Living The Dream With Robert Deller

Robert Deller: Life started after 50.

“I always wanted to be a rock star, but pretty much put all those dreams aside… It wasn’t until I turned 50 [that] music would become my passion and transform my life.”

So says Robert Deller, Redondo Beach resident, singer/songwriter, and founder of The Robert Deller Band.

Many childhood dreams become “childish” fantasies as life takes its relentless hold over our responsibilities and priorities. Every day, astronauts become staff managers, doctors become electricians, professional basketball players become desk workers, politicians become ringmasters, rock stars become salesmen; dreamers become fathers, wives, bosses, owners, winners, losers. Only a faint minority finds the steadfast way to fulfillment, and ever fewer veer away from the path of their dreams to one day return with reinvigorated spirit. Deller has journeyed the latter path, supplanting youthful desire with mature ambition and success, only to come full circle and find himself as much a childish dreamer in his 50s as he was in his earliest years.

Deller was born in Pittsburgh and lived in five states before landing in the San Francisco Bay area at age six. Childhood summers were spent in Hawaii, a perk afforded by his father’s military enlistment and extra space on C-141 transport jets, that would come to influence his musical leanings. He became an alumnus of Willamette University, Oregon, with a degree in Political Science and Speech, and eventually went on to become a financial advisor for numerous Wall Street brokerage firms, before establishing his own investment advisory firm in 1997, and insurance agency in 2002.

Now the capable businessman is proficient in music. To date, he’s released nine singles and three albums.

“I guess after all those years of musical absence,” Deller says, “everything just poured out of my head, down my hand, and onto paper.

“Music has always been a gift that came easy for me. I taught myself how to play the piano at age nine, and began playing the guitar in High School – where I also played the clarinet in the marching band. I always wanted to be a rock star, but pretty much put all those dreams aside for college and a career in finance. It wasn’t until I turned 50 and met Karl Grossman that music would become my passion and transform my life.”

Grossman, multi-instumentalist and fourth generation South Bay resident, has been a catalytic figure for Deller’s re-found dream.

“Karl is my music teacher and mentor, and together we have written and recorded over 50 songs in three years,” says Deller.

Their first album, “At The Beach”, appeared in July of 2008.  November 2009 saw the release of a double album, “Time Of My Life”, featuring 21 tracks. And this past August they released their most recent album “All That You Gave To Me”.

The Robert Deller Band is comprised of Deller on acoustic guitar, plus lead vocals and songwriting; Karl Grossman on lead guitar, and songwriting; Russell Paulson (born and raised in the South Bay) on acoustic guitar, and backup vocals; Matt Svetic (born and raised in the South Bay) on bass guitar; Danielle Heath (also South Bay) singing lead female and backup vocals; and Nick Sonners (South Bay transplant, born and raised in Germany) on drums.

Deller’s music offers a mellow, feel good, easy listening vibe. His songs often project relaxing, tropical visions, but also and otherwise deal with life’s trials and stories. You might be kicking sand in your sandals and boardshorts, sipping a Daiquiri, or you could be contemplating how point A + B amounted to C. Perhaps one could imagine a Jimmy Buffet meets James Taylor kind of sound; though, not overtly silly on the Buffet side, nor overly serious on the Taylor.

“All the songs are original and based on my real life experiences growing up along the coast of California and the Hawaiian Islands to this day,” explains Deller.

“Earlier on, my music was best described as surf rock with a Hawaiian style flare to it,” he adds. “I wanted my music to be positive and upbeat, something that you’d want to listen to while on vacation. Along the way, my music has evolved to more of a romantic, easy listening kinda genre. I even have three Christian songs that are being played on the local Christian internet radio station Rockzion Extreme Radio, out of Hermosa Beach.”

The band has received additional internet radio exposure, as well as the runner up award for an international Song of The Year Contest, for the title track from their “All That You Gave To Me” album. They’ve also received high marks from Hit Song Science Technologies, Inc. Their local following seems to be growing as well.

“We’ve performed the last two album release parties at the Lighthouse Cafe to a standing-room-only capacity crowd,” says Deller. “The first release party was held in my backyard to about 30 or so friends and family; so I guess we are gaining in popularity.”

The Robert Deller Band’s next album will be a “Best of Collection.” It will feature augmented originals as well as some new songs. The expected release date is set for spring to early summer 2011. All other Robert Deller Band music is available on iTunes. For more information, visit www.therobertdellerband.com, or look them up on Myspace and Facebook.

As Deller sings on “The Ride”: “I paint a picture to tell my story of what my new life looks like. It’s becoming clearer to me… There will be no turning back on this road, so sit back and enjoy the ride.” ER

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