Sean Roberts Band

How the did started with all this??

I started playing music at the age of 9. There was this boy who lived about 4 houses down from my grandparents house. He played the drums in Junior High and High School. So one day I asked him “how do you know when to hit the drum with your foot and hit the hi hat and the snare or when to hit the cymbals or how do you do a drum fill and when do you one. So when I started asking questions about this – he took me under wing and started to teach me and I took a heavy interest in playing music from then on.

But what really sealed the deal for me was when John Lennon died. I didn’t understand what was going on and why so many people were upset that this man was murdered. Naturally I felt bad but I didn’t understand the impact that he had on people and his importance of his music – I was too young.

So that Christmas my mom got me this book, which I still have to this day, on The Beatles. It told where each member came from. How the band was born. The changes in there music and then of course their breakup and what each member did after the band broke up.

It was after reading that book and understanding who The Beatles were and who they were as individuals - that's where I said “I want to do that – I want to impact people the way they did me and so many others."

So from the age of 10 thru high school I learned to play 5 instruments. I started writing my own songs in high school and it continued thru college. Since then I was in a number of different rock bands through the years. Some had been reincarnations of previous bands. Some did well others didn’t do so well. Thankfully I was able to do a few albums with each of those bands. Since then it’s just been a progression of keeping music going for myself.


What's the message to transmit with your music??

For me the basic thing is good story telling. That’s the bottom line. If you don’t have a good story to tell people are not going to listen to you and the song will not have longevity. As far as delivering a message – I try to have the songs be optimistic. Songs of hope. Songs of making it through a hardship. Songs that say “hey I’ve been there too and that’s ok – you can get through this – I did” Even if the song is a sad song, I always want to have the feeling that something good will come out of this no matter what. You just have to believe.

I want the music be uplifting as much as possible no matter how light or heavy the subject matter could be. For example the song Love Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, on my new album - the song is about a person who knows there partner and them are drifting emotionally away from one another. The person is asking their partner “Hey we need to work on this relationship more other wise we are through” So there is that hope of getting over issues that one may have in a relationship so that the relationship can flourish and move forward.

Then there’s another song on the album called My Home Town – where it’s about this person just hanging out with his friends and enjoying the moments and time he spends with his friends. So for him it’s just another day in his home town – this is his life and he doesn’t take his friendships for granted.


What's your method at the time of writting a song??

There’s a few ways that I write songs. One method that I use – I will go into a small record store that may sell either used cd’s or old vinyl records or just indie artists. People that I never heard of. I will then go through a section of cd’s – lets say artists A thru F and begin to look at the song titles on these cd’s .

If I read a title that sparks an interest – I will then write that title in a note book that I bring with me. After I go through that section of cd’s sometimes I’ll have 25 – 40 song titles written down. About after a week I then go back to that list of titles, reread them and see if they still spark an interest. If so then next to the title I might write what I feel the song would be about based on that title.

Now a few months go by and time for me write new material. I now go back to the list again – see what sparks an interest – then begin to write based on the titles and what I felt the song should be about. This is just one way I write so that I don’t run out of ideas.


Which is your music influences??

This is an easy question but at the same token it’s a tough one to answer since I have so many musical influences. But in a nutshell, hands down. I would say with out a doubt my main influence is Bon Jovi. Some friends will tease me on that. Jokingly call me Sean Bon Jovi. But if you look at the career of that band, they have accomplished so much and done things that other bands have never done. Let’s put it this way. How many bands from the 80’s that were considered “Hair Bands” are still around today selling multi platinum albums? Answer – NONE! Not Warrant, not Cinderella, Tesla, Slaughter, Winger, none of them. Bon Jovi - Vents Magazine