Biography

Whether performing solo, or with his band, The Funhouse Porcupines, Robby's music is a unique blend of Gypsy-Jazz, Lounge, Cabaret, Folk and Western Swing. The extra surprise is the added ironic, social commentary creating the musical stew he playfully calls “Un-Easy Listening!"

Robby Ravenwood: 

Robby's affable personality, upbeat vocal style, and cheerfully animated music, combined with his tongue-in-cheek, socially critical lyrics, playfully skewer the modern absurdities of this world; creating an energetic yet slightly edgy atmosphere, that has become his trademark on stage. Robby plays piano, keyboards, guitar and ukulele. 

Gigs: 

Among many places throughout Southern California and the West Coast, Robby has performed and hosted at The Comedy Store, The Ice House, Original Mike's Yost Theatre, HA HA Cafe, Flappers, Long Beach Playhouse, Mbar 1020 Club, House of Blues, Scottish Rite Temple, El Cid  as well as at many coffee houses, chic country clubs and a few select truck stops (Hwy. 99 mostly). He also has performed for executives at Sony/MGM and Paramount Pictures.  

Robby is featured in the metaphysical DVD and book “The Secret". 

Robby has opened for Paula Poundstone, Lily Tomlin, Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Boys, Janet Klein and her Parlor Boys, Phil Crosby Jr.,Bailey Dee and The Moontones. 

His Influences:  

Dan Hicks, Randy Newman,Tom Lehrer, Lyle Lovett, The Lucky Stars, BR 5-49, Red Meat, Pink Martini, The Ditty Bops, Asleep at the Wheel, Riders in the Sky, Bob Wills, Tom Waits, Paul McCartney, Scott Joplin, Danny Elfman, David Byrne, Bare Naked Ladies, Spike Jones and his City Slickers - among others. 

History: 

Robby was conceived in Germany (in 19 somethin’or-other, by his Austrian ballet dancer mother and army officer father), and was consequently born in Fort Benning/Columbus in Beautiful Muscogee County, Georgia (birthplace of Jessie Helms and plastic explosives). He was subsequently shipped to Torrance, California, where he qualifies to be an “almost native” Californian (his family moved to L.A. when he was one-and-a-half years old). He grew up in a typical Southern California manner – smoking pot, surviving earthquakes and discovering he was gay – whereupon at the tender age of about 12 or 13 he decided to embark on a serious study of piano and guitar to thus become an “entertainer”. 

For “Research Purposes Only” he worked a number of years at a “Christian” University, Oh yeah and it also paid the rent- because - as the old saying goes – “Where the Devil can’t go – he sends a gay guy” 

After a few years doing stand-up and singing his more “regular” songs at mutually exclusive venues, he finally saw the light- and conjugally, con-joined the two areas of his show biz life into one, thus his “comedy songs” were born. Robby finally realized he'd had enough of corporate “life” and decided to “go for it’ as they say in show biz. 

Sample Tune Titles:  

"Too White to Sing da Blues", "6'3" in a 5'9" World”, “Please God Let Me Win the Lottery”, “Where the Hell Have You Been, All of My Life, I've Been Waiting for you" (a love song), “Miss Fortune Teller”, “Traffic Man”. 

Clubs Performed at: 

Ice House, Comedy Store, Original Mike's, Yost Theatre,  Paramount Studios Sony/MGM Studios , Ha Ha Café, Flappers, Long Beach Playhouse, Mbar, 1020 Club, House of Blues,  Long Beach Art Theatre, Hallenbeck’s, Casa Blue, Scottish Rite Temple, Tao of Comedy Studios, Di Piazza’s, The Un-Urban, and The Oasis. 

Today:  

Currently Robby  performs live with his band "The Fun House Porcupines",  Emcees shows and also performs solo in the So Cal area, and he is also working on a new C.D to be released soon.