Bobby Birdman

Biography

Bobby Birdman is the stage name of Rob Kieswetter. He began performing in Portland, Oregon in the late 90s, before moving to southern California in 2003, largely abandoning acoustic guitar and piano in favor of his laptop, some percussive instruments, and/or audience participation. Performances usually lead to an intense connection between Kieswetter and audience, as he shifts from acapella crooning to drum circle to laptop jamms.

His opus, Born Free Forever is arguably his best work to date presenting a rich sonic pallate of piano, guitar, live drums, bass and laptop embellishments. Like the cover art, the music is panoramic, detailed, and entrancing. A choir of multitracked vocals drape the soundtrack in signature Bobby Birdman vocal sublimity. Each track melts into the next in a stunning statement of musicianship.

Bobby Birdman’s debut Let Me In is a much more intimate affair. The instrumentation sits well below the vocal mix, allowing the listener to hear the subtlest of intonations in Kieswetter’s voice.

Bobby Birdman has released three records on States Rights Records, two hott laptop EPs (Heart Caves, and the recent Giraffes and Jackals) and an early collection of acapella songs recorded while riding his bicycle through the streets of Portland (Exhausted, The Cost of).