Rob Grad

Rob Grad is not new the music scene but his take on it is.

He was in training to become a professional golfer right out of high school in southern California when the band he was in, Kik Tracee, got signed to RCA records. Their live show was so good RCA offered a deal without the band even having a demo.

Rob played bass and was the main songwriter in Kik Tracee. They released two albums and toured with the likes of Bon Jovi and Joe Walsh. After Kik Tracee went their separate ways Rob started a new band called superfine. He was again the main songwriter but also moved up front to sing and play guitar. Superfine was featured on the Buffy the vampire slayer tv show and soundtrack, as well as a number of other tv shows, and had three releases.

As he continued writing what he originally thought was going to be more Superfine material, Rob again found himself moving in a new direction. “The songs have always led the way for me, and I needed to come out from behind the wall of sound to do them justice.”

He is currently finishing his first solo cd, and performing regionally on the west coast. These live solo performances have quickly been earning him a reputation as a “must see” artist. Recent Los Angeles venues include The Hotel Cafe and Genghis Cohen. His setlists tend to blend his original material with drastically reworked covers of an eccelectic mix of songs that can include anything from Nirvana to Billie Holliday.

Guest performers on the album include Jimmy Keegan (drums, Carlos Santana), Martin Tillman (cellist, Elton John) and John Leftwich (bassist, Lyle Lovett, the Eels). Rough mixes of some of the songs have already placed on NBC, CBS, HBO and the WB. The cd is tentatively titled "No Apologies" and will be released early 2009.