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PRESS / REVIEWS |
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Surrounded by a tangled mess of electrical wires,
candles, amps, large colorful spotlights, and a motley audience was a small Persian carpet. The carpet acted as a stage, set
up in a small coffee shop in downtown Colorado Springs. Bobby Doran was on the carpet last Friday night. There was an orange
light in the coffee shop that he had set up himself, leaving purple shadows against the usually white walls. The orange lighting
was fitting for the unusually warm February night. The audience was a loud and jittered crowd, jacked on espresso shots, pocket
flasks, and lack of sitting room. Bobby Doran was playing his guitar all alone in the corner with his set-up and his secret
surrounding him. There were a few candles spread out around the room, giving it a warm feel, something comfortable for the
audience and Doran, the performer. That is not to say that he isn't a singer, a guitarist, or a songwriter, but the secret
to his music is the performance. People have dreams, paths they would like to lead,
and paths they do lead. Some people choose to follow the path leading to their dream, whatever the hardships are. Some people
make it halfway and others never really try. But regardless of the final result, there is something within everyone to find
what they truly want out of life. Those who actually follow the path of dreams are perhaps taking a greater risk, but sometimes
that risk is the only choice. Bobby Doran is now a man following his dreams. He may be young, he may be on a lost cause, or
he may be right on, but he's taking the chance of his life to do what he loves. Bobby Doran started as a hockey player, born and raised
just outside of Providence, Rhode Island. He lived and breathed hockey, and eventually was recruited just outside of high
school for a junior league New England team. Doran dreamed of playing professional hockey; college and school weren't really
interests or even options. But Doran ultimately hurt his knee and had to leave the league for good. Dreams of professional
hockey were shot, and he began school at Johnson and Wales University in Providence the next year. The year that Doran took
off hockey, nursing his knee, was the year that he really began to play the guitar and begin writing songs. "All of the free
time from not playing hockey anymore had to go somewhere," Doran said about his fateful injury. During his sophomore year
of college Doran had his first performance. At a small bar called Tommy's Place Doran had a couple stiff cocktails and just
started playing during an open-mic one night. "I remember it really vividly," he said. "I think there were only 5 people there,
and I just sat down and played for like 3 hours. Nervous? The first song I played I couldn't get words out, and then I had
3 Long Island iced teas." Doran is very driven by what he loves in
life. Hockey began as a passion of his, music is his next passion, and although he's only been in the business for a year,
or so, Doran believes very strongly in himself; there is no sign of quitting. Now 22, he has hopes of one day touring the
states and "performing for people, you know, making them feel good," he said. Doran came out to Colorado with a friend for
two weeks to record an album; he had intentions of going back home after he put all of his songs on the CD. After finding
a nice place to live and a really good audience he found it too hard to leave. He played at a lot of open-mic nights- "doing
a lot of hard work," Doran explained. "When no one knows you, they like hearing a lot of covers." Doran eventually started to see some regulars, through
both friends and strangers. Starting in Colorado Springs and eventually making his way up to Denver, Boulder, and Fort Collins,
Doran found an audience among adolescent music fans. "There's a bigger demand for me," he laughed "in the younger crowds,
like college and definitely high school kids." The tune of the music is the guitar, his voice plays the melody, and he slaps
his hand on the guitar for drum beats. The actual musical style has a lot of variety; from Led Zeppelin to his own concoctions
like 'the girl in the black dress'. He uses a pedal to record different bars of the song as he goes along. Doran with a simple
guitar and recording system turns a one man band into a 5 piece set. Many of his musical ideas are inspired by famous artists
and professionals including John Mayer, Jack Johnson, Metallica, and Dave Matthews Band. Like many musicians, he hopes of one day
going to California and possibly making it big, Doran is not alone in the very competitive music world today. But the unique
thing that he does have is a captivating performance. "I would rather people have a really good time at my shows, and go crazy,
rather than sell a bunch of CD's," Doran, "It's about the music; it's what I love." There is a life inside Bobby Doran that not a lot
of solo performers have. He stands on his homemade stage and does something to the audience. He talks between his songs and
plays what people want to hear. He seems to have an understanding of the performing process, when the audience wants to hear
"a little patience" and a little "yeeeaaahh." Some people are swaying to the strum of the guitar, and hum of the crowd; some
are too busy sipping on espressos, setting aside the bitter taste of coffee with the sugary sweet taste of Bobby Doran. Doran is captivating on stage; he turns performing
on a small scale into his backyard in a sense. His head sways on vibrato, his nose scrunches on high notes, and he leans into
the microphone like he's flirting with it. Doran is highly entertaining to his audience; the girls are screaming and whispering
about how cute he is, and the guys think he is a righteous dude. The American Dream is at it again, following those who really
want it, who breathe it, live it, piss it, sing it, and love it. And as Bobby D wraps up his show, he points to a little boy
sitting cross legged about 3 feet in front of him and says, "That's my little brother." A piece of everyone there envied this
guy who was living his dreams, and there was his little brother watching him to prove it.
Performer: Singer Songwriter, Bobby Doran Style: From a modern, acoustic-driven, rock and
roll vibe, to radio-friendly pop, and a jazzy guitar style, the young, Rhode Island born, singer/songwriter
has been making a name for himself with a soulful voice, and unique style, topped with lyrical melodies that range from
intimate to eerie. With what Doran describes as some fancy foot work, he says he “turns a solo, live performance into
a five-piece rock band, incorporating analog looping pedals into some songs.” Influences: Dave Matthews, Howie Day, Foo Fighters, Pearl
Jam, Gavin Degraw, James Hetfield, The Beatles, John Mayer, Oasis, and many others. What the live show is like?: Doran offers a recent review from a local
critic who posts on the web: “He is no fluke. A true performer. Performing solo with a couple of acoustic guitars and
a handful of foot ‘looping’ pedals, Bobby can lay down ‘drum’ beats, bass grooves, counter melodies,
and vocal harmonies all with a few taps of his feet and the pure guile of his musical sensibilities.” Favorite Springs clubs to play?: 32 Bleu, Black Sheep, and Pikes Perk. Best gig: “Pikes Perk lets me bring in my whole
setup with stage lights galore,” Doran says. “There aren’t enough seats upstairs there, but people fill
the floor and pack in like sardines for two hours. Singing along to every song, it’s great.” Spin it: He came here last summer from Warwick, Rhode
Island, and recorded 11 songs in his friend, Jeremy Carlson’s home studio. Doran is astonished that the demo CD, “Best
Kept Secrets,” already has sold 800 copies at his shows. He’s on the web: www.bobbydoran.com. “There are pictures, lyrics, audio clips; I keep a journal and tons of other extras
and info.” What “making it” would look
like: “I really love to play music, and my
goal is to play on a professional level,” he says. “I really want to tour and travel, and play in a different
city every night. That would be great, whether it makes me rich, or I just get by on music. When people I don’t know
are humming the melodies to Bobby Doran songs, I’ll feel like I’ve made it.” His most rock ‘n’ roll moment: “So far, it was the last show he played
at 32 Bleu. “It was with Summer and Stephanie J. I think it was just the response I got from my set…everyone was
so loud for me. My fans are the best. Loud and crazy!” Take on the Colorado Springs music scene: “I’ve found that sometimes people
are closed-minded and only want to hear covers. But someone needs to break into the scene and find a way to capture everyone’s
attention. It’s cool to have original music that keeps folks coming back.” How he would improve the scene: He would give younger people more access
to local music. He says he’s “only heard of like three venues that are all ages, only one of those doesn’t
charge $5-15 to get in the door. The younger generation will be the support/word-of-mouth of a good music scene.” Set list or seat of your pants? He starts with a set list, then flies by
the seat of his pants.
U THE
CALL - 12/29/03 It’s
been awhile since Bobby has played back in his home state of Rhode Island, but it was a spectacular performance! He played
at the Open Mic night at The Call in Providence, RI. He was the opening act and he ended up owning the show! He got to play
three of his songs, but it was just enough to show his amazing talents! His first song was "Stuck," followed by "Sunrise,"
which is one of my favorite songs because of the Spanish vibe it has, and the last song he played was "A Girl in a Black Dress."
Everybody was definitely amazed I know that I wanted him to entertain me and the crowd all night long! ~Kerri Levesque | Rhode Island College
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