Bob Bachtold – Musical Bio – 2010

‘Big Bad BobBB the DrumBuddha’

bobbachtold@gmail.com / drumbuddha001@gmail.com

Phone: +1 250-808-7734

Bob Bachtold has over three decades of music industry experience playing drums, percussion, and singing on stages and in studios throughout North America. He is fluent in many styles of music – R&B, Blues, Jazz, Funk, Classic & Modern Rock, Big Band, Latin, Pop, Contemporary, Ethnic, Hip Hop, New Age, and Electronica for starters – and enjoys playing all of them, especially when artfully cooked together in a hearty stew, simmered to perfection, and played with heart, soul, and feeling.

A savvy, experienced drummer and percussionist, Bob is best known for his tone, taste, touch, and ability to lay down a strong, deep, infectious groove with any size and type of musical group, at any volume level from a barely audible whisper to a freight train roar, and always with that special ‘something extra’ discerning artists and audiences crave – call it magic, mojo, or ‘secret sauce’ – however demanding the situation or environment.

‘Big Bad BobBB the DrumBuddha’ has played, recorded, backed, and/or filled in with hundreds of artists including The Platters, Harry Nilsson, Jimmi Accardi (Chubby Checker, Chuck Berry, The Monkees, Rupert Holmes, Laughing Dogs), alto sax giant George Robert (Phil Woods Big Band, Clark Terry), Evan Lurie (The Lounge Lizards), Julie Masi (of ‘Parachute Club’ fame), blues legend Sonny Rhodes, famed Canadian blues guitarists Cal Batchelor (Long John Baldry, Ronnie Lane, Al Stewart, QUIVER), Jason Buie, and Paul Kype (Texas Flood), Redfish (Canadian alt-rock band), EJ Gold (Hi-Tech Shaman), Dru Kristel (Not Always North American Drum Core), Jan Cox (blues pianist & percussionist), and many more artists that you’ve probably never heard of – or that he unfortunately cannot mention due to legal nondisclosure – both live on stage and/or in the studio.

Bob has played on countless recording sessions throughout North America, at studios both well known (such as the famed Gold Star Studios and the Record Plant) and lesser known – in LA, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Reno / Lake Tahoe, Florida and the Southeast USA, and throughout the Pacific Northwest.

Bob was also the house drummer and percussionist for The Union Label and its affiliates (in Northern California) from 1988 – 1999, contributing significantly for over a decade as a musician, arranger, and composer on over sixty cutting edge albums recorded by widely varying in-house artists (including Harry Nilsson’s infamous last recording session on Christmas Eve 1993, several weeks before his untimely passing… Ask Bob about that go-for-broke ten hour all-nighter recording session sometime).

Bob has also appeared numerous times on local and national TV (including a wild CNBC SquawkBox birthday feature in 1999), teaches students of all ages and levels whenever his schedule permits, and can be found playing or sitting in at Jazz, R&B and Blues clubs throughout North America and Europe, and also at your local House of Worship – on drums, percussion, guitar, bass, or vocals.

Bob has played (or shared the stage) with a wide range of artists including most recently: Blue City, Blues Brothers Too (Blues Brothers Tribute Band), The Cruzeros (Canadian Alt-Country Juno Award Nominees), Half A Quorum, Downhome Dave & The Dynamite, Ricky & The Blue Cats (hot Chicago blues / jump swing). Henry Piovesan & His Heroes (jazz / R&B), Saxissimo (50s/60s Blue Note / cool jazz), Michael Garding Big Band (MGBB) & Quartet, Julie Masi (of ‘Parachute Club’ fame), Dogskin Suit Blues Band, Phat Betty & Who’s Yo Daddy Blues Band, Blues Tribe (hot Chicago style blues – founding member), Great Weather (Weather Report Tribute band), Let’s Dance! (40’s/50’s Jump Swing Tribute dance band), Sonny Rhodes Blues Band, Vancouver-based blues blues guitarists Cal Batchelor (Long John Baldry, Ronnie Lane, Al Stewart, QUIVER), Jason Buie, and Paul Kype (Texas Flood), Dan Engelland (The HooDoos), Canadian alt-rock band Redfish, The Salmon Armenians (Okanagan based 60’s/70s R&B horn band), ‘Almost Elvis’ Revue, famed Canadian Order of Canada-awarded Conductor Leonard Camplin and the Kelowna Pops Orchestra, Conductor Leroy Wiens and the Okanagan Valley Singers, Felix Possak Orchestra & Trio, Paul Sorensen Big Band & Orchestra, Sherman Doucette (Tankful of Blues, Incognito), Country & Blues guitar phenom Gary Tackett (California Cowboys, Merle Haggard, Vern Gosdin, Billy Currington, Bobby Black), Smiley Ortiz Trio featuring famed Cuban pianist Panchito Calimano, Terry Blankenship (Daemon / League of Crafty Gentlemen / Robert Fripp), jazz guitarist Mike McKinley, Red Hot Boogie Express (hot vintage R&B – founding member), MoonTan (Classic Rock cover band – founding member), Hal Harvey & The Affair, Breezin', jazz pianist Al Downing, The Jack Semple Band, The Chambers Brothers, SunRidge Community Church Worship Band (Kelowna, BC), Christ The King Worship Band (Bellingham, WA), and the Saddleback Community Church Choir / Band (LA, CA), among many others.

Bob has studied drums, percussion, music, and recording with the following people (formally and/or informally), in no particular order: Famed pioneering drum instructor / author Ted Reed (of ‘Syncopation’ and 'Bass Drum Technique' fame – 1974-75), Al “Hoot Gibson” Rudkin (of Revlons fame, 1974-1979), briefly with legendary drummers Tony Williams (1996), Louie Bellson (1976), Earl Palmer (R&B & Rock&Roll innovator, 2004 – Thank you, Ian Falgout!), Joel Taylor (Allan Holdsworth / Frank Gambale / OHM / David Foster, 2004), Herman Ernest (longtime New Orleans based drummer for the legendary Dr. John, 2004), Kirk Covington (Tribal Tech / Scott Henderson Blues Band / Zawinul Syndicate, 1999 and 2004), Paco Séry (Zawinul Syndicate, 1998), and the great Larrie Londin (1974 – do ask about Bob’s trademark “Blues Shuffle” Larrie liked so much he used it on a nationally televised concert with Elvis Presley in 1976), legendary percussionists Airto Moreira (1997-1998), Trilok Gurtu (1996), Manolo Badrena (1998), Mino Cinelu (1994), and Ramon Lopez (1975-1976), Jim O’Brock (BOOT, 1971-1974), Bob Wilson (GHS Music Director, 1971-1973), Dick Grove Music, Stan Ross of the legendary Gold Star Studios, Grammy Award - winning Engineer Oz Fritz (Tom Waits, Bill Laswell), Grammy Award – nominated Engineer Gary Cirimelli (now of Amulet Studios), and scores of amazing – and unfortunately, mostly unknown – drummers, percussionists, musicians, singers, artists, producers, engineers, and shamen from all walks of life.

Bob proudly endorses Taye Drums (Thank you Ray Ayotte, for the wonderful drums!), Paiste Cymbals (Thanks to Dave Karasony, JR Robinson, Steve Jacobs, and the Paiste Family), Remo drumheads and percussion, and Vater drumsticks.

And remember this…

When the band is counted in on stage...

Or when that big red RECORDING light comes on…

Bob 'The DrumBuddha’ Bachtold delivers the goods, and then some –

The First time, the Second time, and Every time!