Rob’s face will be well known to many in folk music circles throughout New Zealand, through his work with Hobnail, The Shot Band, and Too Many Chiefs. He has travelled the length and breadth of New Zealand playing every type of venue imaginable. He has also performed regularly overseas, most recently in 2014 at the Neurum Creek Folk Festival in Queensland where his performance got great reviews invitations to return for further concerts and festivals.
Rob has earned praise for his songwriting throughout his career, and has had songs covered by bands in New Zealand, Australia and Canada. Hobnail Boots’ album “The Fortune Horses” was a finalist for Best Folk Album while Rob has twice been a finalist for Best Country Song at the NZ Music Awards.
In 2014 Rob released his second solo album, the stripped back acoustic “Black and White”.
“Accomplished…..powerfully beautiful….well focused songs…lived in voice” Graham Reid.
During the process of rehearsing and recording “Black and White”, Rob began collaborating with a number of friends, and this led him to form The Hard Core Troubadours, a band which can range in number from a duo to an 8 piece as circumstances allow. The “Troubadours” are some of Wellington’s best known and hardest working musicians in the folk/country field, including Kim Bonnington (guitar and vocals) and Cameron ‘Dusty’ Burnell (mandolin and vocals).
For more information on Rob go to his website robjoass.hobnail.co.nz where you can hear a track recorded at the Wellington’s folk club, Acoustic Routes.
Wellington Folk Festival 