Check out Rob Riccardo’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Rob Riccardo.

Rob, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
The foundation of my life as a songwriter really starts where I was born and raised in Long Island, New York. I first picked up a guitar in high school after making a bet with a friend that I couldn’t learn to play. That summer, I mowed some lawns and bought a $99 acoustic guitar and began teaching myself chords. My sound was quickly shaped by the surf scene during those formative years on the East Coast. I discovered the acoustically driven melodies and socially conscious lyrics of artists like Jack Johnson, John Butler Trio, and Ben Harper, which would really form the roots of how I’d explore my own songwriting. Music was my biggest passion, but once I graduated college, I simply stopped playing altogether.

Following a long post-college musical hiatus, I moved from New York City to Arizona and, encouraged by my amazing wife, I started to take songwriting seriously for the first time. After a year of experimenting with a variety of genres, I really started to find my voice and the intention behind the message — a blend of folk, rock, and reggae infused with a heavy serving of conscious lyrics.

With a newfound focus and a fresh batch of songs, I teamed up with Gilbert, AZ-based producer Erick Morina to record my debut album The Calm Within, a collection of tunes heavily inspired by my yoga and meditation practice. Around that time, some yoga teachers asked me to play my original music live in their yoga classes instead of using a playlist as they usually would. It was a new concept, but it really took off, and I began traveling around the country playing at yoga festivals, as well as classic music-based festivals like the Vans Warped Tour.

That all happened within the last year and a half, and I just released my second full-length album, Seeker, on September 14. I’m truly obsessed with the journey and my goal going forward is to keep spreading the positive vibes by continually releasing uplifting music to the masses.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
My lyrics are really inspired by the environment, particularly my time spent in the mountains and canyons of the Grand Canyon State. I actually write a lot of my songs when I’m out running or hiking on the trail. That’s why you’ll find a lot of nature-based metaphors in my music. Overall, the themes in my song are really about the journey of life, harnessing the positivity of our personal adventures. My most popular song, “Adventure of Me,” really showcases that all of that better than I probably can in a paragraph.

Additionally, my musical creations now also stretch from the sound waves to a more tangible art form. Because of my deep connection to the environment, my wife and I recently turned my musical merch line into its own eco-friendly clothing brand, Land of Om Provisions, which sells 100% organic shirts and accessories featuring my lyrics and album art designs. The environment is an important part of my art and my lifestyle, so I’m dedicating a huge part of my personal mission to protecting it.

Artists face many challenges, but what do you feel is the most pressing among them?
I think it is the best time to be an independent musician. There are no more gatekeepers. Record labels, while not a bad thing, are not necessary. There used to be a time when that was the only option for success. Now, it is an open path. However, that’s also where the challenge is. It’s incredibly crowded and saturated out there, and there is no more “you must do this for success” roadmap or blueprint, so it can be hard to know where to start and if you’re going in the right direction.

Ultimately, it’s important for any artist to try everything he or she is interested in and even more important to stay true to him/herself. Authenticity is everything. That’s not going anywhere, so just be authentic and keep going so long as little doors keep opening up, and you are truly happy with every chord you play and every word you sing.

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My music is available everywhere you can get it these days — Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Amazon, YouTube, etc. You can also stream my music on my website at www.robriccardo.com. That’s where you’ll also find tour dates and other relevant info about my upcoming gigs.

I also have CDs available via Land of Om, my personal record label. My merch (t-shirts, totes, stickers, etc.) are also available online at www.landofomprovisions.com.

You can also catch me and my music on Instagram, Facebook, and twitter at @robriccardo.

Same goes for all the merch via Land of Om: @landofom on Instagram/Facebook.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.robriccardo.com
• Email: robriccardo.music@gmail.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/robriccardo
• Facebook: facebook.com/robriccardo
• Twitter: twitter.com/robriccardo
• Other: www.landofomprovisions.com

Image Credit:
With guitar: Khristina Saint Photography
Without guitar: Marissa Riccardo

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