2007
10th International JEFF BUCKLEY Tribute Concert, June 5, 2007 - Paris Hard Rock Cafe, Paris, France
" Robert, your "Corpus Christi Carol" at Paris Tribute Night was wonderful. Thank you so much, You and Francesca. You brought in your luggages sweet songs ... Merci beaucoup. - Danielle - Producer, Paris Jeff Buckley International Tribute Jun 7, 2007 "Monsieur Urban- thank you for your gorgeous guitar playing in Paris- and for keeping me sane and making me laugh constantly on our Roman Hoilday in France. You inspire me and your friendship and artistry is a gift.. Merci..." - Francesca Jun 7, 2007 : "Hey! had to search you out in this wonderful world of my space!! listened to your album this morning when i woke up!! your musicianship is wonderful...i have much respect for you and your voice...and corpus christi was divine! thanks! - James O'Toole "Hey Dude, Congrats on the Paris shows. I've finaly come to terms with your short hair. You're still the hottest guitar player ever. And still the greatest role-model a crazy, struggling, Gay Rocker could ever hope for. Thanks for continuing to give me hope, guidance and an example of how it should be done. Love" - Rick Fletcher FuzzyRockerDude@yahoo.com
Below: Robert Urban performs "Corpus Christi Carol" at Paris Hard Rock Cafe - click here to see more photos of the event. |
In Concert: R.U.B. at Central NY State Pride Fest By Ran Waite, SYRACUSE QUEER TIMES
The latest sensation to rock New York City night spots swept into Syracuse on June 8, 2007. They loaded both of their rented tour vans (one broke down on the way) and made their way to upstate New York. R.U.B. is combination of two accomplished entities: Robert Urban and Steve Sullivan, both of the Robert Urban Band, plus Gordon Smith and Anthony "Ant" Maulella, both of the band Rubberlegs. R.U.B. is a play on words--combining the two bands' names. These talented musicians offered their no holds barred, high-energy take on danceable and recognizable 80’s pop hits. They played to a small, but receptive crowd at X Bar. These men were ready to party. Upon taking the stage, Robert Urban called out “Syracuse, let’s have a look at you.” Despite the weather (just after a down pour), they were enthusiastic and started their first set with the Eurythmics’ hit “Here Comes The Rain Again.” They followed that with the Car’s “Good Times Roll,” Devo’s “Whip It,” The Pretender’s “Brass In Pocket,” Cyndi Lauper’s “Money Changes Everything,” the Beatles' "Birthday" and others. The songs were a veritable smorgasbord of memories. The energy and emotion of the original songs was sustained by this quartet. There is a lot to be said for the appeal of a live performance: Robert on guitar and vocals, Steve on bass, Gordon on vocals and synthesizer and Ant on drums and percussion. As a pre-Pride party, these guys played their hearts out and whipped the crowd into a frenzy with these danceable gems. They were certainly dressed the part of rock stars: Robert's vitality shone in red boots, a "Wonder Woman" T-shirt and leather jeans, while Ant dripped sex appeal in a see-through shirt and a leather kilt. Gordon had on a jacket over his t-shirt, and when he took it off, several guys encouraged him to keep taking off his clothes, hmmm--a strip tease would have been interesting! Steve wore a solid colored T-shirt and jeans--he looked so serious :).
above - R.U.B. bassist STEVE SULLIVAN review writer RAN WAITE with R.U.B. keyboardist GORDON SMITH below - amorous fan with R.U.B. guitaristROBERT URBAN R.U.B. drummer ANTHONY MAULLELA
These guys are all experienced musicians: Robert Urban was Outmusic's 2006 OutMusician of the Year; has recorded four albums; is founder and moderator of Gay Guitarists Worldwide; a contributing writer for AfterElton.com; and recently played at the HardRock Café in Paris, France at the Jeff Buckley French Tribute. Rubberlegs is an electropop band that rocks; they have been nominated for several awards and have released two CDs. All of these musicians have also lent their talents to a number of other artists/projects. These are all terrific musicians, two gay and two straight--try to figure that one out! LOL. With references to Divas, birthdays and Pride, these guys emulated the energy of the Big Apple. While most of the tunes were from the 80's, there were some audience members who were barely born in the 80's but they still enjoyed these tunes. In the second set of the show, they showered us with more great tunes like Alicia Bridge's "I Love The NightLife," Marianne Faithful's "Broken English," Modern English's "I Melt With You," Adam Ant's "Goody Two Shoes," Flock of Seagulls' "I Ran (So Far Away)," and the Simple Minds' "Don't You (Forget About Me)." They ended on a high note with Billy Idol's "White Wedding," but the crowd kept yelling for "one more." So what could these guys do? They obviously liked what they were doing, so they played another song: Generation X's "Dancing With Myself." This was a fun night; the songs, the passionate vocals, the energy and their killer solos (drums, guitar and keyboards) made it a vibrant party. Near the end of the evening Robert Urban turned to the audience and said "Thank you for enjoying live rock, thank you for having us." It was our pleasure, and BTW--their performance at Pride the next day was equally as memorable. - Ran Waite, Syracuse Queer Times
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Oct 9, 2007 - In Celebration of NATIONAL COMING OUT WEEK: A special edition of Rainbow Reading @ Pisces Cafe in Babylon Long Island - Sponsored by PRIDE ALLIANCE OF LONG ISLAND and POETS WEAR PRADA - Special guest host: ROBERT URBAN - featuring: VITTORIA REPETTO, JEE LEONG KOH, DOROTHY FRIEDMAN, JEE LEONG KOH, ROBERT URBAN, MELISSA CLARK, THOMAS MARCH.
"Robert, I wanted to thank you, once again, for the excellent job you did hosting last evening's event! I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and our "extended drive" to get there is simply regarded as part of the mini-vacation we enjoyed on Tuesday. Everyone was so nice and we look forward to future events and chances to share music, again! I want to thank you for your encouragement and enthusiasm in this very subdivided world of music, sexual orientation, and gender identity. I am very glad we finally had a chance, in October, to simply sit down and talk, as well as listen to each other's music". - singer/songwriter Melissa Clark "I just wanted to take this opportunity to Thank you again for sharing of yourself, the event was special to me in that it truly encompassed the community as a whole with representation from every fascet. Through your many talents and smiling faces the atmosphere was that of warmth and friendship....and thats all anyone could really ask. I truly hope to see you all again at future Rainbow Readings or Planned Events.....Your creativity and writing abilities truly need to be applauded. Thank you so very much. with admiration and great appreciation" - Kevin Wisher, Pride Alliance of Long Island
"Robert, Jee Leong, Vittoria, Terry, Barbara and |
ROBERT URBAN: NYC's ROCK WIDOW KEEPS THE MUSIC ALIVE! by Jed Ryan - P.M. ENTERTAINMENT MAGAZINE December 2007 You'd be hard-pressed to travel through the untamed jungle of the NYC independent music scene and not sooner or later become aware of dynamic native New Yorker Robert Urban. He self-identifies first and foremost as a singer-songwriter, but this Manhattan muse is also a poet, writer, producer, multifaceted instrumentalist, and activist. And that's just for starts! All these roles are linked together through Urban's unyielding commitment to the GLBT community and his equally passionate commitment to maintaining high standards of artistry for the whole world-- musically and otherwise. His creative endeavors seek to break the society-imposed walls that separate us between gay and straight, male and female, rich and poor, mainstream and underground. Through his work as a producer and supporter of the arts, Urban also works to tear down the barriers within the GLBT community. The list of artists he works with encompass a wide range of sexual orientations and identifications, styles, and musical genres. Robert Urban has appeared in PM Entertainment Magazine at least three times through the last few years, making news for his performances, productions, and for just being seen at some of NYC's big events. As one of the most visibly "out" musicians in the Gay Apple, I couldn't imagine a better celeb to speak with in an upcoming issue of PM. But in the meantime, here's the full, meaty interview. Even as a fan and friend of Mr. Urban's, I soon learned that what I knew about this true Renaissance man only scratches the surface! (to continue, click here to read Jed's full interview with Robert Urban |
"You’re really committed to GLBT musicians and I have always seen clearly how you got the Out Musician of the Year Award." - Jeremy Hovies, OUTQ Radio Host, Sirius Radio, Nov., 2007 |
vocal tracks for 2007 CD release The Healing Machine recorded at Urban Productions Robert Urban - recording engineer, guitar and bass guitar Bonus Track - "The Wind" arranged & produced by Robert Urban "YOU RULE! - "The Wind" mix
is
exquisite!!! I love what you have done with it... |
R.U.B.'s NYC Halloween Concert - Oct 31, 2007 - at BOWERY POETRY CLUB with special guest star singers V*I*R*G*O - baron - Terry Christopher - Francesca - Lady Clover Honey - Chuck of TEMPTRESS view photos at www.myspace.com/roberturban "hey Robert, thank you SO much for everything last night. R.U.B. was awesome and i loved all of your guest vocalists - ! and hope we can work together more in the future. let's hope the payoffs get bigger too!" - josephine, FUTURE OF ROCK "The night was amazing... Me and my guest loved it, I couldn't stop dancing.. the performances and the music were awesome.. I LOVE YOU R.U.B..and friends... we rocked... love". - baron. I had a fantastic time – thanks so much for making me a part of your night! The band and all you guest hotties totally RAWKED it. Let’s do it again! - V*I*R*G*O "Robert, Thanks for inviting me on the bill tonight! Time After Time sounded awesome and as I was leaving fielded several nice compliments... and R.U.B. was a huge hit! Loved your set!" - Terry Christopher "What a fantastic night! Thanks to fantastic RUB and all you gorgeous guest artists- my friends adored you all! Thank you for sharing your beauty and talent.Much love!" - Francesca |
May 11: 2007 - New Haven, Connecticut ROBERT URBAN and VANGE DURST play CAFE NINE Vange Durst's (formerly of Sister Funk) new band EV3. EV3 (aka: Evangeline Trio) is a slammin rock trio with; Vange Durst on lead guitar & vocals, Michael Kurjan on keys & vocals and Deb Piccolo on drums & vocals. Joining Robert Urban will be bassist STEVE SULLIVAN and vocalist MIKE JAMES.
"Hi Sweetheart... Good job! Thanks and I loved playing with you again! Love" - Vange "Hey thanks again for letting me sing with you guys. Last night was a blast!" - Mike James
see photos of the show at: |
LONG ISLAND TRANSGENDER PRIDE CELEBRATION - MAY 20, 2007 - HUNTINGTON, NY
"This is Cindy...last nites sound engineer. WOW!!! What an absolutely amazing performance you did last nite! at Trans Pride. I'm in love with the sound of your Takamine electro/acoustic guitar! It has such a full 'n rich sound...kinda like a fine wine :<) And...your vocals...the dynamics...inflection...lyrics etc...very HOT. I really enjoyed the 'honor' of mixing your sound...what a treat! I had such a great time. I'm looking forward to seeing you perform in the near future...perhaps NYC". Love,Cin
see more photos of the event here |
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Robert, This sounds GREAT. I so wish I could be there to show my support. Thank YOU for being a part of this event and for your continued love and support of the GLBT Hip-Hop community. Much Luv Always, Tori