Robbie Rapids is a singer/guitarist from Grand Rapids, MI. From guitar in high school Jazz band, cover song master, to writing original songs; Robbie performs at numerous occasions publicly under many band names. “Love of Your Life” is a story about returning to a dance club to meet your dream girl for a second time. The character “Robbie” returns back to the club & after much waiting & suspense finds his dream girl dancing with someone else. He must quickly develop a plan to get her attention and test if their 1st encounter spark still is burning.
By Kamil Bobin
Discovered via Musosoup
Kamil) Hey Robbie Rapids, super nice to have the chance to chat with you. What first got you into music?
MTV (Music Television), saw CC. Deville of Poison playing crazy guitar solos. I wanted to be able to do that.
Who would you most like to collaborate with?
Don Henley or Steve Miller. They both have such a great variety of well written songs across various genres. I'm sure I would learn so much!
Your latest song is 'Love of Your Life'. Can you tell us more about the making of it and if there were any unusual things happening during the process?
I have 8 lyric revisions. I was originally called "Dance with you". However the chorus got improved and the words didn't work anymore. I thought about using "beat of your heart as title" , but "Love of Your Life" made more sense. 1st the man meets the love of his life, then at end of song he will be the "Love of Your Life" to the women. Always had the same story of a man wanting to return to a dance club to watch a women dance. That's what first came to mind when I heard the music and melody.
What are you focussing on right now?
Finalizing and recording more songs to make an album. A song called "In Our House" is what I'm working on this week. Finalizing lyrics & vocal notes.
What are you most proud of?
I'm proud of the way my released songs sound. Some I've played for years with band, some not at all. It always changes once you start tracking. Most took a couple revisions; to get a great sound scape & vocal performance.
What is the biggest challenge of being an artist?
For me it has been releasing music and marketing. I don't like posting and advertising but it's the only way for people to hear my music besides live performance which has been only around Atlanta area so far.
How do you structure your day?
I have two focus modes: Songwritter mode & performance mode. If I have a gig coming up I'm in performance mode all week. If not I'm in songwritter mode. Once a week is practice with the cover band 2.5-3 hours which is really all about performance. We do 6 originals right now and about 30 covers. But really I write and record most with the producer and session musician David Levene at Big Sound Productions. I only have a few hours for music each do say so, 8am is coffee & emails. Maybe by 11-3pm I might get a chance to do some tracking or writing. If not maybe in the evening.
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of music?
Yes, I'm into construction, remodeling, fixing broken things, and even made 3 electric guitars.
Do you sing in the shower? What songs?
Yes a little, could be anything. I actually remember singing this song "99 bottles of beer on the wall" a few times in the shower. Usually it's simple songs and just sing the melody, cause I don't know all the words. Like James Taylor's Fire and Rain, Heart of Gold (Neil Young), or CCR songs. Sometimes Elvis "Can't help falling in love" or Johny Cash "Ring of Fire".
What are your plans for the future?
Continue recording and releasing songs. I have enough songs already recorded for 1 album. However I have enough songs to make 2 albums (22 songs). So I'll make this decision shortly and will release the 1st CD around April or May. At this point full gigs will be booked with band for full Robbie Rapids original song performances. I also hope to do some US radio interviews and acoustic performances.