Brian Roberts

by Valerie Ridenour
Brian Roberts is talented and handsome, a winning combination. He is the leader and founder of a wondreful band, The Prime Movers, but prefers to play solo. He does so with elan, at the Pier House Beach Bar and at Sloppy Joe's, where I caught up with him. Brian is an excellent rhythm guitarist and wonderful singer.
Brian's first selection was the current Sheryl Crow hit "The First Cut is the Deepest", an oldie resurrected from Cat Stevens. Brian's interpretation was excellent. The Sloppy Joe's tourist crowd loved it.
I was suprised when the audience sang along to Jim Croce's timeless "Leroy Brown". Some songs stay around forever, and Jim's are so good.
I loved the Tim McGraw hit "It's Your Love". Brian does it well. The Chuck Berry version of standard "Route 66" was very well received.
Nearly the best of all was Chicago's "Saturday in the Park", which I'd never heard live except by Chicago themselves. Did I miss the horns? Not at all. Brian did it beautifully, all by himself.
George Michael's "Faith" was fine and funky. Brian followed it with some required Buffett, "Changes in Latitudes". Interestingly, the crowds response was the same for Jimmy as any of the others. It wasn't long ago when they would have cheered any of his songs. I guess he's become a little less exalted, but he's still one of the best and a Key West tradition.
Everybody loves " Iko Iko". Brian also did Joni Mitchell's "Big Yellow Taxi", another one everyone loves. The best tune of the day was a Brian Roberts original, "Feel Your Love Comin'", written about his wife, Cali. Brian Roberts is a new dad and thrilled silly about it. The new baby, only two months old is named Olivia. Mom, Cali, and her sister Andie Rose are also thrilled. Brian is certainly a hunk with great hair, but girls, he's a family man all the way. He's also a wonderful talent. His CD, almost finished, will be titled "At The Time". I can't wait to hear it!
Stay Cool. - Key West the Newspaper, April 23, 2004

by Dick Conklin
We met Brian Roberts during our first visit to a weekly JAM session - not the usual kind of jam session, but the one that takes place on Wednesday afternoons at Marathon's Community Methodist Church. This after school group is made up o local musicians and kids who want to learn how to play instruments in a band setting. Brian is one of the Jam instructors.
"I teach with some great musicians in Marathon in the JAM program", he says. " We had our first concert right before Christmas, and it was really great! I started learning guitar in a group lesson environment like this one, so it's come full circle for me."
Like many other guitarists, he plays both solo gigs and with his band, The Prime Movers, featuring original songs as well as popular tunes by people like Jimmy Buffett, Van Morrison, and the Eagles. He also likes to search out and play songs from newer artists like John Mayer, Matchbox 20, and Uncle Kracker.
Like many before him, the Manahawkin, N.J. native was a Keys snowbird for several years before settling here 13 years ago. This full time musician plays all over the Keys, from Sloppy Joe's and Virgilio's in Key West to Morada Bay in Islamorada. He can also be found in the Middle Keys at KOA Fiesta Key, The Hurricane, Cabana Breezes, and Porky's, and in Lower Keys places like Coconuts in Big Pine, Looe Key Tiki Bar, Galley Grill, Pier House, The Hilton and at the Navy Base. In addition to club work, he is in demand for weddings and corporate parties.
His music has been influenced by Sting, the Beatles, Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Chicago, and Asia (he says he loves bass players who sing). He also loves to play favorites like Fly Me to the Moon, Walking in Memphis, and Give a Little Bit.
He has written several songs of his own, including titles like "Feel Your Love Coming", which he wrote for his wife, and "Ray and His Midnite Ramblers", which is about his trumpet playing grandfather. Others include "Part of Me", "Busy With You", "Not Forgotten", and "42 Bridges", obviously about the Florida Keys.
Brian first met his wife Cali breifly while she was on her honeymoon and he was working at the Little Palm Island resort. Nine years later she returned to the Keys as a widow, and by chance ran into Brian again. She remembered him and introduced herself. Today they are expecting their first baby.
Brian Roberts likes to talk about the many enjoyable gigs he has performed throughout the Keys. It's obvious that he loves his music, and his audiences return the love. But every musician has at least one horror story to relate, and Brian's took place while playing on a casino boat out of Key West.
"The weather was rough", he recalls. "The people who were really seasick came to the lounge to rest on the couches and seats around the stage. You can imagine the crowd wasn't very receptive to my music. I remember singing 'Stand By Me' with all my heart and soul, and when the song ended I looked down at a woman who had been listening to me and then got sick in a bucket. As the vessel continued to rock back and forth, I tried not to take it personally!"
When he isn't playing an acoustic or bass guitar, Brian likes to spend time with his family, ride his bike, surf the internet, and write new tunes. Currently he plays with the Prime Movers and a newer band comprised of the JAM leaders, called the Conch Republic Band. He is also working on his first CD which will be recorded at a Miami studio.
You can learn more about Brian Roberts on his website, www.brianrobertsmusic.com. - The Marathon Weekly, February 1, 2004

by Dick Conklin
Brian Roberts is a very busy guy these days. Not only is he doing a lot of singing and playing up and down the Keys, but his band has become a favorite on the wedding circuit, his new CD is getting great reviews, and he just returned from an international music and technology show in France.
This talented guitar and bass man leads The Prime Movers band , but he also does a lot of solo gigs. While his Prime Movers typically play a lot of weddings and corporate parties, Brian sing alone at an interesting variety of bars and restaurants, from the tourist-favorite Sloppy Joe’s Bar in Key West, to the swanky Little Palm Island, to the KOA campground in Islamorada, to the trendy Cocowalk in Miami’s Coconut Grove. And if that wasn’t enough, he and keyboard man Marc Davis play senior citizen centers for the Monroe County Council of the Arts.
His music is as varied as the places at which he performs. He plays some cover songs and a lot of his own music. “The seniors like the wedding music we play, the old standards, and jazzy stuff,” he says, “but playing your own songs is completely different from doing ‘Brown Eyed Girl’ at Sloppy Joe’s.”
When jamming with the Conch Republic Band, he has been known to belt out some good old rock ‘n roll music too.
His first CD, titled “At the time,” is a perfect blend of familiar numbers like “From the Beginning” (Brian’s version - in my opinion—sounds better than the original) and Paul McCartney’s “I’ll Follow the Sun,” to some of Brian’s own music which he calls “snapshots of my life” during the past five years, including a divorce, an second marriage, an adoption and other life changes.”
“Not Forgotten” deals with “the far too many memorial services I have played at.” “42 Bridges” suggests that life for some in Key West is not always a party.” “Ray and his Midnite Ramblers” is about Brian’s great-grandfather, who was also a musician.
He is already working on his second CD, and is thinking about also doing a special Christmas CD He is currently selling “At the time” at his performances, over the internet, and even at local outlets, such as at the Keys Shipping UPS center and the Paradise Petroleum gas station in Big Pine. But he has his sights set on a much larger market.
Last month, Brian attended the 39th annual MIDEM trade show in Cannes, France, where musicians from all over the world came together to learn more about things like marketing their music, legal and licensing considerations, dealing with record companies and distributors, and other aspects of the music business. “For example, I attended a seminar on getting your music into movies and TV shows”, he says. “I met one musician who got his music on the FOX-TV show “Party of Five” and others, and his royalty checks are still coming in. I also made a lot of great contacts and gave away 30 copies of my CD to foreign record companies.”
Brian Roberts is one of those lucky Keys musicians who are full-time performers. “I put down ‘Musician’ on my income tax form’, he says. “Maybe someday I’ll use ‘Songwriter’ instead.
“I’m very happy with where I am right now. I’m looking forward to the future.”
You can learn more about Brian Roberts and his music on his website, brianrobertsmusic.com. Better yet, catch one of his upcoming gigs. He will play the early afternoon spot at Sloppy Joe’s on March 3, then drive up to Cabana Breezes on Key Colony Beach for the dinner show, returning there on March 11. He will play at Key West’s Casa Marina on March 5, the Pier House on the afternoon of March 13, and the evening of March 17, and at Cocowalk in Coconut Grove on March 15, at 7 p.m. And, don’t forget to pick up a copy of his “At the time” CD.
- Key West Weekly - February 27, 2005

by Dick Conklin
We met Brian Roberts during our first visit to a weekly JAM session - not the usual kind of jam session, but the one that takes place on Wednesday afternoons at Marathon's Community Methodist Church. This after school group is made up o local musicians and kids who want to learn how to play instruments in a band setting. Brian is one of the Jam instructors.
"I teach with some great musicians in Marathon in the JAM program", he says. " We had our first concert right before Christmas, and it was really great! I started learning guitar in a group lesson environment like this one, so it's come full circle for me."
Like many other guitarists, he plays both solo gigs and with his band, The Prime Movers, featuring original songs as well as popular tunes by people like Jimmy Buffett, Van Morrison, and the Eagles. He also likes to search out and play songs from newer artists like John Mayer, Matchbox 20, and Uncle Kracker.
Like many before him, the Manahawkin, N.J. native was a Keys snowbird for several years before settling here 13 years ago. This full time musician plays all over the Keys, from Sloppy Joe's and Virgilio's in Key West to Morada Bay in Islamorada. He can also be found in the Middle Keys at KOA Fiesta Key, The Hurricane, Cabana Breezes, and Porky's, and in Lower Keys places like Coconuts in Big Pine, Looe Key Tiki Bar, Galley Grill, Pier House, The Hilton and at the Navy Base. In addition to club work, he is in demand for weddings and corporate parties.
His music has been influenced by Sting, the Beatles, Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Chicago, and Asia (he says he loves bass players who sing). He also loves to play favorites like Fly Me to the Moon, Walking in Memphis, and Give a Little Bit.
He has written several songs of his own, including titles like "Feel Your Love Coming", which he wrote for his wife, and "Ray and His Midnite Ramblers", which is about his trumpet playing grandfather. Others include "Part of Me", "Busy With You", "Not Forgotten", and "42 Bridges", obviously about the Florida Keys.
Brian first met his wife Cali breifly while she was on her honeymoon and he was working at the Little Palm Island resort. Nine years later she returned to the Keys as a widow, and by chance ran into Brian again. She remembered him and introduced herself. Today they are expecting their first baby.
Brian Roberts likes to talk about the many enjoyable gigs he has performed throughout the Keys. It's obvious that he loves his music, and his audiences return the love. But every musician has at least one horror story to relate, and Brian's took place while playing on a casino boat out of Key West.
"The weather was rough", he recalls. "The people who were really seasick came to the lounge to rest on the couches and seats around the stage. You can imagine the crowd wasn't very receptive to my music. I remember singing 'Stand By Me' with all my heart and soul, and when the song ended I looked down at a woman who had been listening to me and then got sick in a bucket. As the vessel continued to rock back and forth, I tried not to take it personally!"
When he isn't playing an acoustic or bass guitar, Brian likes to spend time with his family, ride his bike, surf the internet, and write new tunes. Currently he plays with the Prime Movers and a newer band comprised of the JAM leaders, called the Conch Republic Band. He is also working on his first CD which will be recorded at a Miami studio.
You can learn more about Brian Roberts on his website, www.brianrobertsmusic.com. - The Marathon Weekly, February 1, 2004

by John Bartus
Brian Roberts – At The Time (2004). This CD is a one man tour-de-force featuring Brian Roberts on all the acoustic guitars and basses as well as the vocals. Brian is a fine singer, great player, and his songs are worth much more than a casual listen. Brian’s life is his main subject material, and I’d venture to say that nearly everyone could easily identify with Brian through his songs.
There are a few tasty cover tunes included as well, and a personal favorite is his spot-on rendition of ELP’s “From the Beginning.”
Brian plays throughout the Keys in places like Sloppy Joe’s and the Hurricane, both solo and with bands like The Prime Movers and the Conch Republic Band. If you aren’t familiar with his original material, get a copy of his CD and hear for yourself just how good one guy with an acoustic guitar (or six) can be. (www.brianrobertsmusic.com or www.cdbaby.com/brianroberts)

- The Weekly Newspaper April 10, 2005

by John Bartus
Brian Roberts – At The Time (2004). This CD is a one man tour-de-force featuring Brian Roberts on all the acoustic guitars and basses as well as the vocals. Brian is a fine singer, great player, and his songs are worth much more than a casual listen. Brian’s life is his main subject material, and I’d venture to say that nearly everyone could easily identify with Brian through his songs.
There are a few tasty cover tunes included as well, and a personal favorite is his spot-on rendition of ELP’s “From the Beginning.”
Brian plays throughout the Keys in places like Sloppy Joe’s and the Hurricane, both solo and with bands like The Prime Movers and the Conch Republic Band. If you aren’t familiar with his original material, get a copy of his CD and hear for yourself just how good one guy with an acoustic guitar (or six) can be. (www.brianrobertsmusic.com or www.cdbaby.com/brianroberts)

- The Weekly Newspaper April 10, 2005