musicblogcalendargallerybackgroundcontact| Pub: Hed: Dek: By: There’s hardly any trace of it, but Rob Eller had a fat lip earlier in the day. We figured it was just the event to start this story with—sometimes you get lucky like that. Alas, the puffy appendage was not the result of some late-night barroom brawl, though we guiltily admit having wanted to hear about one. Instead, Eller laid the blame on a random peanut he must have eaten. “I feel like one of those lip-injected women on the TV show The Real Housewives of Orange County,” he jokes, smiling (indeed) a bit lopsided. As the headlining musician for the Laguna Beach soiree that we happened to nab an invite to, we imagined what a nightmare inflated smackers must be. Upwards of 600 guests were filling up the funky triple-tiered patios of The Cliff restaurant for this private shindig. But Eller, as we noticed he does with most things, took it completely in stride. With his shag-cut blonde hair sweeping surfer-like over his stylish sunglasses, ripped jeans and ball-bearing silver chain adorning his neck, Eller certainly looks the part of rocker. “Hey, beautiful,” he says easily to one of the many dames who saunter up to him, excited to seem him here. In fact, he can’t seem to wade very far into the social scene at |
all without knowing someone in this place—and what a place it is. The sun meets the sea in the offing, toy poodles from rival leashes bicker, and black-tie waiters fly by with platters of tastiness raised up high, as Eller gets ready to play. We don’t even know the purpose of the invite-only party (who needs one?) but we’re here with the most popular person in the joint, so we pretty much don’t care. His first song, a Cat Stevens rendition, wafts groovy into the ears of the audience. Eller is a one-man cover band, crooning everything from Elvis Costello to John Mayer. Although the tunes are at once identifiable and transcending, Eller adds his own unique timbre to every note and rift. And it works magic on his listeners. “I always aim to express the music—breathe it—rather than just replay something someone else did,” he says. “I listen carefully to music that inspires me. I pay a lot of attention to dynamics. It can be a classic or a new hit; doesn't matter. In my head, I can hear the way I would perform the music and I really enjoy finding new ways to express a song.” Originally from Canada, Eller made Southern California his home over 12 years ago. “I love it here. I mean, just look around,” he says, motioning to the shimmering water and happy patio dwellers. “Can you imagine living in a place more beautiful?” Just then, a man comes out of |
nowhere and offers Eller a cold beer, which we suspect came straight from his own pants pocket. “Cold beer, Rob?” the skillful man asks, going on to inquire where else he can catch a show this week. Beautiful place for sure. He didn’t always know he’d end up playing music, though his parents did gift him with a guitar at a young age. “I was given lessons and fell in love with the instrument.” Aside from those tutorials, he is largely self-taught. “I never studied extensively,” he says. He put his first band together when he was 18 and was lead guitarist with (ironically) little to no vocals. That’s all changed now—Eller even sings and plays unbelievable stretches of Spanish songs beautifully. “I love the feeling I get when I’m performing, entertaining people and making them happy,” he says. “It’s very empowering.” As the night wears on, the crowd thickens and conversations dwindle anytime Eller’s vocals float over the crowd in gruff, impassioned tones. A keyboardist playing separately down on the lower level of the venue—a great one, probably—just never gets a visit from us. And by the looks of the jam-packed patio and swaying heads, we weren’t the only ones unwilling to give up our seats. What can we say? Great minds think alike. |