Music

Interested In Hiring Robbie for a Private Show?

Robbie contracts a couple dozen private events each year -- weddings, birthday parties, bar mitzvahs, corporate occasions...but mostly weddings, which is why much of what follows is nuptial-specific. What he gets out of it: better pay than he gets at clubs, a chance to play a lot of cover music that he loves, and, Quaker as it may sound, a lot of new friends (see references below). What you get out of it: a musical performance that's professional and logistically low-maintenance as a bunch of fellows in tuxes, yet as rocking and ultimately unique as your favorite roots-rock twangster weirdo down at the local watering hole.

You can contact Robbie via the link provided below, but first, you may want to read the following, which addresses some basic questions.

What Kind of Band Will Robbie Bring?

He plays many events with his 4-piece road band (whom you might know as Grant, Mike, and Gerald) as well as various larger and smaller ensembles (e.g., duos with Robbie Gjersoe, Danny Barnes, and Don Stiernberg; trios; full-band with additional pieces such as horns, steel guitar, chick singer, there are virtually no limits except your budget). It depends what you want and need.

I Don't Have Much To Spend and Like Robbie Solo Anyway -- Will He Do That?

Probably not. He prefers to have some company, and drums make weddings much better.

Will I Need To Hire A P.A.?

No. If it's a small room with a small, attentive audience, it's likely none will be needed. Most events do need sound reinforcement, though, and when there's a band involved or a wider space than a small quiet room to cover, it's essential. Robbie has a longtime dedicated private-event sound engineer who works with him, whose cost is contingent on travel distance and expense and is bundled into Robbie's fee.

How Far From Home Will Robbie Travel?

If you live within driving distance of Chicago (say, 300 miles), you're easy to get to. If more than that, and you want him with a band, then it starts getting costly, and whether he can get to you depends on your budget. Write him and ask, though -- he has been known to go to plenty of farflung places.

What Will It Cost?

It depends on the number of personnel and the travel costs. Robbie's base cost alone or duo is $1500, for the 4-piece band $3000. Sound engineer and equipment will run from $300 to $1500 within the continental US, depending on distance and travel costs. Additional personnel above 4 players are $300 each. These rates include all Robbie's costs within the continental US -- travel, hotel, gas, etc. You can add these up for a ballpark idea, given your location and how big a band you want, but here's one way to broadly sum it up: It has never cost anyone more than $5000 to hire Robbie and his band (hi there, Houston and Sacramento); and if you can't spend $1500, don't ask.

How Long Will He Play?

How long do you want? Robbie is flexible, but a good guideline for band events is two 75-minute sets, solo/duo maybe a little shorter. That satiates all with dancing shoes, and leaves some people wanting to hear more, which is good.

Will He Be Amenable To Song and Set-List Requests?

Yes. Robbie does not sing songs with profanity at family events (even by request!). He is delighted to hear which are your favorite titles and which you would rather not be subjected to. He does not like to do more than 50-60% original material from his records at weddings, since most people prefer dancing to music they know. Most but not all of the songs on his records are performance-ready.

Will He Learn Special Material For My Event?

Yes, within reasonable limits. Classical and Eastern European pieces -- yes, he has been asked to learn these -- are mainly out of Robbie's scope and skills, but most American popular music isn't (and by the way, he's a country singer in real life, remember?). For weddings, a first-dance request is almost mandatory. A few that Robbie has been asked to play include: "The Rainbow Connection" by the Muppets, "I Think I Love You" by the Partridge Family, "Crazy" by Willie Nelson, "God Only Knows" by the Beach Boys, "Walk Through This World With Me" by George Jones, "Maybe I'm Amazed" by Wings, and something in French by Francoise Hardy. You might consider some of these tasteless, but someone likes them and wanted to hear them, and Robbie offers no comment on your taste. In addition, mother-son and father-daughter dances are commonly requested, and then there's "Hava Na Gila" for our friends the Jews. Robbie is very flexible with requests and styles, but to try to learn more than 4 songs will mush up his mind.

What Are Examples Of Cover Songs Robbie Plays?

"Shake Rattle and Roll," "Viva Las Vegas," "Luckenback Texas," "Hey Good-Lookin," "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," "Margaritaville," "I Knew The Bride," "Jump Jive and Wail," "Chapel of Love," "I Love You For Sentimental Reasons," "Twistin' the Night Away," "I Saw Her Standing There." A lot of country and old rock-and-roll, some R&B, a little 1970s and 1980s rock, a couple jazz instrumentals. Robbie knows by heart a fat hunk of the catalogs of canonical American artists like Chuck Berry, Hank Williams, Bob Dylan, Sam Cooke, Buck Owens, the Everlys, Joe Turner, NRBQ, Bill Monroe, Louis Prima, and, for some reason, Run-DMC. He doesn't have a set-list to offer you for your perusal, as he prefers to call tunes out on the spot, but this should give you a good idea.

Is My Venue Appropriate For A Country-Rock Band With Drums?

Very good question, and if it's a question at all, please ask someone at the venue about it. Robbie's full-band amplitude is not Link Wray-esque, but if your room is a delicate crockery-laden chamber stuffed with sissy French waiters and hair-trigger in-laws, a country-rock quartet with drums may not be the thing.

Do I Have To Feed The Players?

Nice, and appreciated, but not necessary.

Is The Sounds System Available For Announcements and Between-set Recorded Music?

Yes.

Is Robbie a Total "Damsel Of The Pave"? What Will He Not Do?

Robbie will do a whole lot to make a client happy, like learn special songs, show up punctually, hang out with you and your colleagues/friends/family into the wee hours, behave like a courteous Southern-bred adult. He will perform for cheaper than many national acts. He will even mail you, free of charge, a moderately well-mixed disc of his set within a few weeks of your event! Here are a few things he does not like to do:

1. Act as emcee or announcer for your wedding.
2. Handle continuous heckling by angry people who want to hear Creed or Martina McBride rather than Buck Owens.
3. Learn more than 4 songs for the occasion (and 3 is preferable).
4. Placate your angry facility staff who would be happier with a jazz piano trio than a country-rock band.
5. Answer to multiple, conflicting parties on basics like set length. For weddings, Robbie wants to be answerable to the couple, not the in-laws, just for the sake of an efficient and clear chain of command.

These above are not hypotheticals. They are drawn straight from true-life tragedies. Robbie has played around 250 private events over the last 15 years. Three suffered from the problems described in (4) and (5). On two or three other occasions, Robbie found himself slightly stressed by (2) and (3), but probably not such that the client would have noticed. As for (1), Robbie simply dislikes emcee duty.

Thanks for wading through that preliminary thicket of FAQs. Hiring Robbie needn't be half that laborious, even. He'll field your questions promptly, collaborate on your particular needs, and leave you to deal with more pressing concerns, which, if you're getting married, you have more than a couple.

To hire Robbie or to find out more, please send an email to .