Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Robert Mirabelle. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Robert, appreciate you joining us today. What did your parents do right and how has that impacted you in your life and career?

Somewhere around age 11, my parents had gone out for a few hours and I was left home. I sat at the upright piano and worked out a song called Delta by Crosby, Stills and Nash. I had no education except for some piano lessons in first and second grade, but I had a good ear. I figured out the first chord, then ran back over to the record player, let it play the second chord, hummed what I heard and ran back over to the piano again. Back and forth a bunch of times and I had worked it out. Such a small thing. When my parents got home, I was excited to show them what I had figured out. But I wasn’t prepared for their response. They were astonished. Mom cried.

That first moment, where my parents discovered I had a good ear, was arguably the most important of my artistic life. But it certainly didn’t end there. My parents continued to support my interest in music. They showed up for every junior high and high school band concert, They always told me I was amazing, even when I knew they couldn’t tell which trumpet player was me. They bought me a 4-track recorder and I went crazy on it, writing and recording for piano and or trumpet. When I told them I wanted to major in music, they said ok. How’s that for support :-) They bought me my first synthesizer just before leaving for college and I used it to write record at least 30 songs.

I don’t know what I would have done without their support, but it wouldn’t have been this.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

By day, I’m the CTO of a medical software company called MetroPCR. By night, I’m a multi-instrumentalist (piano, trumpet and drums), composer, arranger and producer in many styles including electronic, jazz, fusion, pop, and R&B.

I started writing music at age 11, when I got my first tape boombox. I was instantly drawn to the recording process. When I was 14, I got a 4-track recorder and that was it. I was a songwriter and producer from that moment on. I played trumpet all the way through high school and college, in marching, concert and jazz bands. What an amazing experience. Circa 1998, I was featured on the EDM mix Perfect Timing and Perfect Timing II by DJ’s Johnny Dangerously & Storm. At that time, my EDM pseudonym was Sage. I even got to hear several of my tunes on the radio. I’ve also played keys at Sunfest and SXSW and Gay Pride in San Fransisco.

I currently write, produce and play keys for a band called Uncle Juice. I’ve collaborated with bunches of other artists, including Kiowa, Melissa Joiner, Fusion, Impression, Earth Ephect, HVYCRM, and PWL, and I’ve also collaborated with bunches of non-artists, like my wife and my stepdaughter.

Despite my experience, I’m still an amateur (literally and figuratively). Music as a profession seems to require 2 things I never learned to abide: Poverty and rejection. I’m also naturally allergic to self-marketing, and as a result, no one knows who the heck I am. That’s kind of fine with me. I would like more people to hear my music, though. I like to pretend that there’s someone in Iceland who’s a huge fan. That would be enough for me.

When writing for myself, I tend toward EDM, like house, breakbeat, dnb, nu-jazz, etc. I grew up heavily influenced by 80’s pop, jazz, new age and film. I got bit by the EDM bug when raving in the 90’s. I spent years trying to figure out how to make dope beats using decidedly UN-dope gear, and I think this was a good exercise, as it tought me to make the most with what I have. But my roots are pop and jazz, so whatever I do, you’ll here these in there somehwere.

I’m always doing something musically. Uncle Juice is in the studio working on our second album. I also just finished arranging a tune called Amen by Kiowa. In between collaborating, I write for myself. I’m also a photographer and digital artist and 3d modeller and maker. Jack of all trades. Master of none.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being an artist is the art itself. When I write I tune, it starts as nothing. No concept. No notions. Seldom any specific idea. I throw my fingers down on the keys in a few random shapes. Most of the time, I sit and play for a while, then stop, having enjoyed it, but produced nothing. But once in a while, I stumble onto a happy accident. I play an unintended chord or melody or rhythm, and that’s all it takes. Other times, I’ll record a tune and not start enjoying it until I’m almost done mixing it. But here’s the thing: It ALWAYS happens. At some point, I’ll add one thing or change one thing, and suddenly, the whole tune comes alive and I fall in love with it. The art itself surprises me, as though I had nothing to do with its creation. That little bit of magic is incredibly rewarding.

Equally rewarding is making live music with other musicians. The more the merrier. I’ve performed live with 3 others and 400 others, and there’s nothing like it.

Alright – so here’s a fun one. What do you think about NFTs?

Paying someone for an image I can download for free? Not for me. In my opinion, the only tokens worth having are fungible.

Contact Info:

• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/robert.mirabelle
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mirabelle/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/rmirabelle
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/rmirabelle
• Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/mirabelle
• Other: https://www.reverbnation.com/robertmirabelle