COMPLETE PRINT DISCOGRAPHY FOR ROB SEALS

Rob Seals is an officially endorsed artist of Elixir Instrument Strings.

2006 LA Music Awards Nominee: Pop Album of the Year
Katy Eggleton, A Hand to Hold
Rob Seals: Co-writer, Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Musician

2006 Just Plain Folks Awards Nominee: College Rock Song of the Year
Rob Seals, "A Good Day"
Rob Seals: Writer, Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Musician

2006 UniSong International Song Competition: Pop Song of the Year, Runner-up
Katy Eggleton, "Like Something Electrical"
Rob Seals: Co-Writer, musician

2005 Just Plain Folks Music Awards: Folk Song of the Year
Dave Potts, "A Day to Remember"
Rob Seals: Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Musician

2005 LA Music Awards Pop Single of the Year
Katy Eggleton, "Like Something Electrical"
Rob Seals: Co-Writer, musician

2003 United Arts Council Regional Artist Hub Grant
Award for original songwriting and production

2002 Performing Songwriter Top 12 DIY
Dave Potts, Days Like These
Rob Seals: Producer, Engineer, Mixer, Musician

2002 Songwriters and Composers Fellowship
Awarded by the North Carolina Arts Council

2001 Just Plain Folks Music Awards: Male Singer/Songwriter Album of the Year
Rob Seals, A Revolution of One
Rob Seals: Writer, Producer, Arranger, Musician

2000 Recognized by VA Governor's School as an Outstanding Teacher 

2000 Selected to NC Arts Council Roster of Touring Artists

1998 Honorable Mention, American Academy of Poets Award

1997 Amon Liner Poetry Award
Winner and published nationally in  The Greensboro Review

1996 Independent School League Track Co-Coach of the Year

1995 Best Pop Song, BMI Mid-Atlantic Song Contest
"I Looked Away" also wins runner-up for best song in any category

1995 Independent School League Track Coach of the Year

1994 Best Progressive/Alternative Song, BMI Mid-Atlantic Song Contest
"Generation Why" appears on nationwide compilations and earns national airplay

1993 Recognized by Alexandria Kiwanis Club as an Outstanding Teacher

1993 Recognized by VA Governor's School as an Outstanding Teacher

1992 Awarded William Bee Ravenel Mastership for Excellence in Teaching
Episcopal High School, Alexandria, VA

Download high-res photos suitable for print reproduction here:

• Wishlisting cover art
  
• A Revolution of One cover art
• Rob Seals live
• Rob Seals in Studio
• Rob Seals MugShot

REVIEWS OF WISHLISTING

“Wishlisting is a beautifully polished gem.”
- DJ Chris Roulhac, WQFS 90.9 FM Guilford College Radio


“Further proof -– as if it was needed -– that outside of the mainstream media are some truly gifted and talented musicians is immediately found on Wishlisting, Rob Seals’s sophomore record. The LA resident released the excellent A Revolution of One in 2001, and Wishlisting builds on that album’s crisply produced, polished and thoughtful Americana-pop.

Wishlisting seems to be even more melodic and memorable than its predecessor, with tracks like “Play,” “Over and Over” and “A Good Day” remaining long in the memory. “Lying Awake” is a stunningly beautiful piano-based track that is as emotive as anything Seals has written previously. The delicate yearnings of “Stay” pull at the heartstrings, as does the closing track, “Mary,” which highlights Seals’ expressive, yet restrained voice. It’s not surprising that Seals always has something interesting to say on this album, and tracks like the cleverly written “The Plagiarist” confirm that notion, with a perfectly executed and sophisticated take on a novelist finding something notably familiar in a book he picks up.

Musically, Seals shares some similarities with Dave Matthews and early Vertical Horizon, due in no small part to the presence of VH bassist Sean Hurley among an impressive list of musical guests. As a result of such collaborations, top notch production and some wonderful songwriting, Wishlisting has an air of quality which very few independent recordings can match."
- Andrew Ellis, UK Freelance Writer, Ink19

"Rob Seals, who received his master’s degree in poetry from UNCG, can turn a phrase like a young Fred Chappell (Poet Laureate of North Carolina), and on Wishlisting, he has assembled some beautiful lines about those emotions that make you ache in the dark, single digits of the day.

Wishlisting, which was created in part with a grant from the United Arts Council of Greensboro, is a good business card for Seals on the Left Coast. Seals is a subtle guitarist with a honeydew tenor voice. His production has made Wishlisting a rich, textured recording full of good performances from his talented crew of friends: saxophonist Jeff Coffin of Bela Fleck, keyboardist Brandon Bush of Train and Sean Hurley of Vertical Horizon, not to mention an all-star backup from the Gate City with Eddie Walker on drums and Ray "Walrus" Laughran on vocals.

Nice.”
Jeri Rowe, GoTriad Magazine

REVIEWS OF A REVOLUTION OF ONE

" It is perhaps entirely appropriate that Rob Seals’ press biography not only lists his notable achievements as an independent musician, but also details his career as an English teacher. Because on A Revolution of One, Seals demonstrates that music and education are strongly bound together. The depth of Seals' music is a trademark of the whole album...

Most of Seals’ superbly written, performed and produced songs deal with personal and collective lessons learned, intertwining thought-provoking, intelligent lyrics with a strong sense of melody, and the fact that various members of Vertical Horizon and Evan Olsen’s band help out on numerous tracks speaks volumes about his talent.

The title track is one such song to benefit from the contributions of Vertical Horizon’s Ed Toth and demonstrates exactly what Seals’ music is all about with a distinct Paul Simon influence and a pinch of the Dave Matthews band sound. Already it’s clear he isn’t shy to tackle strong lyrical concerns and this is reaffirmed on the excellent ‘Generation Why’, exploring the labelling of the so-called Generation X.

Despite the weighty content, the songs are undeniably melodic which makes the presence of an artist with something interesting to say even more welcome. Nowhere is this more evident than on the infectious jangle pop of ‘Jenny Millennium’, the stop-start rock-pop of ‘In Our Time’ and the acoustic pop of ‘The Key’.

The depth of Seals' music is a trademark of the whole album, and the detailed picture of relationships painted in ‘Savannah and Japan’ or the pastiche of Elizabeth Barrett Browning in ‘Count The Ways’ is a fairly good indication that Seals is a cut above songs about booze, girls or nights out with the guys.

Diversity is the key word here, and some Clapton-esque bluesy acoustics on closing track ‘Me Back Here’ mix effortlessly with the folky ballad ‘A Prayer At Sea’. But the standout track amongst a whole collection of gems is ‘A Few Repairs’, a rootsy, melodic tune that demonstrates a lyrical tangent reminiscent of Mary Chapin Carpenter’s brilliant ‘This Shirt’: "This car drives me crazy/worn tires losing air/it breaks down but then we all do/I could stand a few repairs". Some great guitar work and a neat structure give the song the sameimpact as its illustrious cousin, and demonstrates enough talent to suggest Seals could follow Carpenter into the mainstream arena very soon.

Even though I’m sure such success is a goal of his, it’s obvious that Seals has entirely different priorities for his music. However clichéd it may sound, Seals is more concerned with the message of his music rather than the reward it can bring and that’s a lesson worth remembering in the hollow pop landscape of 2001.”

-Andrew Ellis, Indiemonkey.com

Rob Seals -- Quiet Man, A Lot To Say

It's the quiet ones you have to watch. The unassuming ones, the ones who seem reserved or shy, affable and humble, but have talent and passion seeping through their fingers and musicality oozing through their pores -- quiet guys like Beck, like Ben Harper, like James Taylor. Like Rob Seals.

Rob Seals is a Greensboro-based singer-songwriter who upon a face-to-face encounter, comes off as a pleasant, unassuming and amiable guy -- his calmness is that steady, his demeanor that tranquil; but one underestimates his passion for song-craft and his utter respect for the gifts he's been given. And they're many. He's one busy testament to the oft-used and abused phrase, "working musician."

Since last year, Rob's been the host of an ongoing music series held monthly at Border's in Greensboro, called the Second Wednesday Songwriters Showcase, which has featured such out-of-towners like the lauded Kyle Davis and the ultra-talented Claire Holley. He spends the better part of his non-MC'ing time on the road performing his own original songs, splitting shows with other artists all over the east coast and beyond, and acting as sideman for Claire Holley and well-known folk artist Bruce Piephoff.

And when he isn't performing, hosting showcases or recording, he's busy teaching kids how to appreciate music, how to turn up their own creative pilots and find the calm voice that speaks to the muses. In fact, Seals was far away from Greensboro when we caught up with him for this interview. He spoke with ESP via phone from Virginia, where he is currently in the middle of a stint as "artist in residence" at Episcopal High School.

So you want start a revolution?

A Revolution of One is the Chattanooga, TN-born and raised musician's latest contribution to the local (and hopefully regional and national) music scene. On a basic level, the CD is a very enjoyable collection of songs -- poppy, eclectic, expertly crafted and produced, just the right balance of earnestness, wistful speculation and humor.

But a closer look (and listen) reveals great sincerity and a whole lot more depth.

The first (and title) track for example, is a bittersweet ode to hope and the possibilities created out of changing the only thing we know we can (uh, that "we" is ourselves, get it?).

"The notion of a `Revolution Of One,' said Rob, "is speaking about change being within an individual; whether those changes are societal or merely how someone changes the way they see their day. I think a lot of the songs on this record are trying to confront difficult ideas from different angles. Having a willingness to let go of your expectations for the surprise and the learning that comes from that process."

Yet Seals is quick to point out that his journey toward songcraft-land has been humbling. "My biggest growth period as a songwriter came a number of years ago when I became more willing to let songs teach me, and I hopped down off my soap box and stopped trying to preach. (Revolution...) is a collection of songs that really taught me; a lot of them were about confronting an ideal and learning to embrace the real, what lies beyond it or beneath it."

So much of what Seals writes is acutely sincere; each line seems to possess a genuine duality that works on myriad levels -- the lighter obvious top layer and the darker message below.

And on a track as wonderfully light and amusing as the groovy "Cover Man," (which features some terrific dobro work by Seals, and backgrounds by Ray Loughran from Greensboro's Walrus), the message isn't as simple as comic book heroes weary of their super responsibilities.

"`Cover Man' is exactly an example of song which taught me what it wanted to be about -- the line about "I don't wanna be Superman no more" is where the song began, and I had no idea what that meant at the time, but by the time I got to the bridge, I understood it was a song about being accepted and accepting yourself for who you are. The last bit about the cover songs (`ain't gonna play covers no more') just tumbled out. I realized that I'd been playing a lot of covers for years and was moving to a place where I wanted my songs to be the focal point."

Three different messages in one song without an iota of trite soap boxing!

Life love and perfection

If you delve deeply enough into the songs on Revolution... you won't find anything overtly happy or sad -- there's a whole lot of gray area, which makes perfect sense in this, our whacked out, chaotic world. And love is a big target.

As Rob says, "The love songs on the record that are about coming to terms with not being perfect."

Take "Count The Ways," a track which borrows a poetic idea from Elizabeth Barrett Browning (and features vocals from Rob's old duo partner Ellis Butler); it's a love song, but the roses are a bit droopy and the diamonds lack a bit of luster.

"The chorus asserts that `I believe in you and me,' but the speaker has to admit his foibles," says Rob, "and the second verse is all about how his love is a failure, how we fall short of being the ideal."

Are life and love as bleak as all that?

"There's sort of a forlorn quality to it all," he adds with a chuckle, "but there's a certain richness that comes from making these realizations and accepting the world in its imperfections. All that idealism gets informed by loss and realism."

As a seasoned songwriter, Seals seems perfectly comfortable with presenting his musical views within the scope of both observational and autobiographical stances. The trick is to use language that isn't directly reflected back to him personally.

"It's a fallacy to ever assume that any writer (in any mode of expression) who ever says `I' is talking about himself, and there's something so intensely personal about music that we naturally assume that that person is singing to us when we hear them on stage or the radio. We infer all these things about his or her life.

"To assume that all of the events or emotions in a story line are true about me or the personas are me would be wrong.

"`Few Repairs' is about my dad and his car, but it doesn't have to be. It's a song about a car and a relationship."

Music, music, music

If you've had your fill of lyrical depth by now, let's focus on the music. Much of the songs on Revolution... are undeniably appealing -- that beaten old cliché "it's got a great beat and you can dance to it" applies neatly here. Rock, pop, a thread of slide country and acoustic sensibility, great harmony -- a lovely mix.

Seals' bio says he's "Paul Simon meets Dave Matthews." In this writer's opinion, Seals' music is less frenetic than Matthews', but has Simon's fascinating musical conversationality down pat.

Rob is an accomplished guitarist (playing acoustic, electric, dobro, slide), yet what gives the songs on Revolution of One their radio-friendly punch is that he has called on some truly talented individuals to help him create a record that, egads, might be called a new genre -- smart pop!

Vertical Horizon's Ed Toth (drums) and Sean Hurley (bass) guest on four tracks; Doug Derryberry (now Bruce Hornsby's guitarist) co-produces seven tracks. Closer to home, Seals enlisted the aid of Steve Graham on bass; Eddie Walker, drums and percussion; and percussionist Romero Wyatt, who Seals says will do a few CD release party shows with him here and there.

"I'm the beneficiary of a lot of other people's ideas," disclosed Seals. "I have friends all over this record and this made it so much more meaningful for me."

And so Rob Seals will fight the good fight, continue to learn, continue to teach, teach himself, teach us, and be grateful for it all. That's enough for a quiet man, don't you think?

- Allison B. King, ESP Magazine Rob Seals