Biography
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Born
1971 (age 53)
A “gifted musician” with “a voice of tremendous power and whimsy”, Toronto-based singer-songwriter Rob Szabo is a tireless touring troubadour and a songwriter of the highest caliber. His music has been called “a perfect blend of accessible yet sophisticated acoustic pop.” Superlatives have been thrown around and he’s even been accused of having “the soul of a poet”. Szabo’s lyrics are beyond-heartfelt and have a "psst, did you know that?” confessional air to them, prompting some journalists to compare him to Elliott Smith, for his emotional intimacy, and to “prime Costello” for his lyrical smarts.
Rob tours across North America in his beat up ‘89 Dodge whose odometer he recently pushed past 450 000 kms(281 250 miles). He plays well over 100 dates a year in Canada and the U.S., from Toronto to Vancouver to the Alaska Highway, from San Francisco to New York City to Washington D.C. … and everywhere in between. His live shows are garnering him an increasingly devoted fanbase of hardcore music lovers who often travel great distances to see him play in person. His fans always mention Rob’s ever-present wry smile, and how he makes you feel like you’re in on a shared secret …
That secret is becoming less of a secret now since his CD/DVD “Like A Metaphor” (2006) is becoming a sleeper hit: Canada’s CBC Radio 1 and 3 have been championing it on shows nationwide and the old-school Disney-style animated video for the lead single “Breaking Even” got major airplay on Much More Music and Bravo, where it peaked at #2 on the charts. The follow up single “Good Son” and its documentary-style road video is currently in rotation on both stations. The CD has garnered rave reviews from the music press, both in his native Canada and the U.S., where he’s been called “Cobain-worthy”.
Rob has released 9 CDs: 3 solo and 6 fronting various bands, including Plasticine & The Groove Daddys.
Rob’s debut solo CD “a battery of tests” was released in 2003 on Hamilton,ON-based indie label Basement Bar Records as was his 2005 release “Late Bloomer/Sore Loser”, a Double E.P.
Rob plays honest intense music for music lovers.
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