2020

Isolation

Rob Oliver, a Hampton Roads native, received his first guitar when he was sixteen years old and hasn’t looked back since. Holed up in his bedroom for hours at a time flipping through guitar magazine lessons, he developed his musical skills playing the alternative music of the 90’s, as well as a vast array of Rock and Metal influences ranging from The Beatles to Led Zeppelin to early Metallica. In High School he was heavily shaped by the influx of alternative music before discovering such eclectic artists as Jeff Buckley and Elliott Smith. While always harboring an interest in blues music, it was twenty years after he started playing guitar that his mother gifted him with a harmonica for Christmas. This set Rob on a new musical path as he dove into the rich history of the harmonica and began to learn a new instrument that was so vastly different from the guitar. The unique musical textures created by this tiny instrument helped broaden Rob’s musical vocabulary and improve his ability to play guitar by allowing him to look at music in fresh new ways. 

Rob has been writing and performing original music for over twenty years in both electric and acoustic settings. He began composing music early on, and was hooked on performing once he got his first taste of playing in bands with friends. His songwriting has evolved through the years just as his listening tastes have changed, but everything continues to be a mix of what has come before.  

Beginning in January 2019 Rob started recording his debut album, "Highs & Lows & Blues". Featuring some of his favorite musicians from the Hampton Roads area, it contains twelve blues based tracks that run from acoustic fingerpicked guitar to full on rock songs. Along with writing the songs and singing all of the lead vocals, Rob plays a mixture of instruments including all the rhythm guitars, harmonica, and also plays some bass and percussion on a few tracks. The rest of the music is filled out by a wonderful array of artists that contributed their time and skill to the project. The album was recorded by Joe Talley at SoniQual Studios in Portsmouth, VA and was released on February 15, 2020. It is available for purchase at all digital retailers and the Music Page. It is also available on Compact Disc at Rob's shows or at Birdland Music in Virginia Beach.

You can find Rob currently playing shows all over Hampton Roads and beyond as both a solo artist and as part of his electric band, Rob Oliver & The Attractors. In addition to performing he is also a private music instructor for guitar, harmonica, ukulele, and bass.