Rob Spence - A Celebration of Life

ROB'S REVIEWS

	"ROB SPENCE sings in a clear and fresh voice, with a "*McCartneyesque" optimism and enthusiasm. He is a prolific song writer, plays a crisp rhythm guitar, as well as keyboards and drums." ...Pat Kane - Traditional Irish Musician*

	"Englishman Rob Spence took his own vision into the studio and came out with "Rhythm of the Universe," which folds Irish music into a swirl of optimistic English pop, world and folk music." *...Daniel Aloi - Elmira Star-Gazette* "I found his brand of creative melodic rock outstanding, and that was borne out by the positive reaction from radio listeners. *...George Graham, WVIA Radio - Pittston, PA*

	"Definitely his best work yet." *...Rob's Mum*

By DEE WOODRUFF
Evening Times Reporter

WAVERLY - America became the "land of opportunity" for Rob Spence, a resident of Waverly for the past 10 years.

The opportunity Spence, a native of Cambridgeshire England, was able to realize involved recording and releasing a compilation of his original songs.

Born in Burwell in Eastern England, Spence is the third of four children.

Attending school, the son of parents who are both teachers he spent part of his youth active in soccer. He has shared his early training and experiences on the soccer field with the Valley Youth Soccer League as coach.

Always an avid listener to music, as with any teen, Spence became more than a listener when he picked up his first guitar at age 16.

"I was in my mid-teens when the punk rock scene swept across England," he said. "That was about the time I got my first guitar and a friend of mine showed me a few cords."

Those "few cords" were the only lessons Spence took on the instrument and shortly thereafter he and his friend formed their own band. The "Rat Race Rockers" did not make a successful entry into the music scene, however, and after a couple of years, disbanded.

"The 'Rat Race Rockers' weren't anything to write home about, but I did start writing some of my own songs about the same time," Spence added.

Although most of the tunes he composed during those early years have passed into the lost land of forgotten memories, Spence recalls one song which he says he was quite proud of "Every Teenager’s Dream."

"I still have a cassette of one concert we performed in 1980," Spence said. "Sometimes I still listen to it just to remember how far I have come. It really is quite amusing listening."

After leaving the "Rat Race Rockers," he decided to further his education. "After a time, I left school and went on to attend classes at Cambridge College," Spence explained. "I wanted to expand my education beyond the basics and I ended up being a book’ binder for Cambridge University Library for a time."

His job at the library involved hand binding books, which he says is a much more difficult and exacting skill than machine binding. That work experience earned him a certification in the field of hand book binding in England.

He later moved to New Market, England where he joined Sancho Panzer, a band led by another friend, Colin Crawford. After working with the group for a number of years, Spence explained that in 1984, Crawford found it necessary to replace the drummer and the bass player and recruited Athens native Tom Gable to fill the drummer's position in the group.

Gable had been stationed in England with the Air Force and joined Sancho Panzer following his discharge.

"In May 1985, Tom talked us (the band) into coming over here (to America). The name of the band seems to me now to be a bit ironic, yet appropriate," Spence said. "Sancho Panzer was the psychic who followed Don Quixote around and Tom was a bit of a Don Quixote to us. He made the adventures and the rest of us followed."

Crawford was a dual citizen because his father was a member of the United States Air Force, so he did not have any problems traveling and working wherever he wanted, Spence said.

"I, of course, was not allowed to work because I was not a citizen, so I went around with the band, more in the capacity of a traveling minstrel," he added."

The "minstrel" show continued to entertain for a number of years, including a six month stint in Rhode Island.

During those years, Spence met LuAnne, the woman he would decide to make his wife.

"At the end of 1986, Sancho Panzer broke up and Colin went back to England," Spence said. "It was a good thing 1 was getting married then, because I might have otherwise been quite upset. Since I was marrying it was ‘Oh, well’ and (the band) breaking up didn't Seem to matter anyway."

Wedded bliss did not stop Spence from longing for his own band, but he says it was very hard to find a group he was comfortable with. In time, he formed "The Essence," with band members Sean Reap, John Schreiber, Tom Gable and himself The band chose original songs to perform rather than the more standard selections played by other groups, he said.

"Many of the bands in this area do not want to do anything original. They choose the pop or rock tunes and Seem to only have an interest in the bar scenes. That is not what I wanted to be into," Spence continued.

What Spence wanted was the opportunity to write, perform and record his own songs, and with the help and support of Pat Kane and the band, West O'Clare, he has done just that.

Teaming with Kane, Spence added a touch of Celtic flavor to his work and in 1990, the two performed some of the selections for WVIA Radio in Pittston.

"That was shortly after the birth of my son, Nicholas," he said. "Becoming a father, has definitely caused a change in my style it is now a lot more mellow."

With a "mellower" sound and more than a "touch of the Irish" in his first album release, Spence explained that the production, "Rhythm of the Universe," is a combination of unusual sounds.

Describing the music as "poptimistic," he said the overall feel of the album is upbeat, blending elements of folk, English pop, Mersey-beat and nature themes along with some strong Irish melodies.

Producing the work while spending his "spare time" at a full-time job at Chemite in Chemung, Spence acknowledges he did not have a great deal of time this past year to spend with his wife, son, daughter Samantha and stepdaughter Kelly.

"Someone asked me why I would work so hard for the album, but I never thought of it as work," he explained. "My family was really supportive of me. My wife knew this (producing an album of his works) was something I had dreamed of since I was 16 and now 16 years later I have finally done it."

Spence is also currently rehearsing with his own band while continuing to work with Kane and West O’Clare. Joining Spence are Tom Gable on drums, Roger Bacom on bass, and Paula Walker on keyboard.

Copies of Spence’s CD, "Rhythm of the Universe," are available just in time for the holidays at several area merchants, including Vintage Emporium in Waverly, J’s House of Hits in Sayre, Music Land in Towanda, Sam Goody’s in the mall, The Record Shop in Elmira, Rebop in Ithaca and Sounds Fine in Corning and Ithaca.

What Spence wanted was the opportunity to write, perform and record his own songs, and with the help and support of Pat Kane and the band, West O'Clare, he has done just that.

Teaming with Kane, Spence added a touch of Celtic flavor to his work and in 1990, the two performed some of the selections for WVIA Radio in Pittston.

"That was shortly after the birth of my son, Nicholas," he said. "Becoming a father, has definitely caused a change in my style it is now a lot more mellow."

With a "mellower" sound and more than a "touch of the Irish" in his first album release, Spence explained that the production, "Rhythm of the Universe," is a combination of unusual sounds.

Describing the music as "poptimistic," he said the overall feel of the album is upbeat, blending elements of folk, English pop, Mersey-beat and nature themes along with some strong Irish melodies.

"Someone asked me why I would work so hard for the album, but I never thought of it as work," he explained. "My family was really supportive of me. My wife knew this (producing an album of his works) was something I had dreamed of since I was 16 and now 16 years later I have finally done it."

Spence is also currently rehearsing with his own band while continuing to work with Kane and West O’Clare. Joining Spence are Tom Gable on drums, Roger Bacom on bass, and Paula Walker on keyboard.

Copies of Spence’s CD, "Rhythm of the Universe," are available just in time for the holidays at several area merchants, including Vintage Emporium in Waverly, J’s House of Hits in Sayre, Music Land in Towanda, Sam Goody’s in the mall, The Record Shop in Elmira, Rebop in Ithaca and Sounds Fine in Corning and Ithaca.

TRUE LOVE