repel the robot

Music Connection routinely listens to and evaluates the work of unsigned and DIY recording artists for the New Music Critiques reviews in every issue. Below you’ll find what we feel are the cream of the crop––our 25 highest scorers, as well as an extra Top 20 Prospects whose talent and skill are just too special to overlook. Each score you see is based on the merits of production, lyrics, music, vocals and musicianship. Music Connection welcomes all unsigned recording artists who want to be reviewed in a national magazine to check out musicconnection.com/reviews/get-reviewed. - Music Connection

I go in waves of hot and cold on alternative rock. It’s songs like “Feels Damn Good” by Repel the Robot that put me back on a hot streak. Conjuring up images of Minus the Bear with splashes of Portugal the Man and Pinback for good measure, the duo from Dallas Texas is preparing to release their brand spanking new EP [ AKA ] on February 19.

Repel the Robot consists of Sean Trauth and Jarrett Shaffer. As should be expected from an outfit churning out such quality tunes, they are hot off of a stream of successes, most notably a stellar SXSW performance.

On a side note, if you are in need of a life mantra, I might suggest stealing Repel the Robot’s. It is almost guaranteed to be better than whatever you have been using to guide your life so far. They are “concert goers, beer lovers, and acclaimed superheroes defending the human race against the robot invasion one show at a time.” Not bad for two kickass dudes from Texas. - Milkcrater

NEW MUSIC CRITIQUES, REVIEWS AUGUST 1, 2016 BY MUSIC CONNECTION

Rated Review:
PRODUCTION - 9
LYRICS - 8
MUSIC - 8
VOCALS - 8
MUSICIANSHIP - 8
TOTAL SCORE - 8.2

Dallas, TX duo repel the robot are working at a high level as writers, producers and arrangers to create a fun, dynamic alt-rock sound that's infused with electronic touches, including an fx’d vocal shimmer that is the band’s signature. A funky, upbeat guitar riff propels “Feels Damn Good” and it made us feel damn good to hear this tune as it blossomed into an infectious dance groove.

“Cold War Kid” showcases the
 duo’s love of cool keyboard tones (such as a wailing, squealing mellotron) that
 spice up and sweeten the catchy “we’re so close yet so far away” chant. We feel that “This Time Tomorrow,” though it is artfully arranged, could be a single if only it were trimmed and condensed a bit.

Contact: repeltherobot@gmail.com
Web: repeltherobot.com/music
Seeking: Label, Mgmt, Booking, Film/TV
Style: Alt-Rock, Electronic, Pop - Music Connections Magazine

Why do we like this?

Anyone out there like Minus The Bear? Anyone wish they were still making good music?

Fear not! Repel The Robot are here to save the day. Their sound not only captures some of my favorite elements of Minus The Bear -- it actually sounds "new." So for that, I commend them.

The Dallas-based duo have been going at it for some time, but today marks the first time they're making an appearance on Indie Shuffle. Here's hoping it won't be the last. - Indie Shuffle

Do214 brings you our first mix of rising Dallas artists. Anytime we stumble into one of these shows or hear them come on over the radio, we know things are about to get good. We think you’ll all enjoy this little taste of the Dallas indie scene, including Toadies, Sarah Jaffe, Air Review and others.

Track List:
1. Air Review - Low Wishes
2. TEAM* - I Like It
3. Repel the Robot - Feels Damn Good
4. Sarah Jaffe - Your Return
5. Toadies - In The Belly Of A Whale
6. Telegraph Canyon - Hung Up
7. Doug Burr - White Night, Black Light - Noisetrade and Do214

KXT’s Summer Cut moved indoors to South Side Ballroom at Gilley’s for this year’s installment of the annual music festival Saturday. The air-conditioned climes seemed to suit fans and performers just fine. The long awaited return of Scottish indie pop titans Belle and Sebastian generated the most excitement, but it was hard to go wrong with performances by Sarah Jaffe, Israel Nash, Fantastic Negrito, and more.

Mikel Galicia was there to capture the scene. - D Magazine

Take a look back at all of the great musicians to hit the Summer Cut Stages. All photos by Art&Seek’s Dane Walters.

http://artandseek.org/2015/08/31/photos-the-bands-of-summer-cut/ - Art and Seek

By Paul Esquivel

Saturday in Dallas, KXT held their fourth annual Summer Cut Festival at the South Side Ballroom and it was a great night of music. It was a first for the Summer Cut, which is usually held at Gexa Energy Pavilion, moving from outdoor to indoor, a welcomed change from having to endure the infamous Texas heat.

While almost everyone was there to see the Scottish indie-pop band Belle & Sebastian, the show’s headliner who drew the biggest crowd at the end of the evening, The entire line up was superb. The local stage was still present and went well with the acts of the main stage as concert goers flowed back and fourth between the two.

Memorable performances included Jessie Frye, who played the local stage and a new unreleased single “One in a Million” from their new album that drops October 9th. Jessie has an awesome and energetic stage performance and got the crowd engaged, telling audience members to come closer to the stage after their first song.

Related Topic: Images from the festival

Repel the Robot and Doug Burr were other notable acts from the local stage, with Doug Burr performing songs from his new LP, Pale White Dove. I hadn’t heard of Repel the Robot before the night, who hail from Albuquerque, New Mexico, and I was about to go out for some air when they began their first song and I stayed for their whole set. In fact, almost every band had that effect in the line-up.

Another stellar performance came from Fantastic Negrito, with an electric presence brought by their front man, Xavier Dphrepaulezz, and funky and soulful sound. While Sarah Jaffe did a cool version of “Clementine” making it more of a sing-along and Israel Nash (another artist I was new to) played great old school-ish, psychedelic sounding rock. Even though I don’t listen to Belle & Sebastian that much, there is no denying they know how to put on a show. The 10 member band really provided style and substance in their set nicely and shifted smoothly, playing an evenly divided set of early and recent songs.

KXT’s Summer Cut is a great showcase that I will continue to look forward to and hopefully the change in venue to South Side Ballroom will be the same for next year. It is a great festival for any alternative music lover in North Texas.

Here is the full line up for anyone curious to check out the band names listen some readers might not know of:

Jessie Frye
Catamaran
Doug Burr
Repel the Robot
Calhoun
Fantastic Negrito
Israel Nash
Sarah Jaffe
Belle and Sebastian - Blitz Weekly

Repel The Robot – Why We Are Who We Are
The Dallas alt rock/pop duo Repel The Robot formed in 2013 “after a long period of musical exploration,” between friends Jarrett Shaffer and Sean Trauth. They’ve opened for bands like The Vaccines, Slow Magic, Mew and Carnage before they even had a debut record.

The duo started out writing music together via Google hangouts and Skype while attending college. After graduation, Shaffer and Trauth teamed up to finish working on their debut DIY EP, Why We Are Who We Are, featuring standout songs like “Feels Damn Good,” and “This Time Tomorrow.” The debut EP dropped in April.

The first single, “Feels Damn Good,” is definitely the most memorable track from the EP with dream pop spliced with rock elements, including uptempo riffs, synth embellishments and big vocal harmonies. In fact, the song earned Repel The Robot a winning spot in JanSport’s 6th Annual Battle of the Bands competition to play at SXSW. The second track, “This Time Tomorrow,” is an acoustic pop love song, and further evidence of the duo’s talents as songwriters and musicians. Their top musical influences include Coldplay, Taking Back Sunday, Deadmau5, MuteMath, Linkin Park, and Atmosphere.

“Feels Damn Good“ – Repel The Robot from Why We Are Who We Are

“This Time Tomorrow“ – Repel The Robot from Why We Are Who We Are

Repel The Robot on Facebook - Indie Rock Cafe

Home / KXT Music Blog / 4 things to know about Repel the Robot
4 things to know about Repel the Robot
July 15, 2015


Repel the Robot joins a stellar lineup for KXT’s Summer Cut on August 29 at South Side Ballroom.

You might have already heard their electronic-rock jams on KXT, but here are 4 things you need to know about the Dallas-based duo:
1. They bill themselves as “music to listen to during the robot invasion.”

In case you were wondering what to play during such an event.
2. The band’s two members, Jarrett Shaffer and Sean Trauth, met in high school in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Repel the Robot

Jarrett Shaffer (left) and Sean Trauth

They later moved to Dallas and formed Repel the Robot in 2013.
3. Their influences include Coldplay, Foo Fighters and MuteMath.

Naturally, their sound blends bright, lush choruses with grittier rock and electronic rhythms.
4. Their name stems from their desire to be unique, rather than controlled by outside influences.

In other words, Repel the Robot. - KXT 91.7 Radio

Repel the Robot at South Side Ballroom Special to DFW.com Velton Hayworth

DALLAS
There was, if you stopped and thought about it Saturday, a rather fitting metaphor unfolding onstage at the South Side Ballroom.

The fourth annual Summer Cut was drawing to a close and the night’s headliner, Scottish indie-pop collective Belle & Sebastian, was steaming through its first North Texas set in nearly a decade. (“I know you’ve waited for 20 years to see us,” frontman Stuart Murdoch deadpanned.)

Belle & Sebastian have lasted, impressively, over an almost 20-year span, and in the course of that time, have evolved from delicate, twee, folk-pop stylists to something more robust, diverse and freewheeling.

The band, led by the irrepressible Murdoch, has, in short, grown into itself, in a very satisfying and surprising way.

So too, has KXT 91.7 FM, a station catering to the “adult alternative” crowd, while also serving as one of a number of outlets for local music to be heard beyond the bars and clubs around town.

KXT has likewise found its level and embraced it, promoting a sizable number of shows, while also overseeing its own concert series (the annual “Barefoot at the Belmont” performances) and Summer Cut, which, for the first time this year, moved from Gexa Energy Pavilion to the South Side Ballroom.

The contraction in space made for a more intimate experience — not to mention a far more temperate one; the air conditioning was as much of a featured player as any musician on stage — and arguably the most satisfying festival-going experience yet offered in North Texas this year. Although promoters love putting bands and fans in large outdoor spaces when it’s warm outside, there’s something to be said for being able to focus on the music, and not whether you’re about to sweat to death.

As at previous Summer Cuts, KXT booked an all-local stage to compliment the main stage. Attendees simply walked between the two rooms, and were treated to some fine showcases, particularly from Catamaran, whose breezy, liquid riffs were tailormade for the end of summer, as well as Doug Burr, pulling from his superb new LP, Pale White Dove, and Calhoun, closing out the night with a taste of their forthcoming album, which they’re currently recording.

In the main room, the collective mind was blown by the force of nature that is Fantastic Negrito, a vivid fusion of R&B, gospel and full-tilt showmanship, courtesy the live-wire lead singer Xavier Dphrepaulezz. Between testifying and inveighing against any number of political and social wrongs, Fantastic Negrito doled out ferocious funk that nearly levitated the venue.

Israel Nash delivered a solid set of Allman Brothers-tinged rock, while Sarah Jaffe continued to demonstrate her fondness for rewiring her catalog (Clementine, a song Jaffe is probably past tired of playing, was rejiggered as a synth-laced sing-along).

But it was Belle & Sebastian’s evening-ending set that drew the largest crowd — attendance figures weren’t immediately available, but an eyeball estimate put the audience at around 1,500-2,000 — and the most enthusiastic.

The set list was fairly evenly split between the acclaimed band’s earlier, more folky work (The Boy with the Arab Strap; Loneliness of a Middle Distance Runner) and its more recent, funkier work (The Party Line; Perfect Couples). The 10-member band handled the shifts in style with ease, and Murdoch revealed himself as quite the engaging host, namechecking the Texas Rangers just before Piazza New York Catcher, and asking who in the audience was from Fort Worth or Arlington.

It all felt, in so many words, just right.

Here’s hoping KXT continues to hold its Summer Cut festival in such hospitable climes, which tend to elide the nits that could be picked (the sound system on the locals stage tended to destroy any nuance, for instance), and put the focus right where it belongs.

Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/entertainment/arts-culture/article32824740.html#storylink=cpy - Fort Worth Star Telegram

It's been a while. It's been a long while. The last time that Belle and Sebastian played Dallas was even longer ago than the last time Jack White played here — which is saying something. By our count, it's been almost a decade. But that's about to change this August, when KXT rolls out its fourth annual Summer Cut festival at South Side Ballroom.

Of course, that drought isn't necessarily exclusive to Dallas. Stuart Murdoch and his band tour fairly infrequently as a rule, usually only hitting up larger festivals around the country with some other oddball shows thrown in. So it's a big catch for KXT to get Belle and Sebastian on the bill — although leave it to Houston to try stealing some of our thunder, seeing how they just played Free Press Summer Fest at the beginning of the month.

But whatever. We'll take it. As a headliner, it makes for a step up from Death Cab for Cutie, who headlined last year. (A bit of an awkward affair given that their bassist had just announced his plans to quit. Oops.)

Outside of Belle and Sebastian, the Summer Cut lineup skews pretty heavily on the side of Texas artists. In fact, everyone else on the bill is from the Lone Star State. (How expensive is Belle and Sebastian?) But that should sit just fine with KXT listeners, as the artists they booked, led by Sarah Jaffe, fit right in with the station's playlists. Doug Burr and Jessie Frye are both from Denton, Calhoun is from Fort Worth and Catamaran are from right here in Dallas. Even Israel Nash is from Dripping Springs. The one sort of outlier is Repel the Robot, who got started in Albuquerque, but no matter; they're based in Dallas.

Summer Cut takes place this year on Saturday, August 29, and this year it's changing locations too. Gone are the hot, hot confines of Gexa Energy Pavilion, replaced by the cool, cool air conditioning of South Side Ballroom. Presale tickets go on sale this Thursday, June 18 from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., with general sales opening on Friday at 10 a.m. over at LiveNation.com. - Dallas Observer

Belle and Sebastian will headline KXT’s Summer Cut festival on Saturday, August 29 at South Side Ballroom!
The festival will also feature an incredible slate of regional and national acts, including Sarah Jaffe, Israel Nash, Doug Burr, Repel the Robot, Jessie Frye, Calhoun and Catamaran. More artists will be announced soon.

Tickets are on sale now. Click here to get yours. - KXT Radio

JanSport Battle of the Bands winner, repel the robot, kicked off the day at the Culture Collide Day Party on Rainey Street during SXSW with an energetic set. Check out the video recapping their performance below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK8b_Vf_p08

Jarrett and Sean of repel the robot took some time to tell us a little bit more about their week long experience at SXSW and what’s on tap for the band next.

What are some of the personal highlights from SXSW and your performance at the Culture Collide Day Party on Rainey Street?

We had a great time during our set at the Culture Collide Party! The Container Bar was super unique and a great venue to play. What we loved most about our set was being able to go out into the crowd to get up close and personal with the fans. One of our favorite moments was getting to chat with Marian Hill for a bit before she went on, talking about our performance, and how we were excited to catch hers.

What other venues or bands/artists did you seek out during your week at SXSW?

We were pumped to catch Twin Peaks and Real Estate at JanSport’s Bonfire Sessions at Cheer Up Charlie’s. It was a great venue, very laid back with a good outdoor feel. We also caught Robert DeLong and ODESZA’s sets at IFC’s Party. We love how Robert Delong was able to team up with Microsoft to incorporate strange technology such as Wii Remotes and flight simulator modules during his set.

What’s next for repel the robot? Do you have any upcoming shows OR plans to tour?

We’ve got a few festivals very soon, with Deep Ellum Arts Festival on April 3 and UNM’s Fiestas 2015 on April 11. We’re really excited about the rest of 2015, as we’ve got a bunch of new music and videos coming with a tour in the works for the fall.

Continue to follow repel the robot for latest news and updates on upcoming performances at: - JanSport

When Jarrett Shaffer ’08 and Sean Trauth ’08 organized a music tour in Texas–playing shows in Amarillo, San Antonio, and Austin–for their Senior Project, they had no idea they were foreshadowing their own futures. But now, nearly seven years later, these two Academy alums find themselves playing music together once again, in Texas.

Jarrett and Sean were both musicians while they attended Albuquerque Academy. Jarrett played the drums in the Charger Band, while Sean played both trumpet in the Jazz and Charger bands and guitar in the Guitar Ensemble. They both were in bands outside of school as well. Eventually, when Bazooka Jill, the band with which Sean played, needed a new drummer, Jarrett and Sean ended up in the same band.

“We worked really hard with two other Academy students,” says Jarrett. They played a lot of local gigs, and Sean and Jarrett began writing songs together. The Texas tour, toward the end of their senior year, seemed like the finale for this musical partnership. After graduating from the Academy, Jarrett headed back to Texas to attend Texas Christian University, while Sean enrolled at the Musician’s Institute in Los Angeles.

After their first year away at school, Sean and Jarrett decided to rekindle their musical collaboration, writing songs together via e-mail. “I hadn’t found a band in the area that was a good fit, so I emailed Sean to see if he was interested,” says Jarrett.

After completing an 18-month program in contemporary guitar performance, Sean returned to Albuquerque and enrolled in the University of New Mexico’s Music and Arts Management Program, while Jarrett pursued a business degree at TCU. They continued their long-distance songwriting collaboration.

When Sean graduated from UNM, he was offered a job with the City of Albuquerque but decided instead to take a leap of faith and moved to Dallas, hoping that he and Jarrett’s musical partnership would thrive with fewer miles between them. Turns out, Sean was right.
“Our styles really came together since Sean came to Dallas,” says Jarrett. “We have been able to find a consistent direction.”

Performing as Repel the Robot, the duo has found a lot of local success–with the help of their manager Allie Shaffer ‘06 (Jarrett’s sister)–playing their original music inspired by bands such as Coldplay, Linkin Park, and the Foo Fighters.

Recently, however, Sean and Jarrett have seized some opportunities to expand their fan base. Last year, they entered a songwriting contest sponsored by Indaba Music and were selected as one of four runners up, earning a trip to New York City to film a live music video.

More recently, Repel the Robot entered JanSport’s Battle of the Bands, vying for a chance to perform on Rainey Street in Austin during SXSW 2015. Out of nearly 1,000 entries, the band was selected as one of 50 finalists that competed for the top five spots through a Facebook voting campaign. After making it to the final cut, Repel the Robot was selected as the winner of this year’s JanSport’s Battle of the Bands. Congratulations Jarrett and Sean!

Lean more about the band and their music here. If you like what you hear and you live in Albuquerque, there’s good news. Repel the Robot will be playing at UNM Fiestas in April and they also have a new remix with the Albuquerque band, The Lymbs, that was released in January. To find out more about Repel the Robot, check out their web site. - Albuquerque Academy Alumni Blog

“Feels Damn Good” is from Dallas based band Repel the Robot who likes to consider themselves Robot Rock. We consider them a great electro-rock duo and their newest surprise release gets you moving to the beat.

We took notice this year when they won the JanSport battle of the bands contest at SXSW. We look forward to new material from this promising duo. - The Review

Former Albuquerque residents will pay UNM a special visit on Saturday to perform at Fiestas 2015.

Repel the Robot, a band comprised of Jarrett Shaffer and UNM music alum Sean Trauth, will bring its unique sound to Johnson Field after having recently played at the South by Southwest music fest in Austin, Texas.

Out of more than 1,000 entrants, the band won its spot at SXSW through Jansport’s sixth annual Battle of the Bands.
But this isn’t the first time the duo has been back in New Mexico. Now in Dallas, they came home last year to play at the Duke City’s annual Summerfest.

Though they have been playing together for the last eight years, they didn’t start Repel the Robot until 2013. The two met in middle school in Albuquerque, and continued to keep in touch over the years.
Their first EP, “Who We Are and Who We Want to Be,” was created entirely over email while they attended different schools, Shaffer said.
“We have a broad range of genres that we are interested in and have been influenced by,” he said. “I guess we like to think of ourselves as: we write alternative rock, but with influences from hip hop and electronic music ... We like to bring in a multitude of other things that we can play with.”

Shaffer said he thinks their unique mix of music, as well as their performance on the stage, are what draw the crowds.
“We grew up on pop and alternative rock of the ‘90s, and grunge rock,” he said.

They each find inspiration from different groups, Trauth said, which allows them to interchange their instruments. Both sing, mix and play various instruments.

He said a lot of their music also depends on what he is listening to at the time. The group writes all of its own songs.
Trauth is the former executive director for ASUNM Student Special Events, and he said it is great to see everything come full circle as he comes back to an event he once helped organize.

Krista Marrs, executive director for Special Events, said she definitely notices the versatility in Repel the Robot’s performances.
Marrs said she and some of her friends made a special trip out to Austin for SXSW to support them. She also saw them at Summerfest.
“Everybody was into it, everybody was super excited about seeing them, and it was people they didn’t even know, people who had never heard of them,” she said.

Marrs said it was an out-of-body experience to see them at SXSW, and even more so to host them here at Fiesta of the Bands.
“The best way I can describe their genre is alternative electronic,” she said. “They have such a lively sound. They are so energetic and their music is so incredible.”

ASUNM Special Events wants to ensure that there will be a wide variety of genres at the fiesta tomorrow, she said. Including Repel the Robot, there is sure to be a little something for everyone. - The Daily Lobo

We sounded the Big Name Guest Alert and chatted with the great Rhett Miller about ISIS and Homegrown Fest. And we spoke with Mystery Skulls about working with Nile Rogers and about the time he trained to be a wrestler. We also had some breaking musicsports news as the ACL lineup was leaked last night and we were the first in Dallas with the scoop on who’s playing the big fest (spoiler alert: Foo Fighters, The Strokes, Leon Bridges, etc). And we debuted new jams from Tony Ferraro, Ryan Hamilton, Future Islands, Repel the Robot and more. Stream the show right here. Subscribe to the playlist here.

LEV – Shadow
Malandros – Mess of Me
Tony Ferraro – Go Go Supertoy
**Rhett Miller Interview**
Rhett Miller – Kiss Me On the Fire Escape
Old 97’s – St Ignatius
Repel the Robot – Feels Damn Good
Spoon – Outlier
Future Islands – The Chase
Palma Violets – English Tongue
Ryan Hamilton – I Love You a Lot
Kaela Sinclair – Ghosts You’ve Won
Leon Bridges – River
**Mystery Skulls Interview**
Mystery Skulls – Magic
Mystery Skulls – Amazing
Jonathan Tyler – Cannonball
Doug Burr – Never Gonna Be Young Again
Jake Paleschic – When It Is Played
Jamie XX – Loud Places
Tei Shi – Bassically
Humans – Tell Me - The Ticket Sports Radio

Hailing from Dallas, TX, the Jansport Battle of the Bands winners, Repel the Robot, hopped over to Austin and fearlessly kicked off the day with their no holds barred rock. The duo gave us a brief glimpse into their time on Rainey Street during SXSW.

Describe your sound in six words or less:
Indie, rock, electronica, pop, and punk. That has an and in there so that was six!


Where did you fly in/drive in from?
We're living in Dallas, Texas now. We're both originally from Albuquerque, New Mexico. That's where we met in high school.


About last night, where did you end the night?
We went to the Jansport bonfire sessions. I really love Real Estate, and Twin Peaks was playing there too. They were both awesome.

What did you eat this morning?
We're staying with a friend from high school who lives in Austin actually! So she goes to UT for grad school and she made us chilli, bacon, and egg tacos.

Where you off to next after SX?
We have a festival in Dallas called Deep Ellum Arts Festival on April 3. And the next one is April 11 in Albuquerque called Fiestas. So a couple of festivals! - Culture Collide

Huge congratulations to the guys of repel the robot for winning the 6th Annual JanSport Battle of the Bands! We’re excited to have them perform at the Culture Collide Day Party on Rainey Street during SXSW in Austin, TX!

We want to thank repel the robot for taking time to tell us a little bit more about themselves before they hit the stage during SXSW:

Give us some background on who repel the robot is. How did you come to start making music together? We’ve known each other for about 14 years now and started writing music together when we were seniors in high school. We were in different bands throughout high school until senior year, when Sean’s band, Bazooka Jill was looking for a new drummer. Jarrett joined the band in the summer of 2007 and that was our first taste of working together. Bazooka Jill was a garage rock band, combined with punk and pop influences. The band split up when we all went off to college in different cities. We reconnected during the summer of 2009 to start writing again. We started sending tracks back and forth through email. These tracks were what would ultimately become the first songs for repel the robot.

How did you decide on the name repel the robot? The name repel the robot really stems from our values. We believe that you should take matters into your own hands, and really decide what you want to do based on what you believe. We believe it is important to be authentic and genuine in how you approach what you do, so we thought of how we could portray that idea in our name. The idea is to repel being robotic, or being controlled by your environment. We don’t mean that you should push away technology, or push away change (in fact we’re kind of technology junkies haha). We simply mean to not be afraid to be unique or to be who you are.

What are your earliest memories of connecting with music?

Sean: My earliest and most important memory is when I realized my life’s calling was to make music. I got my first guitar when I was 15 years old or so, and for the first few months of playing I pissed off my whole family haha. “It’s too loud,” they would say, or “you should pay more attention to your teacher,” but I didn’t really care what they said. Because at the end of the day, I realized I had been practicing for 8 hours straight without even considering a break. Playing that guitar brought me into a new world and made it feel as if time had stood still. I realized then, if music provides me with that much joy, I should never quit.

Jarrett: My earliest memories of connecting with music are in the car on family road trips. We used to blast The Eagles, Bruce Hornsby, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, and Led Zeppelin. These songs still strike emotions within me and remind me of those happy times on the way to a skiing or fishing trip. I remember learning every word to those songs and wanting to be able to create something as beautiful and as long lasting as they had created.

What musical influences have shaped repel the robot? We are constantly listening to new music and trying to find new favorites that will influence our style. We were largely influenced by the grunge and post-alternative music of the 90’s. Specific artists that have greatly influenced our style are Coldplay, Foo Fighters, Deadmau5, MuteMath, Linkin Park, and Third Eye Blind.

What are your favorite cities to visit? Albuquerque, NM is our birth home, so we always love going back home and chowing down on some red and green chile. Growing up in New Mexico has developed our love of wide-open spaces and nature. We love Colorado for the amazing mountains and vibe. San Francisco and Portland, OR are great towns with great food and art. And living in Texas, we definitely have huge love for Austin and all of its weirdness.

What are some of your favorite venues to perform at? Dream venue you hope to one day perform at? We love performing at festivals because of the excitement, energy, and we get to interact with a new audience who may be seeing us for the first time. The Brooklyn Bowl in NY always looks fun and exciting…I mean bowling in between sets? Awesome. Our dream venue is someday being able to play Wembley Stadium. We saw video of Coldplay and The Foo Fighters there and would love to perform in front of such a large audience. On the other hand, we love to interact with the crowd when we perform, so another dream of ours is to play small venues in each city, kind of un-announced and give a really special and unique performance.

What are you looking forward to most about performing at the Culture Collide Day Party on Rainey Street during SXSW? We are so excited to be the winners of the 6th Annual JanSport Battle of the Bands. We love our fans and are so humbled by their support and all the voting they did to get us here. Culture Collide and all of the sponsors have put together an amazing lineup. We’re really excited to be sharing the stage with other phenomenal artists like Marian Hill, Mew, and The Vaccines. The entire week is going to be incredible.

What does repel the robot enjoy or like to do when not practicing or performing? We love traveling, so we’re always looking for new places to go. We often try to combine shows with places we want to go and check out. We are HUGE into coffee and beer. Not necessarily at the same time, but whenever we travel, we are always looking to taste the local craft beer and find the best coffee shops to experience.

What is one thing everyone needs to know about repel the robot? We make music that crosses genres because we love many different types of music. We love what we do and we’re in this for the long haul. Come along with us for the journey.

We look forward to seeing repel the robot perform at the Culture Collide Day Party on Rainey Street during SXSW!

Be sure to follow the guys of repel the robot - JanSport

They say first impressions are an important thing, which is why today we are going to go back in time a little bit to Halloween of 2014. The local Dallas venue, The Door, was throwing a Halloween extravaganza featuring local artists, who were encouraged to dress up for the festivities. There were your typical skeletons, vampires, and of course we can’t forget about that one guy who shows up as the Tooth Fairy; but then through the shadows enter two gentlemen both dressed in yellow jump suits and gloves. With one glance it was obvious these fellows decided to dress up as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman, the beloved characters from the cult hit ‘Breaking Bad’. Between their yellow jump suits and throwing rock candy, to reference the popular show’s use of crystal meth, into the crowd as they performed, it was obvious that the world needed to know who these two heroes were. Which is what brings us here today.

Before the rubber gloves and rock candy, the duo that is Repel the Robot grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they first met while attending middle school. “We didn’t really get together, become really close friends, or form a band until later on in high school,” says Jarrett Shaffer, one half of the dynamic duo. Just like one’s wardrobe, artists go through many different styles before finding their best sound, and this was no different for RTR. “[We] started out in a kind of grundgy-rock garage band called Bazooka Jill [during our] senior year of school,” states Shaffer.

Bazooka Jill first consisted of Sean Trauth, the other half of Repel the Robot, and one bad drummer and a few months of summer school later, Jarrett joined the band. They had a good local following around Albuquerque, but sadly parted ways due to college and additional career interests.

Jarrett was accepted into TCU (Texas Christian University), while Sean flew halfway across the country to attend the Musician Institute in Los Angeles, California. “The teachers were phenomenal [and] I learned a lot of stuff,” says Trauth. While college wasn’t really his thing, Sean does admit most of his guitar training background came from MI.

While their music is heavily influenced by rock, electronic, and hip-hop, the group states it’s safe to categorize them as alternative rock. “We realize that we start with an alternative rock song, and then we take it to an electronic/hip-hop level,” states Shaffer. Foo Fighters, Skrillex, and Coldplay are some of the artists that influence their sound. While those artists inspire many aspiring artists across the land, Repel the Robot is not just your stereotypical band. “We don’t want it to sound stereotypical,” states Shaffer. “[When Sean] went MI, it was all about production and figuring out new ways to push this sound and make it different,” claims Shaffer.

RTR strives to not be just be your average band next door, and that even goes as far as the meaning behind their band name. “[Repel the Robot] came from this idea of not being robotic,” claims Trauth. “Everything we do, we make sure that it is something we truly like, because we like it, not because we have been told to like it.”

This year will be a very busy one for Repel the Robot. RTR just wrapped up an acoustic video for their song ‘This Time Tomorrow’, which they flew to New York to shoot. Robot will also be going back to their roots in Albuquerque to perform at the ‘Fiestas’ Festival, and you can also expect them to hit the stage at this year’s SXSW festival.

Repel the Robot knows how to get fans talking, and keep them talking. With shows, new music, and new videos on the way, it’s easy to see how Walter White and Jesse Pinkman inspire the group. Both duos definitely know how to cook up some grade A stuff. - Koozbane Clothing

Sean Trauth and Jarrett Shaffer have come a long way since performing together at Albuquerque Academy.

From playing in a garage band, the duo is living in Dallas and producing music under the name Repel the Robot.

The band is a hybrid that combines alternative rock and electronic music. It will be one of the bands performing at Downtown Summerfest on Saturday, Aug. 9.

Trauth recently moved to Dallas after graduating from University of New Mexico.

For nearly two years, the duo would make music on their own and then send it to each other to finish it up.

“It was a challenge for sure,” Shaffer says of making music while living in different states. “We’d send each other tracks and just email them to each other.”

Trauth says it used to take a few months to make a track.

“Now we’re in the same city and have more access to each other,” Trauth says. “What would take us three months, it only takes us a few weeks now.”

It was finding that balance that helped Repel the Robot complete its second EP.

Shaffer says both musicians were in school and finding time to dedicate to the band became difficult.

“It got challenging,” Shaffer says. “Then when Sean graduated from UNM, I talked him into coming to Dallas. It’s been easier and the work flow is a lot better.”

Shaffer is looking forward to playing in Albuquerque again.

He and Trauth played the local circuit with another band.

“The show at Summerfest is going to be amazing,” Shaffer says. “We will have some of our new songs in our set.” - The Albuquerque Journal

"We had the highest highs, and the lowest lows…” —repel the robot.

Labor Day Weekend marks the end of the summer for most people. Technically, we all know that the end of the summer doesn’t officially begin until the Fall Equinox, but the day after Labor Day has a way of coming on strongly and disregarding that bit of info. People go back to school, back to their countries, back to their miserable lives after a magical summer, and throughout all of those scenarios loves across the world become lost. Hearts are broken, endless tears come crashing down the sides of sad faces, but at the same time memories are made, feelings are felt, and the hearts of souls become stronger for all of it.

Sometimes others fail to realize that for as much as we laugh and as happy as we may seem all the time when we are around them, that we also get into our modes of sadness and pain when in complete solace. Sometimes these pains come from losing someone we love, or loved, in our lives. It’s not that we necessarily lose them in this lifetime because only a handful of us know what the future holds, but for the now they are gone, and we ironically feel so many strong emotions that swell up inside us from that very emptiness they have left.

This Time Tomorrow is one of those tunes that feels beautifully familiar. It’s a tune full of hope, full of beautifully executed vocals that we can all relate to, and full of guitar strings that tell their own story parallel to the lovely lyrics by repel the robot.

Nearly halfway through, the song goes into an impeccably theatrical bridge that feels like a ride I have been on once too many times; a ride that begins serene and calm as I stare from my seat at everything that is beautiful and take it all in. The ride then starts pumping its blood as my ride becomes our ride, together. Two hearts in the same vehicle experiencing life with each other, and then, the music shifts us all into the excitement of love and just how intense the most beautiful kinds of it can all be. As we end that bridge, both figuratively and literally, we come back full-circle to that beautifully simple hook that got us caught up in the entire ordeal in the first place:

I know what I should do,
But I just can’t let you go.
Every bone inside my body says that,
I should let you know.
And, I know what I should do,
But I just can’t let you go.
Every bone inside my body says that I,—
I should love you.”

And then, as the song ends, we get reminded of the only form of true hopefulness that we have in life. That reminder is simply to never give up on something that you cannot do a day without, and that even if you never get it— life is worth living the most when you have something to die for. - Et Musique Pour Tous

Hi guys, welcome to VENTS! How have you been?

Hey VENTS! We’ve been great, just fighting off that eminent robot invasion.

Can you talk to us more about the story behind your latest track ¨This Time Tomorrow¨?

“This Time Tomorrow,” is about a love story (go figure right?). This story in particular is about the rights and wrongs that happen throughout a relationship. It starts with being head-over-heels for each other and after the course of being together, you learn that the person you love isn’t who you thought they were to begin with. The shades pull back and you find that your love was really just using you. The song is sort of the journey of feeling wronged while also feeling trapped in love, but eventually coming to realize that you’re better off without this person in your life. You could say it’s a mental battle between knowing you want to forget and knowing you want to love.

The single comes off your new album– how´s that coming along?

“This Time Tomorrow” is on our most recent EP, “Why We Are Who We Are”, which we released last September. “Why We Are Who We Are” is kind of a follow up to our first EP “Who We Are and Who We Want to Be.” The new EP has such a diverse selection of music from straight pop (“These Days” and “Mexico”), to blues rock/electronic (“Golden Glove”), and some more of our heavy metal roots (“Numb”). We will be playing some from this recent EP, along with our previous EP at SXSW.

Where are you finding the inspiration for the songs and lyrics?

Our inspiration comes from our interactions with people and our musical influences. The emotions we feel from our relationships, the people we interact with, and our own internal struggles really fuel our inspiration to write. We pull musically from all over, from underground hip-hop, to bubblegum pop, to classic rock. We’ve grown to appreciate many different genres and enjoy mixing older sounds from grunge and alternative rock with newer electronic styles. We strive to push music into new areas while also creating songs that are relatable.

Will you be hitting the road this year?

We mostly plan to play around Dallas during the early part of the year, but we are performing at SXSW 2015 during Hard Rock and Culture Collide’s Party on Rainey Street. We are also heading back to our home, Albuquerque, NM for a festival and we are looking to tour more this fall.

How are you preparing for your SXSW gig?

Staying hydrated, eating loads of local food and beer, trying on outfits, and having mini runway fashion shoots haha. But really we’re setup in our studio practicing every day. We want every aspect of the music to come second nature, that what way we can roll with the crowd and whatever happens live.


What else is happening next in Repel The Robot´s world?

We are currently working on a new EP to be released sometime later this year. This EP is being written more organically with both of us contributing heavily to each song. We are really harnessing our sound and are super excited to release our new songs. We are also looking for new ways to bring the energy of our live set to our online audience, so stay tuned. We are playing around with filming and recording our sets live, and the footage we have so far is phenomenal. We can’t wait to begin posting our live tracks to our YouTube channel. Keep up with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram for all the new stuff coming soon! - VENTS! Magazine

Each week, I will be featuring an unsigned/independent artist I discovered on Soundcloud. I will play one of their songs during my show that week, and write a bit more about them here.

Repel the Robot is a duo from Albequerque, New Mexico who produce a style of music they describe on their Soundcloud page as "Robot Rock". They have remixed songs by Apparat and Pretty Lights, as well as composing a few of their own original songs. Most recently, they have released an EP called Who We Are and Who We Want to Be.

Below you can listen to a few of their tracks, as well as their remix of Apparat's "A Violent Sky". - Flight of the Squakatiel

(Review of "Those Words You Say")

Quick Verdict: "How couldn't you love this? Masterpiece from beginning to end." - WireBite

Do214 brings you our first mix of rising Dallas artists. Anytime we stumble into one of these shows or hear them come on over the radio, we know things are about to get good. We think you’ll all enjoy this little taste of the Dallas indie scene, including Toadies, Sarah Jaffe, Air Review and others.

Track List:
1. Air Review - Low Wishes
2. TEAM* - I Like It
3. Repel the Robot - Feels Damn Good
4. Sarah Jaffe - Your Return
5. Toadies - In The Belly Of A Whale
6. Telegraph Canyon - Hung Up
7. Doug Burr - White Night, Black Light - Noisetrade and Do214

Anyone out there like Minus The Bear? Anyone wish they were still making good music?

Fear not! Repel The Robot are here to save the day. Their sound not only captures some of my favorite elements of Minus The Bear -- it actually sounds "new." So for that, I commend them.

The Dallas-based duo have been going at it for some time, but today marks the first time they're making an appearance on Indie Shuffle. Here's hoping it won't be the last. - Indie Shuffle

I go in waves of hot and cold on alternative rock. It’s songs like “Feels Damn Good” by Repel the Robot that put me back on a hot streak. Conjuring up images of Minus the Bear with splashes of Portugal the Man and Pinback for good measure, the duo from Dallas Texas is preparing to release their brand spanking new EP [ AKA ] on February 19.

Repel the Robot consists of Sean Trauth and Jarrett Shaffer. As should be expected from an outfit churning out such quality tunes, they are hot off of a stream of successes, most notably a stellar SXSW performance.

On a side note, if you are in need of a life mantra, I might suggest stealing Repel the Robot’s. It is almost guaranteed to be better than whatever you have been using to guide your life so far. They are “concert goers, beer lovers, and acclaimed superheroes defending the human race against the robot invasion one show at a time.” Not bad for two kickass dudes from Texas. - Milk Crater