Rob has always been obsessed with music, and began spending hours in front of his brother's stereo absorbing everything he could about music at the age of 4. At 8, Rob started playing the guitar at the encouragement of his audiophile brothers. After a few years of self teaching, he started taking lessons, learning to read music, understand theory, and developing his ear. In eighth grade he auditioned for the senior jazz band at White Rock Junior under the direction of famed music teacher, Dave Proznick. White Rock Junior & Senior amalgamated and eventually became Semiahmoo Secondary - one of the most talked about and celebrated high school music programs in the country. Rob began studying with Canadian jazz guitar legend Oliver Gannon at age 12, becoming one of the youngest students to ever study with the guitar master. Rob took home countless honors, scholarships, and prizes at music festivals nationally and internationally including the Lionel Hampton Music Festival and Musicfest Canada. By the time of graduation, Rob had acquired a full tuition scholarship to the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA and was even awarded the coveted BEST (Berklee Entering Student Talent) scholarship for his playing. Rob went to Boston and studied and played with some of the world's best (Hal Crook, Reuben Rodgers, Aaron Goldberg, Jerry Bergonzi, Al DeFino, Garrison Fewell, Teodross Avery, Jim Oblon, Steve Rochinsky). Rob then returned to Canada and completed his post secondary education at Capilano College studying with such local giants as Bill Coon, Ihor Kukuruhdza, Brad Turner, Stan Karp, and Rejean Marois.

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After college and now a full time professional guitarist, Rob embarked on a career as one of the top session and touring musicians in Canada playing for many years as a member of Canadian hard rock legend Lee Aaron's band, boy band Soul Decision, Nettwerk signed vocal group Aliqua, Vancouver Island's own Vince Vaccaro, and the Vancouver institution Soulstream whose reign at Bar None for over a decade is one of the great pieces of history of the Vancouver music scene. Rob's extensive studio, composing, and performing experience is featured on video games such as “The Simpson’s Hit and Run” in which he served as session guitarist and bandleader. His composing is featured on television shows such as “The L-Word” and "The Dead Zone" with his hip-hop tune "True Soul" co-written by Kia Kadiri and Scott Sanft. He appeared on countless stages as a side man with Justin Bieber, Carly Rae Jepson, Michael Buble, and Tom Jones among others. After years playing with renowned party band Famous Players, in 2010 Rob started up his own event band – Side One which would forever change the course of his career from hired gun guitarist, to multi-million dollar a year entrepreneur as Side One expanded from Vancouver to Calgary, Toronto, and Seattle employing hundreds of musicians and techs and doing close to 300 events a year for some of the biggest companies and events in the world.  

 

 Although he considers himself a “jazz” guitarist, Rob is heavily influenced and involved in many styles of music including rock, funk, hip hop, classical, reggae, metal, world, and country. While Rob spent much of his pre Side One years teaching, he has now retired.

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As a music fan first and foremost, Rob has a deep affinity for the music of Wes Montgomery, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Dirty Projectors, Ryan Adams, Pat Metheny, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Ahmad Jamal, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Barney Kessel, John Scofield, Thelonius Monk, Charlie Mingus, Django Reinhardt, Joe Pass, Pat Martino, John McLaughlin, George Benson, Jim Hall, Sonny Rollins, Chet Baker, Beastie Boys, Keith Jarrett, Otis Redding, Cake, Interpol, Bill Evans, Count Basie, Quincy Jones, Paul Motian, Led Zeppelin, NERD, Clipse, Dexter Gordon, Steve Reich, Rush, Bob Marley, Jeff Buckley, Mos Def, Leonard Cohen, The Band, Jaco Pastorius, The Tragically Hip, Vampire Weekend, The Funk Brothers, Parliament, Earth Wind and Fire, Kool and the Gang, Curtis Mayfield, Jimi Hendrix, Nirvana, Peter Gabriel, The Meters, Genesis, Chris Cornell, Soundgarden, Rage against the Machine, The Clash, David Bowie, Nile Rogers, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Michael Jackson, Franz Ferdinand, Steve Cropper, Dwight Yoakum, Tribe Called Quest, Hank Williams III, Kenny Wheeler, Johnny Cash, Lenny Breau, Willie Nelson, Chet Atkins, Earl Scruggs, Ornette Coleman, Paul Chambers Wynton Kelly and Jimmy Cobb/Philly Joe Jones, AC/DC, The Roots, Ben Monder, , Sloan, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Beach Boys, NWA, Snoop, Glenn Gould, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Billie Holiday, Messhugah, Megadeth, Art Blakey, Van Halen, Yes, Kia Kadiri, K-os, James Brown, The Police, Shakti, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Bach, Aaron Copeland, Bartok, Tragically Hip, Mark Turner, The Bad Plus, Radiohead, Elliot Smith, Aimee Mann, Joni Mitchell, Elvin Jones, Steve Grossman, Prince, and anyone else that makes music from both sides of their brain.