Member Since: 29/05/2007
Band Website: myspace.com/americansideshowmusic
Band Members: Robert Cooperman - vocals, guitar
Influences: My first exposure to music growing up came from listening to my parents' LPs of artists like Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Led Zeppelin, Steve Miller Band, Jimi Hendrix, Cat Stevens, James Taylor, Jim Croce, Stevie Ray Vaughan, the Beatles... I later developed my own tastes consisting of several more recent artists, yet still riddled with classic rock. Some of my faves that have influenced my style of writing and/or playing include Jason Mraz, Incubus, Ben Harper, Jack Johnson, Dispatch, Guster, Sister Hazel, Red Hot Chili Peppers...there are quite a few more... I like all kinds of music, and I'm always looking for new sounds to explore!
This page is sort of a combo music/personal myspace, so here are a few things you'd normally find on this side of the page... =)
MUSIC: Incubus, Led Zeppelin, Sister Hazel, Dispatch, State Radio, Ben Harper, Dave Matthews Band, Blue October, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Miller Band, Sublime, Bob Marley, 311, the Refreshments, Guster, Jack Johnson, Jason Mraz, Bob Schneider, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Audioslave, Barenaked Ladies, Matisyahu, Cake, The Music, Thievery Corporation, Citizen Cope, Beck, Ani Difranco, Blind Melon, Travis, Monte Montgomery, Aerosmith, Green Day, Gnarls Barkley, Rage Against the Machine, System of a Down, Tool, A Perfect Circle, Deftones, Crystal Method, Jazzanova, Cowboy Mouth, the Eagles, the Doors, James Taylor, Eric Clapton, CCR, Imogen Heap, Moe, Los Lonely Boys, John Mayer, Foo Fighters, Black Crowes, Counting Crows, Jimmy Buffett, Pearl Jam, Jimmy Eat World, Ray Charles, Billy Joel, Elton John, Hot Hot Heat, Fuel, Goldfinger, Eve 6, Maroon 5, Ben Folds, Tenacious D, Less Than Jake, Chemical Brothers, Blue Man Group, Weezer, Zebrahead, Chevelle, dZihan & Kamien, Bloodhound Gang, Blues Traveler, Bowling for Soup, Tim Reynolds, Alanis Morissette, Long Beach Dub Allstars, Suzanna Choffel, Regina Spektor, Spoon, Kings of Leon...just to name a few...
SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC!! Dertybird, Hanyaks, Down-Stares, Much Love, T-Bird & the Breaks, Feeding 5000, Uncle Lucius, Primm, Strangelove, all of the talented storytellin' singer/songwriters in the Shut Up & Sing family... and of course, don't forget the American Sideshow! =)
MOVIES: I could probably go on for a while here too, but here are a few of my faves: Dazed & Confused, Swingers, Pulp Fiction, Rounders, Memento, Ray, Anchorman, Old School, Half Baked, Boondock Saints, Snatch, Fight Club, Seven, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Almost Famous, Multiplicity, Happy Gilmore, Billy Madison, Dogma, Fifth Element, Oceans Eleven, Cube, Swordfish, Adaptation, Waiting, Without a Paddle, Matrix trilogy, Requiem for a Dream, Blow, Kung Fu Hustle, Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly, 25th Hour, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy... there's a start.
TELEVISION: KILL YOUR TV!! Let's play some foosball instead! Alright, fine - "turn on the boob tube, I'm in the mood to obey..." Family Guy, Futurama, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, the Simpsons, South Park, Squidbillies, That 70's Show, the Office, Entourage, the Sopranos, Seinfeld, Curb Your Enthusiasm, the Daily Show, the Colbert Report, SPORTSCENTER!!
BOOKS: Don't have nearly enough time to read as I'd like... the last book I read was The DaVinci Code, which was incredible. I used to read a lot of John Grisham and Michael Crichton. You can usually catch me flipping through a Guitar magazine, Guitar Center catalogue, or maybe a Playboy (all 3 have things that make my heart race...hehe). Check out LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME, by James Loewen (everything your high school didn't teach you about American history).
HEROES: my parents, Ken Block (of Sister Hazel), Mike Einziger and Brandon Boyd (of Incubus), Jason Mraz.
Sounds Like: this, according to my friends and fans:
"...acoustic rock, alternative rock, jam rock, soul rock, pop rock." - Lia
"Ben Harper." - Nat
"...a blend of singer/songwriter lyrics mixed with a bit of positive rock. Throw in a dash of Texas blues, now add the spice........LOTS OF SPICE!" - Ryan
"...pure sex for the ear drums." - Jackie A-Go-Go
"...stripped down soul with a clever twist of heat! All will love the sound, those with more depth will appreciate the lyrics." - Carey
"Jason Mraz." - Jackie
"...if you were to cross old school soul with the greatest eclectic mix of what dreams should sound like if they had background music...with a bit of humor." - Jess Rose
"...those familiar smells that come around every once in a while out of the blue to make you feel good; the ones that trigger a comfortable memory that can't be defined as anything in particular and you cant quite put your finger on what it is exactly that that makes it so familiar in the first place... You pause for a moment while your chin tilts slightly upwards to follow your gaze towards your mind and your left eye squints just a bit to get a better look into your brain and your lips are smushed into a pondering smirk until you realize that you've been nostalgically searching for something that's indescribable. You shake your brain back towards the world as the inquisitive smirk turns into a silent chuckle and you're smiling to yourself because you got a whiff of something that just feels good." - Jana
"No matter where or what in life, listening to Cooperman at any level, live or recorded, is a medley of instant joy. So, thank you for your sexy voice, talent, and really defining the essence of being a musician." - Star
"To explain to someone what your music sounds like would require a comparison to something they have heard before. While your music is definitely a collection of your own style mixed with your influences, it would do no justice to your music or the listener to compare it with something else. When someone listens to you, they are not going to hear something they have heard elsewhere, save a slight resemblance here or there. To me, your music is 'you.' It's unique and has its own style. I also feel that your songs speak in different forms...your music doesn't mean or sound the same to two different people at all. It probably affects everyone differently. The sound of your music doesn't fit in a box. The style draws from different genres and sounds. To place it in a category would be like building a fence around its creative ability to go where your feelings take you when you're creating it. If someone asks you what your music sounds like, you should just throw up your first and pinky finger and say, 'It sounds badass. Come check it out this Sunday.'" - Shea
"Throw all other musical comparison out the window... Not gonna use it... I can't use it. Impossible. What your music sounds like is Robert Cooperman. A driving force of creative ability and life experience that is harnessed and unleashed at the tip of tongue and finger. It sounds like a heartbeat, a heartache, cold ice cream, and warm birthday cake. Your music sounds like moments of greatness, greyness, and tragedy... recorded on a six string time line." - B
"...with lyrics that feel exactly the way his hugs do; deep, from the heart, real." - Jana
"Sideshow Rob is like one of those five-tool phenoms of baseball. Chops? Check. Pensive lyrics? Check. Fetching melodies? Check. Stage presence? Check. A good guy to have a beer with after the set? Check. And, dang, if that's not enough, most of the ladies I know think he's kinda cute." - Gleason Booth, INsite Magazine
Type of Label: Unsigned