ROBTHEBANK – In The Future (We'll Be History) [GREEN VINYL] – New LP

2023 release, Dayton Ohio 1990s!

When it comes to the world of music, whatever the genre or tradition - bluegrass, funk, jazz, rock - Dayton, Ohio has always been a place that punches well above its weight. And among those packing their share of that punch was Robthebank, a band of musical veterans whose arrival upon the Dayton rock scene marked a kind of culmination of much of what was happening in our music-drenched city throughout the 90’s.

The band was very much a product of the kind of creativity going on among the Dayton scene at the time, which was (and remains to this day) a notably cooperative and collaborative affair. It was not uncommon for people to be playing in multiple bands, and/or to be helping other neighboring artists and musicians promote their events and their work, etc. Robthebank was no different in that regard, with Nate doing double duty in Guided By Voices, as well as the band contributing to the fundraising efforts to help the ailing and beloved fellow Daytonian musician Gregg Spence.

For unlike some scenes, Dayton’s was animated by a more domestically cooperative spirit, reserving much of its competitive energy for outside the friendly confines of the Gem City. “Fuck Y’all, We’re From Dayton,” as the brashly tongue-in-cheek, but still a little bit actually meant slogan emblazoned on the first Brainiac t-shirts declared.

And you could feel that brash confidence, along with its share of self-effacing humor, every time Robthebank took the stage and cranked the rock up to 11. You knew this was no ordinary rock band as soon as singer Heather Newkirk would grab hold of the microphone and unleash, as her performances in RTB (as well as with her later outfit Shesus) were a thing of unbridled rock and roll power and beauty.

Now, decades later, as we’re in a future where Robthebank is history, and it feels increasingly like we’re starting to reach the end of, if not time, the end of..something - may our opportunity to once again re-amplify this music energize and inspire us into a new future, to make new history that we’ll one day want to revisit as well.



—Andy Valeri, Big Beef Productions