Biography:

Rob Skane - Phantom Power Trip
(Lofi.Records)

“Rock’n’Roll the way God intended it.” Scott Kempner

Rob Skane is rock and roll.
Believe it.
Long one of the unsung forces on Capital Region scene, Skane returns to the fore with the release of “Phantom Power Trip” -- 11 smart, short hook-filled tunes from the left of the dial.
Skane grew up in Central New York with one ear on the radio and one hand on his guitar case. He was ready to move before he was born, landing in Albany just in time to leave again -- this time on tour with the legendary Dugans.
He gained a reputation as a gum-chewing wisecracker, but all the while he was studying the greats -- looking to Paul McCartney’s sense of melody; Paul Westerberg’s flair for adult angst; and Graham Parker’s extraordinary passion.
“Nick Lowe just kills me,” Skane says, “the way he can twist a phrase around. Three minutes, words and music, but it’s so much more.”
But life isn’t all pop songs for the son of a Utica cop, and following the requisite stints in road hog rock bands and 10 years of the solo acoustic grind, Skane went underground.
Literally.
Into his Niskayuna basement.
Which became, almost overnight, a laboratory, a monk’s cell and a recording studio -- all adorned with the same array of condenser mics, restless notebooks and Mexican wrestling masks.
The result was a series of similarly-titled solo audio adventures, including “Nowheresville,” “SelfNoise,” “SoloFi” and “The Mouse Mixes.”
He calls his place Los Noise Floor NY, ascribing to the R. Stevie Moore ethos of do-it-yourself-or-bust. Moore, you might remember, launched the home-recording industry back in the late 70s with a mix of magnetic tape and madman’s glee.
Skane -- who’s actually worked for labels and studios -- doesn’t simply push the button on a Zoom recorder, He engineers. He EQs. He mixes.
Need proof?
“Phantom Power Trip.”
Just try made-for-radio stuff like “I Waited,” “Would You Be There,” “Girl Next Door” or “Let It Be Me.”
With drums (Peter Maine of Psychoneedles) and bass (Todd Haviland of Shu) tracked at Edie Road Studios in Argyle, NY, and imported into Los Noise Floor NY, Skane put on the mask or the bagel beamer or whatever he uses to make the magic happen, and he set to work.