Rhob Elliott

Songwriter Rhob Elliott was selected as one of five finalists from a strong field to compete for the grand prize at Avaolonfest 2009 with his two songs, "Busted, Buck Naked & Drunk", and "Dreamin' Man". Avalonfest takes place at the Avalon Naturalist Resort in Paw Paw Maryland and is four days and nights of music, art, crafts and festivities that brings thousands. - reallife 2.0

Sixty Eight Seasons brings it to stage

Sixty Eight Seasons

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"A woman, somewhat intoxicated, grabs the microphone and starts chanting 'Sixty Eight Months! Sixty Eight Months!' to the crowd. The first few times it was funny… but after the seventh or eighth time, we had to kindly let her know that it was not the name of our band." — Buck Saunders

There's nothing like being one of the good ol' boys, growing up from high school to adulthood, jamming out and playing music after school until your fingers bleed. Sounds like a movie, doesn't it? This is true life for this Greensboro-based, Southern-alternative rock quartet. But they no longer have to stop practicing when their parents call them in for dinner; they've all grown up. Brothers Buck and Timmy Saunders grew up around the same area as John Hawthorne, in Randleman. Though bassist Rhob Elliot didn't join in the crew until last year, he's fit in with the founding members just fine.

So what sparked this musical interest? Where did they learn it all? Buck and John grew up teaching each other; Elliot graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston, and Timmy… well, he claims he learned simply by watching Tommy Lee. Altogether, they're Sixty Eight Seasons.

When they first started rehearsing in December '07, they joked about how long guitarist/lead vocalist Buck Saunders had been writing songs. "We figured seventeen years, times four seasons a year, was about sixtyeight seasons," laughs Hawthorne, "Although it's like seventy now, but sixty eight just stuck."

Though Saunders writes most of the lyrics and music, from here on you'll notice a more collaborative effort. The songs are based on themes of life choices, ins and outs, ups and downs and everything else relatable in between. Today, they're in the Sunset Recording Studio, intricately arranging their tunes for their first album, to be released this fall. The 24-track commercial studio, located in Asheboro, is conveniently co-owned by Elliot, and their soundman, Wes Norman (Interested in recording? Contact them: 336.629.7111).

Following their release, they plan on booking a regional tour from Virginia to South Carolina, out to Tennessee. But life on the road isn't the main goal for these family men, as they've got wives and children to look out for here at home in the Triad. Their music has been compared to the likes of Matchbox 20 and Dave Matthews by local fans, except when they occasionally perform as a '90s alternative rock cover band (they talk about future plans to possibly take this further). Keep yourself updated at their myspace page, and look out for possible posts of their upcoming EP tracks; they're on the way.

www.myspace.com/68seasons

- YES! Weekly

The Courier-Tribune
Lifestyles
Sunday, July 13th, 2008

Making Musical Magic

Mixing-board alchemy blends myraid tones into sonic splender
By Chip Womick (staff writer)

ASHEBORO- Magic happens at sunset. Sunset Recording Studio that is. Aspiring singers and players and professional performers, solo artist and groups, step up to the mikes, the keyboard, the drum kit. They pick up the guitars and play. Fledgling musicians lay down sound for demo CDs. Longer established bands record albums that are digitally remastered, packaged and prepared for sale to the adoring public. Sometimes kids sing karaoke. The customers make the music. Studio owner Rhob Elliott and Studio manager Wes Norman make the magic.

Elliott is the producer and lead engineer (and his wife, Traci, is the administrator) for the basement studio at 312-A Sunset Ave., tucked in rooms beneath The Record Shop in Asheboro. Often, Elliott said, a musician will tell him, "I want my CD to sound just like I do on stage." Elliott laughs, not at the musician, but when recounting such a scenerio: "I usually say, 'No, you don't.'" Musicians usually mean, Elliott said, that they dont want to do a great deal of polishing to their work-a "mistake" here or there in a performance is OK with them- and perhaps they don't want to add components, say, drums, that they would not mormally use in performing. But most commercial recordings, Elliott explained, do not sound "just like" a live performance. Some bands, he said, do not even know how they really sound. Some, for example, have never even heard what their own lead singer sounds like- they usually play so loud, they drown out the singer. "What I do is record performances in as pure a fashion as possible," Elliott said, "and then polish them into performances that can be played for other people...Magic."

Elliott remembers writing his first song when he was 7. His grandfather played bass guitar for radio and television in the 1950's, so he came by good musical genes. He's also had some pretty good training. A trumpet player in his teens, he earned a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee college of Music in Boston, graduating in 1986 with a major in commercial arranging and a minor in songwriting. He also has a degree in American history from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. He's been a variety of bands since his collage days, playing a variety of kinds of music. He long ago ditched the horn for a bass guitar and still plays in bands a couple of nights a week. He has also been writing and recording music for decades. Recording, he said, "Just sort of fell in my lap and I'm good at it." "Obviously, if you're going to record professionally, you have to have the equipment-and you have to have 'the ears' for it. That's probally my strongest suit. I've got the ears. I can almost 'see' acoustics." Elliott does not go to movie theaters. He cannot focus on the film because he's too tuned in to what he hears and thinking about how this or that sound effect was produced. "I might hear something and go, 'Whoa, no, that didn't work right right there, How'd they let that go by?'" At home, watching on a DVD player, the sound quality is diminished enough that he is not distracted from the movie. The same phenomenon occurs when he pops a music disc into a player. "I can listen to CDs and almost feel myself at the session," he said' "because I can hear what they've done. But some engineers are so good, you can't hear thier splices- where they've done their magic."

Studio manager Wes Norman also played trumpet for a while in his middle shchool years. Then he discovered the guitar. He traded a VCR for a battered electric guitar and tried to teach himself. Later, he learned at the feet of a Franklinville area guitar player extraordinare named Joey Trogdon, who showed him the heart and soul-As well as the technical intricacies- of music. Norman and Elliott when he auditioned for a band. They made good music together. "We're musicians," said Norman, "And we want to see other musicians' music be great. Elliott agreed. "Thats one of the things we pride ourselves on around here. We want to hear good music come out of here. One of the things I love to do is, I love to see people grow musically and in their art." Norman recalls working for two months with one singer, a fellow who had a pretty goo voice, but who could not sing in tune or on time. Combining a bit of raw talent with alot of hard work yeilded good results, Norman said. Small things affect the final product, too. A minor example: A song by an area band features a background chorus chanting "hey". The dozen or so chanters were friends of band members and others recruited for the small but important part of the session. "You wouldn't imagine how hard it is to get people to say 'hey' in time," Norman said, recalling how he had to give the folks a cue for every "hey".

Sunset Recording Studio is available 24 hours - Asheboro Courier -Tribune

January 24, 2012, Longboat Key, Florida

"To commemorate the event, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held with the Sarasota Chamber of Commerce. Gillian’s hosted several area musicians including songwriter Rhob Elliott; Gary De Michelle, a jazz composer, percussionist, pianist and composer for feature films and media; Puppet, a local singer songwriter; Barbie, owner of neighbor Creative Gems; and Mike Sales, country, reggae and beach-style musician."
- Longboat Key News - Longboat Key News (Florida)

Aug 25, 2012 - Indianapolis, Indiana:

"Have you ever enjoyed an evening's concert with no need for chatter? That the performer's songs were so poignant, the only thing that escapes your thoughts is, 'I've gone through that and felt that way!'? Then the next minute burst out laughing at some uplifting comment before the next song is played ? If you have then surely you've seen a Rock Doghouse [Rhob Elliott] event..." - Sloane Cerise

Jun 15, 2010, United States:

"Honorable Mention was presented to Songwriter Rhob Elliott in recognition of having his original composition "Dreamin' Man" among the top 500 of the 17th Annual Billboard World Song Contest. Only the highest quality songs make it to the top. This honor demonstrates the talent and dedication it takes to write a 'hit song'."

- Jim Halsey, President, Billboard World Song Contest (Jun 15, 2010) - Billboard World Song Contest

Songwriter and producer Rhob Elliott of Asheboro, NC, was a finalist in the Song of the Year songwriting contest for his tune "Borrowed Time." Elliott performs with the band Sixty Eight Seasons and operates Sunset Recording Studio. - Berklee College Alumni Notes