Bio
Rob McLaren is a musician, composer, teacher, and multi-instrumentalist based in Winnipeg. An active member of canadian folk-rockers Union Duke and folk-grassers The Barrel Boys, Rob has spent over a decade honing his sound and skills as a musical swiss army knife across the folk scene's wide umbrella. In addition to the above-mentioned bands, Rob has appeared live and on record alongside Ken Whiteley, The Fugitives, Lynn Miles, The Lovelocks, Campbell Woods, and the O'Pears, to name a few.
Rob's 2019 debut solo release “Rob McLaren II,” is the first full-length album of original material from the multi-instrumentalist. Named for his great-grandfather (making him Rob V for those keeping track at home), Rob McLaren II showcases the breadth of Rob’s musical aptitudes and experiences, occupying a cozy nook between old-time, honky-tonk, and newgrass, while featuring dizzying chops on a small heap of instruments. The songwriting is alternatingly sincere and silly, at times giving a nod to John Hartford, elsewhere evoking the subtlety of Red Headed Stranger-era Willie Nelson, or the tradition-minded collaborative spontaneity of the Highwoods Stringband.
