integrity in music

Rob Beaulieu has been in the Capital Region music scene for 25 years. An all ECAC Honorable Mention, All American hockey player at Hamilton college -  Rob moved his attention to music soon after leaving college. A student of David Malachowski and then Chuck D'Aloia, he spent years developing his signature style of playing – “always keeping the eye on the melody”. 

The first band was Padre - a Dead cover band, playing rhythm guitar in a baptism by fire. “I really had no idea what I was doing, but Greg Conway showed me the chord progressions and I spent hours learning how to play songs I’d been familiar with hearing but not playing… Digging deeper into the texture of the rhythm.”

After Padre, Rob made his way to Europe playing hockey and honed his skills with a backpacker guitar built by Capital Region luthier, Kevin Smith. Leaning into daily practice for hours a day, so that upon his return - a band was the natural next step.

Together with piano player/singer Nick Landess, Padre Alum Lonnie Decavalous and bass player Mick Murdick he began rehearsing 3x per week, “because we needed it” and began his formal tutelage under Chuck D’Aloia. “I first saw Chuck in a band called, Mother Was Right and then in his jazz fusion band, and if you were lucky enough to see Chuck in this period you know what a rare type of thing he was – I knew I could never play like that but I figured he could probably help me find what I could do.”

The basement band eventually morphed into Soul Shock with Nick, Rob, and multi-instrumentalist and singer Rick Anan as well as a host of drummers including Chad Ploss- forming a very strong musical bond while further exploring the Americana musical landscape. “Rick and Nick were both insane musicologists, with genre-spanning and expanding influences.”

“Nick brought everything from the Alan Lomax recordings to the Staples Singers, to the Dead and Allmans to Leon Russel. Rick brought an understanding of The Band on a whole new level with an Ohio rock & roll and blues sensibility, plus New Orleans stuff. My head was spinning with the different elements. I started writing more songs,  some with Nick but mostly on my own. The band was a very early Americana type band before that thing got more popular. People were asking for Bertha and we would play Manhattan Island Serenade by Leon Russel. I loved it.”

During this period, Rob and his band were invited to play with Kim Buckley and quickly became her backing band. “It was a very out of the blue thing – hey lets play a few songs with Kim and then bang we were doing all these shows and many of them pretty big shows.” At her place in Troy, NY, she introduced him to her influences, including Ani Difranco.

“She (Kim Buckley) played an original song called ‘Me and the Sky’ and I was blown away. To this day, it’s one of the best songs I have heard. I was very moved by it. The emotion of it, the longing, the sweetness. Everything was there and I said, Yes! I want to be a part of this and do what I can to bring these songs out.”

Over the next 2 years Rob and the band split time between their own shows and backing Kim Buckley on her album. Produced by Chuck D’Aloia, his band Soul Shock was her backing band. The album did very well and feverish work, resulted in trips to CBGB’s, among many clubs and stages around NY, as well as Rob’s first Alive at 5 appearance. 

Upon Kim Buckley’s retirement,  Soul Shock was renamed Loader and continued on for some years. Rob also played as part of premiere Grateful Dead cover band Slipknot, which included playing with pedal steel player Buddy Cage from New Riders of the Purple Sage.

After Nick and Rick left, Rob fulfilled bookings with a variety of musicians in a search for something that felt right. As The Ominous Seapods also dissolved, he soon brought in Brian Mangini on keyboards which was, “ …a nice bit of fresh air as Brian and I come from a very shared sensibility.”

Meanwhile, Raisinhead was taking shape on the side, playing every other Thursday at the Big House on what became a 20 year, celebratory journey. The band, featuring Ted Grey, Brian Mangini, Sean Sullivan and Eugene Datri played shows for a year. The band brought in Tom Pirozzi from Ominous Seapods fame on bass, and Scott Apicelli on drums, and proceeded to record Back to the Tracks - produced by Chuck D’Aloia and recorded by Tony Perrino. That started a 20 year voyage of musical mayhem and pure fun.

RBB was formed during the pandemic with people Rob had been playing with on and off for years. The band is currently recording with many dates on the way. Stay tuned!

An ongoing journey, Rob splits his time between RBB and Raisinhead, playing shows all around the Northeast. Rob continues to pursue side projects like The Stone Revival Band including Vinnie Amico (moe.) on drums and Mike Cassels on bass, other ongoing projects with Dave Spadaro, Drew Costa and Jeff Prescott, and as much solo meditation guitar as he can fit in. “I love the time when I can just play quiet and try to be still.” More to come folks stay tuned!