BIO
Rob Brens is a Melbourne-based musician who has earned a reputation across a myriad of genres as a highly proficient player who can integrate quickly with any group and deliver exceptional performances that are energetic, creative and professional. His love of multiple styles has given him not just versatility, but the ability to inject a unique approach into every situation. All of these qualities have extended through to his career as an educator, which has seen him teach in multiple settings, from every school level, to teaching beginners and professionals in private lessons or master classes.
Rob is currently available for drum lessons, live and studio session work and he can be contacted at rbrens@gmail.com, the contact page, or at one of the social media links below.
scroll down for extended bio
Original Bands/Artists Rob has performed with include:
Mirrors (current member)
I Built the Sky (live member)
Simon Hosford (studio session)
Peter Meere (studio session)
Hadal Maw (previous member)
Rival Fire (live fill in)
Teramaze (studio session)
Clairy Browne (live fill in)
The Last Martyr (live fill in)
Philip Martin (studio session)
Earth Rot (studio session)
King Parrot (live member)
James Ivanyi (live member)
Desecrator (live fill in)
Rob Farnham (studio session/live member)
Alarum (previous member)
The Schoenberg Automaton (live fill in)
Rifleman (studio session/live member)
Aural Window (live fill in)
Dreadnaught (live fill in)
A Million Dead Birds Laughing (live fill in)
Mason (live fill in)
Phantom Panda Power Master Wizard Master Smasher (studio session)
Mousecapades (live member)
Liminal (studio session)
Toby Spicer (studio session)
Mechanical Silencer (studio session)
Hemy & Marshall (live fill in)
Steve Turner (studio session)
Tristan Coates (studio session)
Luthor (studio session)
Nevadream (studio session)
Lounge Machine (live fill in)
The Hiding (previous member)
Spitfire Rain (previous member)
Tribal Clown (previous member)
Caractacus (previous member)
Lanstrum (previous member)
COVER BANDS ROB HAS PERFORMED WITH INCLUDE:
Tusk: The Storybook Tribute to Fleetwood Mac
Cherry Lips
Fastlove
Racer Axe
Safari Motel
The Australiasian Michael Buble Tribute
Sexual Chocolate
Infinity
Plastique
The Ultimate 80's
Action Sam
Dr Shred and The Electric Mayhem
Moneypenny
Selecta
Cherry Bomb
The Usual Suspects
Ace of Spades
Boogie Wonderland
Desound
United Representatives of Soul
Greene with Envy
Various freelance jazz/blues acts
EXTENDED BIO
Rob’s innate love of music has shaped his life, but his first pursuit began at the age of 10 when, after begging his parents for long enough, he started taking drum lessons. From there, an obsession was born. His tuition continued into high school, taking more lessons with a range of teachers, allowing him to explore more genres while playing in the high school concert band and jamming with friends.
Towards the end of high school it became apparent that this was it — drumming was to be his life’s work. He went on to study a Bachelor of Music Performance at Box Hill College of Music where he expanded upon his knowledge of jazz, fusion, latin and everything he could absorb. While studying, he began hitting the scene playing in local rock and metal groups while also making his way into covers, growing his repertoire as he went between top 40’s, blues, funk and classic rock and pop covers.
Rob’s facility in jazz and fusion coupled with his long running fondness of heavy music eventually landed him the chair with Australia’s premier fusion metal band Alarum, which saw him tour the country and share the stage with many high profile international bands and tour overseas. This also functioned as a platform that displayed his ability to navigate compositions that required a firm understanding of odd times, complex rhythms and blistering metal chops, which started generating requests from other bands to fill in.
This has included some of Australia’s top metal acts such as King Parrot, Teramaze, I Built The Sky, Earth Rot, Desecrator, The Schoenberg Automaton, A Million Dead Birds Laughing and many more.
Over the course of 2013 he took his experiences from across these bands to help form Hadal Maw, a modern death metal act that fast became a favourite amongst Australia’s burgeoning metal scene with its unique take on the genre. Rob went on to record three albums and tour internationally with the band.
However, Rob’s ability hasn’t been limited to just metal, he has also displayed his versatility with acts such as Clairy Browne, funk and blues outfit Safari Motel, the Australasian Michael Buble tribute, and a slew of cover bands catering to top 40s and weddings, often times with minimal notice. In the course of working for so many different artists, his reputation for precision saw him begin touring with progressive guitar virtuoso I Built the Sky and become a permanent member of Metalcore band Mirrors.
Rob’s work ethic and ongoing passion for the craft of music is only matched by his love of sharing knowledge. Outside of his teaching schedule, this was marked by his stint with Heavy Music Magazine, wherein Rob provided a regular educational article to thousands of readers as well as numerous high profile interviews, cover stories and reviews.
Rob has found his pursuit of the craft of music has also been a vehicle for shaping both life and character. Hence a lot of his output has been centred around motivation and guidance through his own experience of music, fitness, martial arts and life. They can be read and listened to in his blog and podcast.
Rob is currently available for drum lessons, live and studio session work and he can be contacted at rbrens@gmail.com, the contact page, or at one of the social media links below.
Rob is currently an active member of Mirrors.
Rob plays Pearl Drums and Remo drumheads exclusively.