Rob Cournoyer's Career

Knowing no one in the city and having no work lined up, Rob moved to New York anyway. He found work at Studio Instrument Rentals  transporting music gear around the city and teching for famous bands and musicians. It wasn’t too long after Rob moved to NYC until he started to play a lot around the city. Word-of-mouth is what Rob credits for helping him get his foot in the door. “I’d get phone calls saying ‘so-and-so gave me your number’ and I’d do showcase performances for singer/songwriters looking for a record deal. Doing demo recordings for singer/songwriters is what led to more studio sessions. My chart reading and writing abilities made quick work of any track I recorded and cut down on rehearsal time for live shows. Vic Deyglio, house engineer at Power Station Studios, recommended me to Xanax 25 and Warren Haynes  recommended me to Raging Slab. Word-of-mouth is what helped my career get started.”

After 13 years in NYC, Rob moved to Los Angeles. “It was one year after the 9/11 attacks and there was still very little work in the city for musicians. I really didn’t want to leave NYC. I love NYC! There was a lack of work in NYC and an abundance in L.A. at the time. I had to go where the work was. Johnny Indovina, a New Orleans native and long-time resident of Los Angeles, invited me to L.A. to play in his band Human Drama (Human Drama - Wikipedia). Michael Ciravolo, the guitarist for the band and also president of Schecter Guitars, got me an instructor position at Musician’s Institute in Hollywood. So, I was off to L.A.”

While in Los Angeles, Rob spent most of his time teaching and recording. He recorded drum tracks for TV and radio shows/commercials, theatrical trailers and video/computer games for a media music studio while also recording demos with singer/songwriters and teaching full-time at Musician’s Institute. “I stayed busy in L.A. but I missed playing live. I had a few gigs but the majority of my playing was for recording or teaching. Friends of mine from NYC that were now living in Las Vegas told me I’d get work if I moved there. After 6 years in L.A. I left for Vegas.”

After securing an instructor position at School of Rock - Las Vegas, it was only a few months after his arrival that he hooked up with a band. “It was a casual gig playing every Tuesday night with three other guys way off The Strip in a small club called Divebar”, Rob says. “We’d get members of well-known bands to sit in with us as guests and, in only a few months, we were packing the place every week.” Soon, the band, Sin City Sinners, was playing 5-6 nights a week in various showrooms on The Strip. “We were the busiest band in Vegas for about 8 years. When Todd Kerns left to join Slash’s band we continued on for a couple years with really good singers/guitarists/frontmen but it wasn’t the same band.”