In this episode of the Folk My Life podcast, host Andy speaks with Rob Clamp, a rising star in the folk music scene and an artist at the white hot edge of “loud folk”. They discuss Rob’s unique approach to fundraising through running, his experiences selling out shows, and the importance of community in music. Rob shares insights into his songwriting process, the significance of his song ‘ All Quiet on the Western Front’.

Rob is known for his unique sound and engaging performances, and his outstanding contributions to community causes. Rob ended up running about 150 kilometres in March this year for the Samaritans raising loads of money for this great cause. He also touches on the strong community support from his fans, which Andy suggests should be called the Clampons.

This was such a great episode to record, Rob’s natural style and open nature allows us to explore the really heartfelt stories behind some of his greatest songs. I found new meaning in the song “Riverside’ after discussing the origin of this great track and how important it was to Rob and his family.

You can reach out to Rob on line – www.https://www.robclampmusic.com

Live Music

Rob treats us to a live acoustic version of his amazing song “All Quiet On the Western Front”. Rob unlocks some of the stories associated with this song, and explains his deep personal connection to the First World War…

Also in this episode.

Andy and Rob discuss the differences between the music scenes in Germany and the UK, concluding that in Germany, the music scene offers more support for independent artists compared to the UK.

The conversation also touches on the challenges of being a touring musician and the importance of engaging with fans.

Rob discusses a great Folk My Life moment, involving the song “Who Shot JFK?” and the conspiracy theorists at a gig…

Rob’s Musical Recommendations and playlist.

The songs Rob selected to share with his playlist are in the list below…

From his own collection, he chose to recommend, The Riverside and Who Shot JFK?.

Rob’s song choices from other artists for this list are

• Atlantic City – Bruce Springsteen
• I won’t Back Down – Tom Petty
• American Girl – Tom Petty
• You only Love Once – Dave Clamp (Rob’s brother)

I also included his latest single Running out of steam and the studio version of “All Quiet On The Western Front” on the playlist, because these were both songs Rob Discussed during the Podcast.

Our Gig Review of Rob

You can find our review of Rob’s show at the The Water Rats here… Rob Clamp – Live at the Water Rats

There is such a wide landscape of music in Rob’s collection, if lyrics are your thing then this is a song book you can plug into, if stomping good festival-folk is where you are at, Rob has barrowloads of it. If it is tender finger style guitar you need in your life… you will not be disappointed.

Timings

00:00 Introduction to Folk My Life Podcast
00:47 Introducing Rob, The Loud Folk Artist
02:05 Running for a Cause: Rob’s Unique Fundraising
04:36 The Joiners: A Milestone in Rob’s Career
07:16 Building a Loyal Fanbase: The Clampons
09:00 Giving Back to the Community
10:40 Engaging Live Performances: A Folk Revival
13:11 Merchandise Evolution: Socks and CDs
17:28 Live Performance: All Quiet on the Western Front
22:04 The Story Behind the Song
31:33 Connecting Through Music: Running Out of Steam
31:57 Reflections on War and Music
36:14 The Folk Scene and Authenticity
40:07 Contrasting Music Industries: UK vs Germany
43:51 Curiosity in Music Audiences
46:22 The Journey of a Touring Musician
47:09 A Folk My Life Moment
49:51 Song Recommendations and Personal Favourites