ABOUT

Robert Schwartzman is a singer/songwriter/producer best known as the lead singer/songwriter of the Los Angeles alternative pop band ROONEY. He has written multiple top charting radio hits in the US and internationally and has been a global touring act since 2002. He has co-written and collaborated with artists such as The Jonas Brothers, James Blunt, Coconut Records, Demi Lovato, Ben Lee, Jeff Barry, Kate Pierson, Alexz Johnson, Joe Jonas, Chester French, Ocean Grove, We The Kings, Miles Fisher, and Castledoor. He launched an indie label in 2009 called California Dreamin’ Records and has released music by artists Miles Fisher, Lots of Love, JR., Undercover, SoloBob, Rooney, and his current solo album Double Capricorn. The album is a not-for-profit release, with all profits being donated to the Tibetan Healing Fund, a charity that provides healthcare and education to women and children in rural areas in Tibet.

Hello,

Welcome to my new website. I’m very pleased to announce the release of my first solo album, Double Capricorn. I started recording this album in the summer of 2007, originally for a project called SoloBob. But after sitting on the material for 4 years, I got sick of it; I needed something fresh. I also felt like it represented a certain time and place and mood and I needed a new perspective…after all, this is my first album away from the band (Rooney) I’ve been apart of for the last 11 years. I came to a place where I needed another outlet for my songs…space and room to try something new, alone. I’ve always loved working alone. I find it very inspiring and liberating. It’s not that working with my band is the opposite of those things; it’s just different. I write as I record and I like time alone to let a song come together. I’ve always written alone and recorded my demos, but when you bring the songs in a band environment, they take on a specific shape based on people’s styles and habits. Everyone has a certain taste, sometimes all similar, sometimes different, so you have to be mindful of managing everyone’s opinion. It’s all part of the process of working as a band and I enjoy that process, but it was time for me to step aside and make an album on my own.

The sounds and songs you hear on Double Capricorn were recorded in my home studio in Los Angeles. I played all the parts and spent most of my time alone while I worked. My friend Joel Plotnik (Castledoor) was kind enough to lend his drumming skills to the songs “Someone 2 Love” and “I Know Why.” I had a great time working on this music and I feel very lucky to be in a position of making music independently and sharing it directly with my fans.

I did feel confused at times with how I wanted to finish my album, after spending so much time listening to the SoloBob songs. I couldn’t decide which songs fit and what the right direction was. I also felt unsure about using the name SoloBob for my first solo project. I still like the songs I recorded in 2007, but those songs belong to the SoloBob project and I intend on releasing those songs one day, separately.

My friend, Kunchok, is a Tibetan Monk and now, a member of my family. He lived with my family from 2007-2010 while he attended UCLA for a doctorate degree in public health. He is the first and only Monk to receive a doctorate degree in the United States. He is an incredibly kind person and extremely inspiring to be around. He has helped me through hard times and I’ve learned so much from him. He returned to Tibet the summer of 2010 and I wasn’t sure when I would see him again. Thankfully, we were invited to perform in Beijing that following October and he came to visit me. We were invited a second time to perform in Beijing and after the concert, I went to visit Kunchok in Tibet. I was almost going to cancel the trip to Tibet at the last minute because I felt pressure to return back to LA and finish my SoloBob album. Kunchok encouraged me to not put the trip off and I’m happy I didn’t because it was the trip to Tibet that gave my album a purpose and helped me find my way.

Kunchok started an organization called the Tibetan Healing Fund, which helps women and children in rural villages receive medical care. The organization built the first birthing center, a homelike hospital that provides quality care to woman and educates woman on prenatal care. Kunchok spent years slowly raising money and was able to build the center for $90,000 dollars. I was so impressed with this and I knew I could help him raise enough money to build another center.

My experience with Kunchok in Tibet showed me more than I ever was able to see or feel or understand. I felt like I needed more out of my work and this is why I’ve decided to donate all the profits from the album sales of Double Capricorn to the Tibetan Healing Fund. It brings me so much happiness to take something I love to do, write and record music, and use that music for an important cause like the Tibetan Healing Fund. So little goes such a long way for this cause. Thank you all for your time and interest in this project. My goal is to raise enough money to build a new birthing center and it’s going to take all of us to make this possible.

Hope you enjoy the music. Take care.

Robert Schwartzman