Rob Rigoni
Who’s Rob Rigoni?
Rob Rigoni is a composer and guitarist who loves to combine exotic world sounds and grooves with the raw power of 70’s era rock-n-roll.
How you got started in the music scene?
I got started fairly young. Decided while in 4th or 5th grade that I wanted to be a professional musician. Actually interviewed fellow 5th graders on the playground to see who played an instrument. By the 6th grade I had a band and by the end of 6th grade we were gigging live. I have been gigging, recording, producing and engineering ever since.
What instruments do you play?
I play guitar, mandolin, and bass.
How you felt when you heard you were #1 Song on Ourstage.com all instrumental channel May 2012?
This was very exciting and rewarding, especially because the song that went #1 “Tranquility in E Minor” was a song that I simply had fun writing and I really didn’t expect it to get much attention. It defies the “usual” rules, as it starts slow, changes feel several times, has a bossa nova bridge, and second prog-metal bridge, and then ends slow. It’s sort of a roller coaster ride musically. It was a very nice surprise when I saw it rising in the charts and finally reach #1. It’s a nice reminder that we should follow our musical instincts, be creative and have fun with music and not try to write music that complies with conventional rules.
So you are hitting the road? Can you give us more details about this?
I am hitting the road this summer (2012) for what I’m calling the Pacific Northwest Winery and Festival Tour. My schedule can be found on my website www.robrigoni.com or www.sonicbids.com/robrigoni or www.ourstage.com/epk/robrigoni
What are your music influences?
Steve Howe (Yes), Alex Leifson (Rush), Segovia, Ritchie Blackmore, Joe Walsh, Rolling Stones, Loreena Mckennitt, Martin Barre (Jethro Tull). I have pretty eclectic taste.
Are there any more plans for the future?
Yes, I have been playing a lot of solo gigs for the past few years and working with bands that mostly played top-40/classic rock… I have recently met some new musicians who share my passion for world music that rocks. I’m upping the game and putting together a fresh, hard hitting band with some unique instrumentation. We’ll be doing some of the best tunes from my first two albums, and working in a lot of new material.
What has been the funniest moment you guys have been or took part while touring?
There have been a lot of funny moments, but I have to say the little pub up in the Cascade Mountains where the ATM machine was located right in the middle of our stage, which was just a little corner of the pub. Folks were coming up during our set to withdraw cash, and it was quite funny for the audience and band to watch. Eventually we started playing an improvised “ATM” song while people were doing their transactions. When they got their cash, I used it as an opportunity to plug our CD and merchandise…”Hey now you’ve got some cash…CDs available right over here”. We got a lot of laughs out of that situation.
What’s your method at the time of writing a song?
My best song ideas come when I’m supposed to be working on something else. So I have to file TONS of little musical “snippets” away in my mind. Eventually I decide to take the idea and work on it a bit more. I try to take it from a vague idea to something with a bit more form and some interesting changes. Also, I prefer to write outdoors with a simple acoustic guitar and a notebook and pencil. I’ll work out parts on the guitar and make notes about what sounds I’d like to have on the finished version.
Do you feel you are moving on the right direction?
Yes! I spent a long time playing traditional rock music with standard “guitar, bass, drums, vocals”. However, I always loved music with cool, exotic, sounds. The more I wrote and performed music that I was passionate about, the more people seemed to react positively. Now, I’ve made it official. I write and perform instrumental world-rock. Breaking away from traditional rock music and heading in a new direction is very exciting.