Robert Vetter
Trumpeter, Flugelhornist, Guitarist, Melodica-player, Vocalist
Robert began playing trumpet at a very early age. He was a self-described "band geek" all through his high school years. His tremendous trumpet and flugelhorn prowess garnered him a generous scholarship to the University of Miami in Florida. While in college, he was in a Black funk band that had the privilege of opening for such artists as WAR and The Miracles. After the band stint, he began playing on cruise ships - about thirteen in all on seven or eight different cruise lines. It was on the cruise ships that he developed his considerable vocal capabilities. "I've been approached a few times by people who really seem[ed] to like my voice...and I have no idea why." He then left the cruise ships behind and came to the DC area where he's been for the last 20 years. While here, he freelances on both the trumpet and flugelhorn. He also works for Sidney's Music and Entertainment as the personnel manager.
His influences are wide and varied. As a trumpet and flugelhorn player, he was most influenced by the work of Doc Severinsen and alto sax player Phil Woods with a little Miles Davis thrown in for good measure. His major guitar influence was The Beatles. Of learning the guitar, Robert says, "It's one of the easier instruments to gain some measure of control over. You can get reasonable results pretty quickly." As a vocalist, he was most influenced by what else - the trumpet. He is a fan of vocalists wide and varied such as Dr. John, James Taylor, Carole King, Karen Carpenter, and Paul McCartney.
Robert has had the pleasure of working with a great many artists throughout his career. Those he has accompanied include Motown acts The Temptations and the Supremes, the Manhattan Transfer, Bob Hope, the Fifth Dimension, Marilyn McCoo as a solo act, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, and legendary bassist Jaco Pastorius.
He can be heard roughly three nights a week playing myriad instruments and singing with Bob.
Interview conducted by Ed Smith
Ed Smith
Audio Engineer, Co-producer, Vocalist.
Ed has always been fascinated by the audio board. "I remember very clearly going to see my father play with the Army Blues and LOVING the playing for sure but also being fascinated by the audio board in the back. They did a gig at the old park at Cameron Station many years ago - I couldn't have been much more than about 10 or so and that's when the fascination subconsciously took hold. I probably spent as much time watching the audio engineer as I did the band because he was easier to see in that setting. In fact, I have two pairs of the very same [make and model of] speakers they were using for that gig. Yeah, I knew what sounded good even then."
In 1994, Ed finally headed for the recording studio - taking audio engineering and production classes at the Omega School of Recording in Rockville, MD. "When I walked into that class, I knew that I was supposed to be there; there was no question." While there, he learned the finer points of analog tape engineering, mic placement, automation, and production. His final project for the course was truly special. "It was the first time I'd ever worked with my father on a musical level. Imagine producing the finest pianist that's ever been. Who was I to do that? (laughing). We did an old Anita Baker tune called "Been So Long" which he'd transcribed. He got the musicians together and I produced the track with help from the engineer assigned to supervise - can't remember his name." He came out of his final project with a B. "The automation wasn't as good as it could have been and I didn't leave enough time to get a good lead [vocal] from our singer."
In 1999, Ed began singing with a five-piece (guy and girl) R&B a capella vocal group. "They were all friends of mine and I sang with them because they asked me to - it's pretty much that simple. I had NO business singing with people who were that good but they pestered me and I gave in. We used to do weddings, gatherings, family reunions, and we even did a private gig for an actor who's name I forget at a hotel in Rosslyn, VA . It was fun but we got NO reaction. We might as well have been the cheese dip (laughing). We really were good that night and we deserved better than that." They continued to sing together for about 3 years until one of the members moved to Atlanta, GA. "When he left, we just weren't motivated anymore. We all missed him and we couldn't imagine doing it without him...so we didn't anymore."
In 2008, Ed started working with Bob as his sound tech. "He needed sound for the vocalists that had begun to show up and I provided it. It was a way to get back into sound again." He also started singing again. "One of our patrons at the first venue we worked at asked me to sing "Donna" by Ritchie Valens. YUCK! I was terrified but I got through it. I'd never done a lead vocal until then. From that point, she insisted that I sing every time I came. And no, I haven't done "Donna" since. (laughs)." Since then, Ed has continued to engineer and sing at Bob's "open mic" nights. "It's cool to see someone come in who isn't that good and watch the improvement. We've had a couple like that and that's easily the best part. I get to listen to Bob & Robert for free and we've got some really great singers. That makes whatever work is involved totally worth it."
