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ROB WINCH - BIOGRAPHY
A little about Rob...
Although you may not know it, you will have become familiar – unless you live outside New Zealand – with a lot of Rob Winch’s work. Need a jingle? No problems. Film score? He can do that. How about writing a song for a new artiste? Just tell him what genre, and it’s as good as done. Not that he churns the stuff out on a production line basis, you understand – quality is the hallmark of his creations, and quality takes time and experience. And experience is something he has plenty of - Rob had paid his dues, taken his bumps and become one of the country’s most prodigious creative dynamos.
Working out of Winchway Studios, his fully-digital recording suite perched high above Wellington harbour, he has recorded the theme music for such popular TV programmes as Mitre Ten Dream Home,( for 10 years!) written and recorded soundtracks for McDonalds, Westpac, Mitsubishi Toyota to name but a few.and provided the facilities for voice-over, recording,sound effects tracklays and sound mixing for many televison programmes and radio and televison commercials.
Playing music is as necessary as breathing for Rob, and he is highly regarded not just among guitarists, bassists and other musicians but also by many music fans around the country, having stood his ground in the company of such luminaries as Sonny Day’s band, Tamburlaine, Streak, The Heartbreakers, Midge Marsden’s Country Flyers, the 1860 Band and the Rodger Fox Big Band
Being in the top echelon of Kiwi musicians has allowed Rob to tour the length and breadth of the country, to play concerts in Poland, London (at Ronnie Scott’s), Hong Kong, New York, LA, two appearances at the Montreux Jazz Festival, as well as having the opportunity to travel to London’s famous Abbey Road Studios to record with Dame Kiri Te Kanawa.
More recently, Rob and his brother and fellow guitarist, Martin Winch, toured the country with their Eric Clapton Tribute show. He spent some time in Nashville, Tennesee, where he travelled to record and showcase his vocal abilities on some gentler songs backed by crack Nashville session players. The resulting demo CD, on which he sings as well as plays, is a testament to the scope of his abilities as a songwriter. But he is equally at home in rock music as he is in jazz, blues, country, classical or folk. A multi-instrumentalist, he can lay down tracks faster than a work gang on the railroad. Being well-connected in the international music industry is a huge bonus as it means he is able to call on any number of professional musicians as and when required for sessions that cover all bases.
Originally from the UK, Rob has lived in New Zealand since 1963 and considers himself a diehard Kiwi! He discovered the magic and power of music at school in New Zealand and remembers fondly teachers who fostered his seminal interest. Early stints on the South Island scene raised his profile there, and when he began working professionally with Christchurch’s rock/fusion band Streak, (which melded into Brigade which became Mi-Sex) their monumental two-year tour of the country meant his musical abilities were brought to the attention of a huge domestic audience of fans and musicians. Having established himself as a guitarist initially, it was as the bass player for Wellington’s jazz/rock fusion outfit The 1860 Band and guitarist then bassist for the Rodger Fox Big Band that he really made his mark on the country’s music scene.
The demise of the 1860 Band allowed Rob to take full advantage of the burgeoning session scene in Wellington, often playing three or more recording dates a day – providing backing vocals, percussion and playing guitar or bass for all the top acts of the time, along with TV live dates and Radio Orchestra recordings. Before long, he found that he was a full-time session musician, and from that came the opportunity to develop his skills at writing and producing commercials. Since the early 1980’s, that is where he has carved himself a niche, in the process picking up a swag of International Awards for his work.
But wait – there’s more! Not content to be pigeon-holed as a “jingle” writer, Rob continues to evolve as a complete musician. Among his commissions have been themes for the internationally acclaimed Ray Bradbury Theatre TV series, many documentary series sound tracks, film soundtracks as well as audio-visual tracks for many national attractions, among them Te Papa (the National museum of New Zealand) and the National Parks Visitor Centres. He also works with advertising agencies, studios, writers and musicians via the internet in LA, New York, Sydney and Nashville.
Being so focussed on building and utilising his state-of-the-art studio, with its sweeping views of Wellington’s spectacular harbour has necessarily meant Rob has somewhat neglected his live performances for too long. This began to change in 2008, when he appeared with a line-up of seasoned players at Wellington’s only regular blues venue, The Bristol Hotel. The reception he got from a bar crowded with people who had not had the opportunity to see or hear him perform live for far too long (his version of Crossroads nearly caused a riot!!) has persuaded him that 2009 might be the year when he gets it on again on a more regular basis! Let’s hope so.
Rob’s message is simple: “I am a musician, with a passion for exceeding people’s expectations with everything I do, whether as a guitarist, lyricist, bass guitarist or singer, in the studio or on stage. Every commission or project gets 110% from me. I never stop growing, never stop learning, never stop striving to deliver the best that’s in me."
For your next project, give Rob a call, have a chat and be more than pleasantly surprised with the outcome.
Roger Watkins 2009
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