Rob Klajda has been writing and performing music for- oh who am I kidding, I’m writing this myself- enough of the third person. I wrote my first song when I was 12, now I’m 52 & I haven’t stopped yet. I've watched the next big thing happen several times, and I've always been a little bit ahead of it. I live in Lansing, Michigan, and for the last 15 years or so I have played in a Celtic Rock band called The Lash. We have released three discs of original music, and have played all over the US. Before that, I was in a variety of bands performing original music, from punk rock to reggae to folk. I don’t limit myself by genre. I like all music and I want to play it all, and I’m getting close to doing that. I've played on both coasts of the US and many points in between, for crowds of thousands and crowds of ten. I don’t have a list of awards and accolades, but I've probably done a gig somewhere by you, wherever you are. I still play with The Lash, as well as a couple part time bands- The Hardwires and The Simpletons, and I do many solo acoustic shows. My influences are many, but some of the people I look up to as a writer are Pete Townshend, Steve Earle, Elvis Costello, Ray Davies, Guy Clark, Bob Dylan- and a few hundred others. My music is derivative in the sense that I don’t deny my roots, but I don’t really think I sound like anyone else. My first solo release features 18 of my closest friends, who just happen to be an all star cast of Michigan musicians.
Raised in Iowa and Kentucky, Bathgate makes epic, indie-tinged folk tunes inspired by travels, and recalling the great and wild outdoors. Bandcamp New & Notable Feb 5, 2016