Philadelphia has some talent musicians that are ready for the world to hear their amazing music, and one of those artists is Rob Tait. I got a chance to chat with Rob after his set at The Grape Room this past Thursday and we talked about about musical influences, social media, and lessons learned from being in the music industry.
Check out our quick interview below
Who would say is your main musical influence?
Well, the person that got me into music was Bruce Springsteen with his album The Wild, The Innocent, & The E Street Shuffle. It's funky, it's rock, it's folky, it's kind of everything mixed into one and there's not an album like it; it's just great. That album has almost the original band that he has now, but it's a different drummer, who I'm very inspired by because I'm a drummer myself, his name is Vini "Maddog" Lopez. Springsteen is my dude, he's kinda the guy that got me into music.
What was it that made you want to pursue a career in music?
The one thing I think every person in the world unifies by that we all enjoy music; whether it be R&B, Hip-Hop, Rock, or Rap, we all like music. It's a unifying thing no matter which way you think about it, plus who doesn't like to groove a little bit? (laughs). I think for me personally, it stirs up something deep inside of me that makes me want to do something. Music is very powerful, but I think nowadays people don't realize exactly how powerful music is. For example, Live 8, they raised so much money for trying to find the cure for AIDS and people gave so much money to that benefit. Music has the power to heal; I'm being very cheesy, but it has the power to heal (laughs).
What are your thoughts on how social media has become such an important career tool for artists?
Well, the craft is incredibly important, especially practicing your instrument or your music, but I've read that 40% of the music business is advertising yourself and getting yourself seen by a lot of people. The internet s great because it's gets you connected to people that you wouldn't have met otherwise. Like, for example, I connected with someone from the Netherlands when I covered a song by Eric Clapton called "Back Home" and she was like "Man, that's a great cover; I can't wait until you come out with more music!". I would've never in a million years, without social media or the internet, gotten in touch with someone across the world. It's so much easier to create a fan base for your music through social media; getting your name out through social media is incredibly important.
What would be one of the biggest lessons you've learned so far from being in the industry so far?
I wanna say be humble, don't be a jerk. There are a lot of people in the industry that are full of themselves, but that isn't the way to be. Another thing is don't cop out for what other people think you should to; for example, a lot of people wanted me to change one of my song's titles from "Aggie" to "Abby" because they thought it was a weird name. I stuck to it and kept the same title and now people know it because it's a weird name. Just stick to what you feel is right and don't let other people dictate what you do because then it's not really who you are.
If you want to see Rob showcase his talents, he'll be performing at Lickety Split on February 26th - check out RobTaitMusic.com for additional shows and info. Also, be sure to follow Rob on Twitter and Instagram, and subscribe to his YouTube channel for more Tait's Vlogs and music!