Who Is Bob?
Bob Goldberg started his musical career at the age of 12 by teaching himself to play his older brother’s guitar and learning songs by bands like Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and Guns N' Roses. He always wanted to play in a rock band and had his first real opportunity in college at Penn State.
After that formative experience, Bob played in a couple different rock bands in Florida and Maryland before helping to form a cover band called Quazi, which, to his surprise, found success early on. They gigged often and developed a strong following.
“I remember we planned to record two cover songs as a demo for our press kit and it was kind of intimidating going into a recording studio. At the time I recall thinking how cool it would be to go into a studio that had a really laid-back vibe that didn't feel so clinical.”
It was then that Bob began writing songs and the band started recording their original material. This led to airplay on SiriusXM Satellite Radio and the major local rock stations in DC/Maryland/Virginia and Delaware, along with a positive review by The Washington Post. They frequently billed with national touring acts including Halestorm, Everclear, Vertical Horizon, Uncle Kracker, Concrete Blonde and The Presidents of The United States of America.
“It was a really exciting time. We were totally embedded in the local scene. We played everywhere from Charlottesville, VA to New York City. One day we were recording in the studio and I remember thinking that someday producing/mixing is what I was going to be doing. And that I should build a studio that’s inviting so when artists are in it, they feel really relaxed and creative."
Bob eventually started recording at home using the software Cakewalk on an old Dell computer. As technology progressed, he switched to Pro Tools and enrolled in The Berklee College of Music to study audio production, subsequently earning the prestigious Ed Cherney Scholarship for academic excellence.
“Studying at Berklee was a great experience. You're learning from the best recording and mix engineers in the world so you develop a really solid foundation for audio production, recording and engineering. That being said, personally, I don't really think it matters where you study if you can't produce great-sounding, creative music. I think that over the years that's something that has, fortunately, come naturally to me--just knowing how to manipulate audio and make it competitive with what's out there on the radio. And I feel like I can relate to a lot of the local bands and artists that record here because I’ve been through much of what they’ve experienced.”
You can still catch Bob performing regularly in the MD/DC/VA area, performing solo as Bob G Acoustic and also in his acoustic trio, The Loop. He has performed on stage with various artists including Emerson Hart (Tonic), Jerry Cantrell (Alice In Chains), Kim Thayil (Soundgarden) and Dave Krusen (Pearl Jam) and has recorded with Dave Abbruzzese (Pearl Jam). Bob also has written/recorded/mixed a number of his own songs that are licensed through Crucial Music, Sprockets Music Publishers and Transported Audio for placement in film and television.
