During a recent 2-3 year hiatus from performing, Robby K began working on the other side of the microphone (audio engineering) and enjoying it so much he eventually built a home studio. Now (2011) back to performing and recording original music, Robby K is working on new material for his upcoming CD "The Way It Is". The songs are composed, engineered, recorded and mixed by Robby K at Telemark Blue Sky Music home studios. All instruments and vocals are Robby K.
Latest News
041811: Washed In The Blood is now up for listening. This is another song from the forthcoming Christian and Country CD "The Way It Is".
013111: A new song from the CD "The Way It Is" is now posted! "Love To Burn" has inspiration from John the Revelator who in his aged years would declare, "Love is Everything".
Special thanks to The River Food Pantry on Madison's east side!
Telemark Blue Sky Music
Robby, working as The Robby K Band, has upgraded his music company, Telemark Blue Sky Music to incorporate audio and film services. Erik, a recent graduate of the Film Department at the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee has joined TBSM as a fulltime project manager. TBSM audio specializes in audio restoration, music composition and production, cassette and LP analog to digital transfer and other specialty services.
News
Jan, 2013: One more song and my newest CD, The Way It Is will be complete.
About Robby K
Robby K began playing guitar in the late 60's and for the next two decades concentrated on nailing the lonesome/hippie, singer/songwriter West Coast sound [think Neil Young] while playing with old and new friends as he chased degrees in schools from Minnesota to Washington.
In 1987, while in Wisconsin, Robby K gave his music over to Jesus with every intention of quitting the music biz entirely and focusing on his job and new family. The Lord had other intentions and began "downloading" new music into Robby K at a frenetic pace. Robby K formed Telemark Blue Sky Music (BMI) to house the new material.
To date, Robby K has professionally recorded three CDs along with other "stray" material eg The Reverend Bobby Blues. "Lonewoulfe/Rapture" is Robby K’s 1st artistic, folk-rock endeavor. Robby K followed up by covering the other end of the spectrum with an aggressive rock package, "Prophet Zero/Live In Madison!" Robby K's most recent studio CD "The Robby K Band / His Burden Is Light" features a variety of different vocalists, which enhances the depth of this artist's eclectic style!
Robby K's genre is broadly housed under the Christian genre but is not to be confused with contemporary worship songs. In any style, Robby K's music speaks of lived-out stories of spiritual struggle and end-time scenarios. All songs DO point to Jesus as the central figure and real hero in every conflict with the principalities of this age.
Robby K is currently developing venues, promoting family-value acts and organizing regional Christian original songwriters all the while working on new material, his 4th CD and his 1st professional music video.
The Robby K Band
THE ROBBY K BAND: THE COMPOSITIONS
All of the song selections are composed by homegrown singer / songwriter / self taught guitarist Robby who credits Jesus Christ as the overall author of all his music. "I just love that feeling when a new song is coming on! First you feel it, then you hear it, then you figure out how to play it and then you live it to understand it and who it is meant for."
This CD is dedicated to Robby's brother and features Glory Bound, a deeply moving ballad written about Rick's fight with melanoma. "All in all, this CD features a lot of questions about life and spirituality and resonates a certain sadness, I believe, which reflected my brother's condition in life. However, the answer to these questions is resoundingly clear as sung in Southern Gospel tradition on Beautiful Houses, the last cut on the CD!"
The other songs on this CD are in the CCM tradition. In My Father's House, a Glory & Praise style rave, elicits Robby's continuing conviction that Jesus is soon to return. Sinned is Robby's own personal confession and response to Matthew 5:27-30. His Burden is Light is a cool, jazzy rendition that beckons the listener to a more spiritual realm. Your Life Moves On is a spirited musical journey through time from Jesus to the end of days. Finally, In His Lovin' Arms Again beckons the hurting out of their pain and loneliness to a more blessed state of communion with the Lord.
THE ROBBY K BAND: THE CD
The Robby K Band / His Burden is Light (2005) is Robby's most recent CD and enlists outstanding, career musicians on bass, keyboard and drums and features guest vocalists from the Madison area. Departing from the tradition of his earlier CDs, Robby sings on only one song. "I heard the Lord telling me to reach out to a broader audience in the tradition of Isaiah 55:11 by utilizing a wider range of vocalists. I do sing on Sinned though because it is a highly personal song." Also new to this CD is Robby's use of instrumentation other than guitars e.g. flute on Glory Bound and trumpet on His Burden Is Light as well as the piano based mixes of Glory Bound and Beautiful Houses. "I definitely am in awe of the caliber of all of these musicians! I felt very comfortable to just step back and let them have at it!"
THE ROBBY K BAND: THE BAND
LEAD VOCALS: Sarah Farthing (Track 1), Judy Georgeson (Tracks 2&6), Robby Kjonaas (Track 3), John Georgeson (Track 4), Paula Elver (Track 5), Don Gross (Track 7)
ADDITIONAL VOCALS: Doug Jones (Tracks 6&7)
GUITARS: Robby Kjonaas
BASS: John Georgeson (Tracks 1,3,4,5,6), Doug Jones (Tracks 2 &7)
KEYBOARDS: Doug Jones
DRUMS: Peter Lefeber
FLUTE: Heidi DuCharme (Track 2)
TRUMPET: John Georgeson (Track 4)
PRODUCERS: Doug Jones & Robby Kjonaas
THE ROBBY K BAND: THE COVER ART
Robby gave the graphic artist, Erik, only one concept, The Hanging Gardens of Babylon, as the sole source of inspiration for the creative cover art created for this CD.
Robby had just finished a comprehensive half-year study of the Minor Prophets and saw many analogies between the exile of the Jewish people from their homeland to Babylon and an individual's exile from good health to sickness. Over time, the Jewish people returned to their homeland just as Robby’s brother was restored to good health after battling a deadly cancer!
The CD artwork further illustrates this transition of exile to homeland, sickness to health by washing an explosion of light through the same graphic imagery developed for the front cover [deep blues on the front cover to light greens and yellows on the back cover].
GEAR
Robby K uses a substantial variety of vintage and boutique stompboxes including the MXR Dyna Comp, an Electro Harmonix Small Clone chorus pedal, Boss Blues Driver and Danelectro Daddy O distortion boxes, an Ibanez Tube Screamer, a Dunlop Cry Baby, a Danelectro Dan Echo, VooDoo Labs Tremolo, Boss Flanger…
Prophet Zero
PROPHET ZERO: THE COMPOSITIONS
All of the song selections are composed by homegrown singer / songwriter / self taught guitarist Robby K who credits Jesus Christ as the overall author of all his music. "It took me a while to figure out what was happening in my head…at first, I thought my teeth were picking up an all Beatles station! One day, while standing in line at a store, I was whistling along to the tune in my head when another patron turned around and asked me what song that was? I didn’t know! So I began to listen to the words and I had the complete Song of Isaiah before I was out the door!"
PROPHET ZERO: THE CD
GET SAVED: The song relates Robby K's near death after shooting twenty something feet off a cliff and landing on his left side on an asphalt highway in Pullman, WA. "Don’t ask!"
SONG OF ISAIAH: Every prophet has his "See me, Here I am" experience. And when it happens, there is little to this life that is more beautiful!
SAIL AWAY: Picture yourself in the shoes of an apostle of your choice. You are at Bethsaida – Julias, a fishing village near Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee. It is a beautiful spring day just before the Feast of Passover. Jesus has entered his 3rd year of ministry. You have just fed five thousand men and their families with 5 loaves of flat bread and a salty relish made from two tiny dried fish. The crowd rushes in to proclaim Jesus as the Promised One. However, Jesus has just forced you and the others onto a boat and orders you to sail onto the other side where He will join you…a storm is in your very near future…
HE LIVES: A confession of faith. Jesus died on a tree. He lives!
GOOD BREAD: Whenever two or three are gathered, there is Jesus, and when you do something, do it in the name of the Lord! Have faith!
PRAYER MEETING: The original title and words to this song were "There ain’t no way a thousand blue haired old ladies will ever do you any wrong". Evidently, a lot of blue haired old ladies WILL do you harm if you point out their hair is blue in a whimsical, sort of sarcastic way as Robby K once did at a large Catholic prayer gathering…but only once! The song itself is more of a song about fathers passing down WISDOM to the sons in every generation.
PROPHET ZERO: THE BAND
LEAD VOCALS: Robby Kjonaas
GUITARS: Robby Kjonaas
BASS: Rick Haller
DRUMS: Brian Goeller
PRODUCERS: Doug Jones & Robby Kjonaas
PROPHET ZERO: THE COVER ART
Robby K gave the graphic artist only one concept, MOTION, as the sole source of inspiration for the creative cover art created for this CD. "When playing in Prophet Zero, I experience a freedom and detachment from the world which I felt could be conveyed, in a sense, with blurred images or motion." The inside cover is a band photo taken at Robby K's country home. "Brian really hammed it up at the photo shoot in a variety of ways! He has quite a subtle sense of humor for such an awesome, powerful drummer!"
GEAR
Pretty much plug n' play! Robby K used his favorite electric guitar for this recording, a US Masters Guitar Works professional series made in the USA guitar [please see the Sportster model at http://usmasters.com] strung with D’Addario 10s. Robby used a Carvin Bel Air 212 amp, Monster cables, and an Ibanez Tube Screamer.
Lonewoulfe
LONEWOULFE: THE COMPOSITIONS
All compositions point in a positive, non-judgmental manner to the imminent return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Whether you are post trib, pre-trib, amilleniumist, atheist, agnostic, etc. or just plain constipated, it doesn’t really matter because the Bible makes it clear, He is coming back!
LONEWOULFE: THE CD
Robby K was led to Telstar Studios and producer-engineer Doug Jones via Pastor Rusty Wills who was recording music for his congregation at St. Martin’s Lutheran church in southern Wisconsin. Already armed with a growing catalog of songs, Robby K began recording the acoustic guitar tracks for all the original work in his palette when the Lord took over the direction of the CD [actually, cassette, at that time]. New songs were downloaded in a flurry, all in 3D video with full score and complete arrangements. The result was a coherent theme album in the manner of Justin Hayward and the Moody Blues, one of Robby K's earlier influences.
LONEWOULFE: THE BAND
LEAD VOCALS AND GUITARS: Robby K
BASS: Doug Jones
KEYBOARDS: Doug Jones
DRUMS: Doug Jones, Robby K
ADDITIONAL VOCALS: Paula Elver, Doug Jones, Teri Simon, Heritage Harmony, Jesus' Joyful Juniors
HARMONICA & WHISTLES: Robby K
PRODUCERS: Doug Jones & Robby Kjonaas
LONEWOULFE: THE COVER ART
The cover of Robby’s first solo CD features a Navaho blanket woven by the artist’s wife on a loom hand-built by the two of them. It represents Robby’s attempt to weave the often disparate musical themes of his acoustic guitar into a coherent and enduring passage.
GEAR
Robby K used a Peavey T-60 dual humbucker equipped electric guitar plugged into a Peavey Classic 212 [or straight into the board] with a Boss Blues Driver and a Boss Flanger for grit and modulation. Robby K's acoustic is a 1972 Gibson SJ Deluxe.
Lonewoulfe Prayer
Praise You Lord Jesus Christ!
Strengthen me Lord Jesus to purify, preserve and perfect this gift
To draw eternally ever near to You
To remain faithfully open to Your Holy Word for me
To use this gift wisely
And to accomplish Your will
To be ever able to play and sing the Glory of this gift You have brought to me
Praise to Your Glory Lord Jesus Christ!
Please continue to bless me and be with me everywhere and always
So that I may continue to spread the Good News of Your Gospel message
Bring praise and glory to Your Holy name Lord Jesus Christ
And excitement to those upon whom You send forth Your Holy Spirit
Thank You Lord Jesus for blessing me with the gift of this music and song!
Lonewoulfe Prophecy
Children!
Take care
To preserve the goodness of the earth
For I shall use it as a remnant
To recreate the whole of the heavens and the earth
To restore for My precious children
Their rightful inheritance
Anew, fresh
And full of the Light
Of My goodness!
Robby K's Testimony
Robby began playing guitar in the late sixties and used his acoustic guitar as a stress release in various secular bands while in school in Minnesota and Washington states prior to coming to Madison, WI in 1984 to work in agricultural genetic engineering. "I did cover versions of every Neil Young or Steve Stills song I could find! Music was a great way to make friends or blow off a little steam."
During the summer of 1987, Robby began playing less and less and concentrated instead on raising a family. He developed a ravenous study of the Bible while entering into a deeper, born-again relationship with Jesus than he previously thought possible. "This meant giving up a lot of me to make room for more of Him!" He soon heard the Lord asking him to completely give up his "of the world" music and songs!
Robby obeyed and never played secular music again, a nearly 500-song repertoire! But within days, the Lord began filling that emptiness by downloading new and exciting music in a style that sounded great to Robby but with which he was wholly unfamiliar. "Every new song I heard had a musical component which challenged me to become a better musician. I found I had to develop a finger picking style to accommodate all the notes!"
Nearly twenty years after receiving this gift, Robby is more in love with the Lord and this music than ever. "Right now, the Lord is opening doors and leading me on as never before. I pray this gift, this Word will not return to Him void!"