, I can remember early gigs with Lizard House wondering how are we going to talk to the audience, but doing it so much since then, I have started to identify as a lifer and I don’t get nervous anymore. I get energized by performing and don’t worry about it. I would have to quote from Bruce Dunlap. ““When I get on stage, I just listen to the music and it takes away the nerves.””

He continued after a brief contemplative pause….

“I feel much more nervous in anything besides music, if it’s music, all the years have built a weight that I can lean on stage. “

What is the writing process like?

He described the writing process as one of finding, and noticing what ideas are already out there. “It’s a dance of discovery” he said emphatically.

Continuing… “the most satisfying element of writing is finding what is already there and to transpose it and bring it across to something you can play and hear.“

Ten years down the road…

He paused… slowly as the phone call crackled… then softly spoke up.

“I sometimes feel like i’m trying to receive messages from me in the future, listening and one I always hear is “stay with it, embrace your life.””

“I can’t even imagine and I feel like my hands are so full right now, But I would hope by then I will have learned how to dig into and lean into the moment.

He took a deep breathe. You could hear the phone’s sound buzz when he exhaled as the wind rushed over the microphone until he spoke again…

“lose all the chatter, Ya know? As life goes on and as I get older, I feel like almost that thing just happen, I’m getting better at appreciating where I am and all the good things I get to do. I hope that in ten years I’m still playing music and homing in on who I am.”

Music has saved me…

Without skipping a beat, a passion moved into his voice

“Music has saved me over the last while. I feel like I ran away from music, I got in danger of doing that after “Round Mountain” ended and after my divorce. I felt like I lost sight and shut myself off of what was inside and around me. This album was that journey, the fruit and gift of growing through the pain to get a record.”

On this EP…

‘These songs were so painful, but as life gets easier I was afraid my songs would get worse, they are still juicy and even regular day to day life that doesn’t include that cataclysm, still includes enough to satisfy my journey.”

“It’s important to be willing to change as an artist. even thought audiences may effect something, people like Miles Davis managed to continually lose people and let them catch up and I aspire to do the same.”

Our quick chat with Robby, led to an amazing conversation that was layered in delicate pauses and contemplative thoughts. He was enlightening and humbling. His thorough but opened approach and honoring perspective was a delight and we hope his journey continues to fulfill his rich soul through his up coming tours and performances.

Please visit his website to learn more about his unique sound and voice and you can hear his lated EP on all major platforms. robbyrothschild.com

For more information or if you would like to be considered for an Editorial Piece, please contact us below at info@eracinema.com or on our artist submission portal below.