Oddly enough, Rob doesn’t consider himself “the band.” As he puts it, “The true meaning of a band is the chemistry that goes on between the various musicians in the studio and on stage. This can't happen with just one person.” What can happen is Rob transforming his influences -- everything from the Beatles to Matthew Sweet to the Chemical Brothers -- into his own unique meld of catchy synth-pop and melodic guitar rock.

The road to ONLY began in 1995, when Rob formed the power-pop trio Happyface in his hometown, Dallas. The band’s 1996 debut full-length, Somewhere In Between, charted in the Top 35 at college radio stations around the country, and won high praise from college and alternative press. A subsequent tour led to healthy CD sales, as happyface began carving its niche in the alternative music scene. The band continued to tour into 1997, bolstered by the inclusion of its song “Blame” on the prestigious Eat Yer Vegetables compilation. Dallas DJ Redbeard placed the song in regular rotation on the commercial station Q102, and listeners were quick to respond with requests -- a practically unheard-of accomplishment for an independent artist.

In 1998, Happyface released a self-titled four-song EP, which earned the group more critical acclaim, solidifying their place in the Texas music hierarchy. Despite these achievements, the members of Happyface decided to go their separate ways in 1999, with Rob pursuing a solo career. Almost immediately, five of his songs were charting in the Top 40 at Mp3.com. Soon, Rob’s music will appear in an entirely different context. Three ONLY songs can be heard in Carlos Aguilar’s upcoming independent film Somerville Circle. For this Texas power-popster, ONLY has been anything but lonely!

-- Sat Bisla

Sat Bisla is a Los Angeles-based DJ and writer. He is currently Music Editor at radio/record trade publication VIRTUALLYALTERNATIVE and is a DJ on KCRW/Santa Monica. He has spent 15 years as a club DJ, and is a former Billboard club reporter. In addition, he has DJ'd/programmed various Commercial Alternative Radio stations throughout California over the past 14 years.