NEW MUSIC.

COMING SOON.

SUMMER 2013.

SIGN UP ON THE NEWSLETTER TO HEAR IT FIRST!

TICKETS -->> http://www.stubmatic.com/bottomofthehill/event/7709

4/23 - Bazaar Cafe
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/360214254097724/

5/1 - Bottom of the Hill
RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/141794636001881/

Photo by Emily Sevin Photography

To say, "I'm excited" would be the understatement of the year, and it's only March. SXSW is always a blur, but this one stands to be EXTRA BLURRY.

Good music, good friends and good times await.

Follow along in the peace and quite of your own home or workplace here on my website, or on your favorite social networkFacebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  And please don't hesitate to comment and share, I want to hear from you.  I'll be video blogging via the YouTubes, every chance I get.

To all my Austin fans and friends, I can't wait to see you!

Best,
Roem 

PHOTO: Christopher M. Howard

The road to Austin, TX can be crazy leading up to SXSW. Hell, I still don't have my lodging totally figured out, but my plane lands in less than 2 weeks as of this post. But I digress...

What IS happening is that RYAN SPAULDING OF RYAN'S SMASHING LIFE and ADAM DURITZ OF THE COUNTING CROWS CHOSE ME TO PLAY THEIR SHOWCASE!!!

"What?!!" you say, "Are you f***ing kidding me?? That's AWESOME!"

"I know," I say. "And please watch your f***ing mouth because children read this blog."

!!!

AND, it happened because of all of you, the fans, voting and sharing with your friends.  You got a kid from a dairy town in Manteca, CA to the top 12 bands out of 3500+ from all over the world. You guys are the best. Really. So pat yourselves on the back, and open another box wine... cause we did it!

I'll be confirming more shows in the next few days, so if you'll be in Austin the week or March 9th-17th, let's meet up.  Check my "tour" page for show details.

Hope to see you in there!  (I'll be the homeless guy sleeping next to the Taco trucks.)

Best,
Roem 

UPDATE: Here's the video - http://switchcam.com/event/roem-baur-and-his-band-at-hotel-utah-saloon-2/

Join our camera crew as we make a crowdsourced video of our live show! Your iPhonography will be on display as we stitch together a crowdsourced video using Switchcam.

Step 1: Go to this link and click "join the crew." And then get your tickets to the show.

Step 2: Rock out with us at Hotel Utah, and then shoot one of our songs (we'll announce which one at the show) with your phone, camera, GoPro, or DSLR... whatever you want!

Step 3: Upload it to switchcam, and we'll put together a video featuring your awesome camera skills!

Join us!  This is going to be a lot of fun.  I can't wait to see what you guys shoot!

See you then!

Best,
Roem and the Band 

In less than 20 seconds you can put me on this stage!

1. Click HERE: http://goo.gl/v4jOP

2. Click Support.

3. 10 points if you're at a computer. 1 point if you're on your phone.

Thank you!!

Lots to recap.  Maybe in the near future.  At the moment I'm head/ears/knees deep in making new music. Can't pull away long enough to look back, just yet.  Not to say I'm not grateful.  I'm like a stuffed turkey full of thanksgiving.

I'm going to stop that analogy, while I'm ahead.

I hope your holidays were warm and you're ready to make a new years resolution to break one off at one of our shows.  Hell, two of them if you want.

Oh, lookie... a linky loo: http://roembaur.com/tour

Get your tickets early and often.  Many updates to come.

Let's just say, that we're touring studios at the moment.

Yup.

It's all happening.

Thursday, December 13th

7:30pm

House Concert

RSVP FOR ADDRESS

Carlsbad, CA

RSVP for details: info@kcturnerpresents.com

Friday, December 14th

8:30pm

Olde Sedona Bar & Grill

1405 W Highway 89A

Sedona, AZ 86336

928.282.5670

Saturday, December 15th

8pm

High Desert Brewing Co.

1201 W Hadley Ave

Las Cruces, NM 88005

575-525-6752

Price: Free

Sunday, December 16th

8:30pm

Annie Street Arts Collective

811 Annie St

Austin, TX 78704

512.939.7185

Price: $7

Monday, December 17th

7pm

Saxon Pub

1320 South Lamar

Austin, TX 78704

512.448.2552

Opening for Bob Schneider

Tuesday, December 18th

7:30pm

House Concert

RSVP FOR ADDRESS

Arlington, TX

To attend RSVP: info@kcturnerpresents.com

Wednesday, December 19th

7pm

Skate World USA

1001 Knight Avenue

Ponca City, OK 74601

(580) 762-5348

Thursday, December 20th

9:30pm

Bokeh Lounge

1007 Parrett Street

Evansville, IL 47713

(812) 909-0388

Price: $2

Friday, December 21st

8pm

Prison Brews

305 Ash Street

Jefferson City, MO 65101

573.635.0678

Price: Free

Saturday, December 22nd

10pm

Uncommon Ground, WRIGLEYVILLE

3800 N. Clark St.

Chicago, IL 60613

773-929-3680

Price: $5

Use code "blackfriday" by Saturday for 80% off download 
of "The Thief + LIVE at Yoshi's" http://roembaur.bandcamp.com

Thank you to all of you for making our final show of the year special.

We are so excited about the future of this band and the music we're making.

Thank you for letting us do what we need to do.

You're the wind beneath our wings.

...

But seriously.  You're awesome.  See you in 2013!

-Roem and the band

Wow! What a year 2012 has turned out to be. It just keeps getting better. I never could have imagined when I started this crazy "Tuba Band" that we would go on to play shows with attendees of 3,500+ in our first 4 times playing as a band.  It's crazy, if you think about it, and that this sound resonates with so many of you! We're very grateful. Thank you for coming along for the ride! The band and I are going into the rehearsal studio this weekend to make a live studio record of everything we've created so far.  And we want you to have a copy at our show on November 7th at Red Devil Lounge. This will be our last show for 2012 and this recording is just for those of you that come to this show. After Nov 7th, our plan is studio hibernation until we emerge in 2013 with an album... so, this is it.  Don't miss our 2012 Finale Party, we planned it just for you.

Get tickets here: http://bit.ly/RBband117

Best,

Roem & Band

It's always nice to be given a little pat on the back or a little recognition for what we do... and when it's a major media outlet, it's an amazing feeling.

Thank you to Emily Savage at the San Francisco Bay Guardian for the interview, and for supporting local music!

Read the interview here, or click the photo for the whole interview.

1.) What does Roem Baur (and his band) have lined up for this fall?

We are writing and orchestrating and getting ready to make a record in the beginning of 2013. This new sound and band started as an arrangement project for the songs of mine that were bursting at the seams of what I could create as a solo act.  We were simply dictating the sounds in my head.  But a funny thing happened... these guys are having such a great time playing together, they started to create.  Arrangement became writing.  And sometimes the best thing you can do as the leader, is get the hell out of the way of a good thing.

2.) Tell us a little bit about the 9/22 Cafe Du Nord show.

We are stoked. It's an honor to be asked to play any show, but to play with such a badass group of talent, AND for a CD release party... well, that's having your cake and eating it too.  Not to mention the fact that our fans love Cafe Du Nord.  It's going to be a Saturday night that won't soon be forgotten!

3.) How long have you all been playing together?

That's a long story.  But in short, we've been playing together for a month and a half, or so.  

There is a buzz in the rehearsal space.

There is something happening in the writing room.

There are ideas being recorded, plans being made, calendars are filing up.

I can't tell you everything that's happening, some of which, I don't even know yet.

But we can feel it.  We, the band, can feel something going right.  You don't fake this stuff.  You pounce on it.

All I can say is...

Since our first show, we've learned, and we're improving.

Since our second show at Yelp's 2000+ person event...

3 new songs.

6 more on the way.

We're back in the rehearsal studio next month to start recording demos for the new record.

Yes.

There will be a record.

We're giving away secrets at our next show.  Will you be there?

One last word of gratitude. From all of us in the band, my family, and all of the volunteers, to YOU, the biggest crowd we've ever had at a show.... THANK YOU for a night I'll never forget. I'm humbled by you (and your dance moves!) and inspired to work even harder. More new music to come... soon.

(Photo by: Chris Howard http://cmhoward.com)

It never ceases to amaze me the level of talent and sheer brilliance of the artists you come across in San Francisco. Musicians, painters, sculpters, photographers... you name it.  And in what would seem like a direct conflict of the immense talent of the really great ones, is that they possess inversely proportionate egos. They are humble and sincere people.  Diamonds in the rough.  True inspirations for me, to know these people exist.  

And to work with them?

Nirvana.

So I've been hard at work with a new band. This is not your typical band. But I can promise you one thing.

You're going to need dancing shoes.

Don't wait to grab your tickets for our debut show, as this could sell out.  

And while you're at it, you could win backstage passes by submitting a "Worst Roem Baur Band Name" on my Facebook page.

Thank you's, all around.

I just can't say thank you enough to all of you that came out to our recent shows... it's been a blast to play with amazing musicians like Adam Levy and then with Megan Slankard... 2 sold out shows in one weekend! Wow.

And then the next weekend, I played a sold out show at The Fillmore poster room! 

I've almost worn out the exclamation key on my computer, but it was worth it!!

(Ok, one more!)

That's right people.

We're having a PWYW Sale at Roem Baur Dot Com for the holiday weekend!!

(Pay What You Want)

Last night I had the honor of listening to a dear friend cover one of my songs, "No More Sunsets" at the Red Devil Lounge Open Mic.

It's amazing what you feel when hearing you work infused with someone else's soul. It was thrilling. Thrilling in a "Holy shit. Should i not be here?" kind of way. I mean, is this the very definition of narcissism to be present while someone covers you? Like witnessing your own roast from the front row. Or funeral.

"Here lies Roem Baur's body of work... His intimate moments, retold."

It was creepy. Embarrassing to be confronted with your own mortality. In a bar. In front of your peers.

I was humbled. And I couldn't stop staring. Frozen. Deer in headlights. Someone tapped me on the shoulder from behind and I nearly yelped.

"Isn't that your song?" he asked. I said "yes," but I thought, "No, not anymore, I don't think."

I had an amazing time at The Fillmore Poster Room show... thank you to KC Turner and The Fillmore for having me out.

Such a dream to carry my guitar in that space.

Until next time...

rb

I came.

I saw.

I conquered.  

(And by "conquered" I mean, I managed to make my 7am flight home. "Survived" is probably more accurate.)

Photo by Chris Howard.

There are lots of reasons why I'll never pursue a career in modeling. But the obvious one, (besides sit-ups vs. burritos) is that I hate being in front of the lens as much as the next guy. It's not pictures I dispise. Taking pics with the iPhone of food and my dog = fun.  Taking pictures of Roem in a bikini on top of a Camaro = painful. Sorry for the mental image, but that's how it feels to me.

But being seen is an essential part of this business, so you've got to suck it up and have fun with it.

So, just like I had to get over my fear of the "big microphone" to make a record, I had to get over my fear of the "big lens" as well.  But it helps if you have someone in your corner, so to speak.

Meet Chris Howard.

This just happened.

I'm playing a show with The Voice's Tony Lucca!

If you're going to SXSW you can RSVP for the show here: http://bobsled.com/sxsw/

Happy New Year!  Feeling good?

I didn't exactly go big for NYE this year, so no hangover for me, unless by "go big" you mean, "in bed by 12:01am" but more on that later.

What a wonderful year we had in 2011… it was very good year. It was a year of firsts.  It was a year of accomplishment and it was a year of seeing vision fulfilled.  Instead of blabbering on, month by month, highlight by highlight, endlessly about it, I've decided to break it down into a Q & A style, so you can read what parts appeal to you.  Especially if "limiting time on the internet" is one of your New Year's resolutions.

So here goes. 2011 in 27 questions. (Arbitrary number, I know)

Continued...

When I was 18 years old, I got lost in Sacramento.  There were no smart phones to speak of, no google maps.  Just a tired old Rand-McNally roadmap from the 70's that I had "borrowed" from my parents mini van.  Turning the map over and over, I was now trying to figure out which way was up as I sat in the parking lot in an abandoned skate rink while my 1965 VW beetle idled, in sputtering pops beneath me.  "Where the f*ck am I?", I said to myself.  

I was in Sacramento...

People always ask me where I am from.  Specifically, what town I'm from.  I think it's because people want to understand me, or more likely, it gives them a point of reference when to listening to my music.  Maybe it gives them something to talk to me about. At the very least, I usually get a... "Where is that?"

I don't know if it's my rambling nature or if in a past life I was a gypsy, but I've always had a hard time associating myself with one place.  That being said, there is a duality to which I am from.  I grew up in a small town called Manteca, Ca.  Manteca also known as "Lard" by Spanish speakers and by other people from other small towns who want to poke fun at my small town. In some ways, there's lots of which to poke fun. Manteca is a dairy town. And when I was growing up, there was a sugar factory on the south side of town that had a very strong and pungent aroma that could be enjoyed just by driving by on the freeway. And it's surrounded by farms. But in all of it's stink, Manteca is a charming, middle American town with lots of families and churches but not exactly what you'd call a music town.  So it makes sense that I got my start singing in church choirs just like many people.  And when I was just out of high school, I managed to "borrow" an ID...

It is only appropriate that the first show, of my first solo tour, begins as it all began.  In a house concert.

A good friend, HG, who lives in Seattle, Washington offered her home and then went the extra mile to promote it.  With her spreading the word by showing people my music way before I played a note, we were able to sell out the show before I ever stepped off the plane.  As you can imagine, I was ecstatic.  A new city and a sell out show?  Never happens.  Humbling, really.  And I was once again reminded of how much of what I'm doing is a direct result of you.  The listener.

The day of the show we ran the usual errands, picked up chairs, some snacks and beverages and talked about Seattle.  What a beautiful place.  It's amazing that this is my first time ever visiting the Pacific Northwest and I couldn't wait to see everything.

Luckily my friend HG is the perfect tour guide and should be Seattle's official Evangelist because from the top restaurants, to local hangouts, to music venues and neighborhoods... she basically convinced me to move to Seattle.  And it was sunny.  And warm.  Not the Seattle I'd heard about at all.  (Don't worry, SF.  I haven't moved.  Not yet.)  But there was one eerie moment in all of this warm welcome tour... she mentioned something I had never of heard before... 

Closed.  Shuttered.  Dark.

There are many words to describe a certain unnamed Portland venue that night.  Had I really come 650 miles from San Francisco to play a show, to find the place deserted?

There's another one.  

Deserted.

After a sold out CD Release House Concert in San Francisco, I've decided to do it again!

New location, new hosts, new incredible artist sharing the stage with me...

Will you join us?

(Just for reading this blog you can use the Facebook special "FBspecial" for 50% off this week!)

From car accidents to stolen identities to being right next to being picked for NBC's The Voice... here's the recap of the adventure.

"Somewhere The Sky Is Blue"

This is an epic song title.  It's fitting then that this song is the biggest song on the album in terms of production. The title was given to me from a friend.  And to many others... you see, "Somewhere The Sky Is Blue" was a public songwriting challenge.  Hundreds of songwriters writing the same song. Sort of a funny place for "real" inspiration if you think about it, but given the right circumstances, as I have found, you never know where your next song will come from.  Or, how much it will mean to you.

My buddy KC Turner started a song writing club/challenge inspired by Bob Schneider and the great songwriters of Austin, TX, where you have one week to write a song to a title, use the title in the song and post it on youtube within a week.  Simple, right? 

"Will you always play this song, even after you're 30?" - Scotty V.

Scotty is right.  "As Good As Dead", the first song on the album, is a snapshot of a time in my life where I was really searching for the meaning of my choices. It's not that I no longer search for meaning, of course. But turning 30 was, and is, a really interesting time to see yourself for what you've done. I originally wrote the song right after I decided to make a go at the music business and to be honest, I was very critical of myself because of it. Who am I to do such a thing? Isn't this all an exercise in Narcissism? Or worse? 

Or am I forging a road that will be my own?

So many questions.

I'm in the studio today and listening to the final mix of "The Thief," my new album that is available after June 4th.  (You can rsvp for the release show at kc@kcturnermusic.com, subject line "Roem Baur")

I thought I would share a short story about how the album came about and the song that came all the way from Buenos Aires, Argentina, "No More Sunsets."

Honestly, this may be my favorite song on the album.  Even if it has a very sad theme, it's cathartic.  And maybe that's the reoccuring theme of the record.  A friend and I were just talking about what this record means and what "kind" of record it is... I stumbled over my words as there was so much I wanted to say... so much has led up to finally finishing something, finally saying something.  And in that sense, it is cathartic.  So maybe...