Musical Biography (1978 to 1998)

mainly influenced by the Rock Band "KISS", and other musical favorites of the 60's&70's.

It all started in the summer of 1978. That is when Rob had begun jamming and writing with a boyhood friend & schoolmate.

Early on, the Two seemed to have a common bond, and shared the typical dream of musical success.

The partnership lasted into the mid-1980's, while all that time, writing songs, practicing,

and making amateur demo recordings of their material (although, without other band members).

Most of Rob's songwriting during this period took on a bluesy/soft-rock feel, yet truly original.

By 1986, Rob had begun to broaden his writing style as well as his playing, and was ready for a change in direction.

In the same year, he met up with some other young, aspiring beginners in the area.

Though he still kept in touch with his duet partner, for the most part,

the Two's musical styles no longer seemed to mesh together.

 Rob was feeling the need to branch out, so he decided to help form a true Rock Band,

which he and his new found friends did in the Fall of 1986.

 Prior to, and during the early stages of the band,

Rob began to shift his focus more toward achieving a harder-edged rock sound.

He and the group, from it's inception, focused mainly on original material,

occasionally mixing in a few cover songs during jam sessions.

Continuing this pattern during the next few years, Rob recorded various demo tapes of his band's material from 1987 to 1989,

 and took charge of All the production aspects of the group's music.

Concentrating mainly on honing their musical skills, the band rarely performed to a live audience.

Gigs during this point were few and far between,

due to the lack of management promotion and the unwillingness to learn a large repertoire of Cover Songs.

(Though eventually during the band's later days,

they would surrender to playing Live Sets containing mostly popular songs by other artists).

In 1990, Rob had begun to feel unfulfilled with his current band,

and started to focus his writing and energy toward a future "Solo Project".

Although the band, with various members, stayed together through 1990,

some of the members musicianship never seemed to blossom.

Rob felt this was keeping the group from progressing into the future.

Both in the studio and during live performing, it was apparent that the group as a whole was holding him back.

Although, one bright spot was the recent addition of a young New Drummer named Jamie,

who had a positive attitude and could play beyond his years.

He and Rob quickly bonded musically, and by spring of 1991,

the two decided to strike out on their own and leave the others behind.

In doing so, they retained the band's latest name; 'SECRET IDENTITY' (which Rob had conceived).

With enough songs already written, in 1991, Rob and Jamie quickly began recording their first collection of songs together.

Previously in '91, Rob had completed recording a "Solo" effort

with his New Collaborator - Jamie, who performed the Drums on three new tracks.

The finished collection was eventually called: 'DESMOND'S RIDE'.

In the Fall Of 1991, The Duo's 'SECRET IDENTITY-#1' Collection was completed.

Similar to Desmond's Ride, The Secret Identity sound was more refined, with a mix of

guitar rock / power pop / ballads / funky blues / and even rock-a-billy and acoustic stylings.

By this point, when in the studio, Rob was playing All the Instruments (with the exception of the Drums),

Singing nearly All the Vocal tracks, as well as Producing, Arranging, and Recording the Songs.

This "Secret Identity" duo continued concentrating on writing songs and recording in the studio,

while never finding the right combination of musicians to fill the void left in order to perform as a Live Band.

Between 1993 and 1995, Rob had recorded two more collections of original songs with Jamie,

Entitled: S.I. 'Crisis' & S.I. 'Beyond'.

Then In 1996, Rob invested much of his finances and time on improving the sound for future recordings.

New equipment, including an 8-track digital recording system, & other studio gear was obtained.

With the quality of Rob's New Studio set-up, and his ever growing knowledge of how to effectively use it,

the prospects were riding high in the wake of the next Secret Identity project.

In 1997, the next Secret Identity collection entitled - 'DEMENTIA' was completed.

Although thrilled by the CD-quality sound and superlative performances on their latest effort,

by 1998, Rob was overburdened with having to carry the load of responsibilities, both on the financial end,

 and trying to promote the music (which was not his forte).

By 1998, due mainly to Jamie's personal shifts in priority & interest,

there was not much passion or support left for the project.

Rob felt it was time to go it alone, and that he had taken "Secret Identity" as far as he could.

So in 1998, Rob went on what can be referred to as a Hiatus from The Local Music Scene.

While still writing and rehearsing on his own, by year's end, Rob had already begun to contemplate his next move.

...continued on next page...

"Bio ('99 to 2010)"