Meet Robby Sinclair | Musician and Producer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Robby Sinclair and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Robby, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
After playing drums and singing professionally for almost 30 years, I found myself at a crossroads. I could either continue to develop my reputation and my name primarily as a session drummer…. or I could grow another side of my passion which is writing, collaborating, and leading. I moved to Paris in September of 2020, and I had made the decision beforehand that I when I got here, I would focus more on creating and writing than drumming.

At some point I could sense that an idea of what I should be doing was starting to form in my head. It was a little unclear and foggy at first, so I grabbed a pad of paper and started writing down the names of my network. I had different sections for the Americans, the French, the Aussies. I had another section for managers, labels, producers, lawyers, publishers, etc. Last I had my list of well-established, big names – the kind of folks I’d feel uncomfortable reaching out to unless I had something very exciting to share. In the middle of this sheet of paper, was an empty space, so i drew a box and called it “The Space”. The next pages were filled with an inventory of all my gear (which I shipped from LA when we moved).

It became clear that the next most important step in my journey was to find a space to work out of.

I took a meeting with some American ex-pats here who work a bit in music, but also have deep backgrounds in business. Keep in mind, all I had was a piece of paper that looked like a well-organized brainstorm. So it was really helpful to sit with someone and say, “This is what I have. These are the people I know. This is what I think I need.” Like most musicians, i have spent my entire life in the pursuit of great gigs, making cool records, HOURS of practicing. So it took a businessman to say, “It looks like you’re starting a music production company.”

Boom. Clarity.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
My production company is in a very early stage of development. It doesn’t even have a name yet! But I’m beginning to see it grow. I’m also seeing options of various roads this adventure can take. All the while, I’m developing a whole other mess of skill sets that seemed out of reach years ago. These things are what excite me the most.
I think what sets me apart from others is the combination of my experience as a successful drummer, my geographic location, and the standards to which I hold myself accountable for. As a drummer for MANY different projects over 30 years, my role has always been supportive. So now one of my strengths is that I know how to communicate with a lot of various personalities. Usually we’re dealing with music, which is incredibly vulnerable. If I can allow someone to feel like their authentic self, that’s when the mystical elements of music and art begin to bake into whatever project we are working on.

I got to where I am professionally through passionate perseverance, but I never thought to think about music in a business sense until this past year when I decided to start my company. That concept of “business” actually freed my mind in a way because it showed me that creativity doesn’t need to be just a song, or an improvisation, or a lyric. Creativity can be an enterprise and a chance to build a community, and in my case a chance to bridge the communities I have in the US with my new communities here in Europe.

One lesson I’ve learned recently would be that there is no substitute for experience, and your obvious experiences might contain some more subtle things that you didn’t realize were also valuable. For example: I didn’t realize that all my time spent as a drummer hired for hundreds of projects would contain the experience of learning how to communicate with different kinds of people in different settings.

Another lesson I learned was that you don’t have to be the person who can do everything really well because nobody is really expecting that from you (except you!) Work with other people who inspire you and lean on their talents. If it’s reciprocal then all of a sudden you have some team chemistry which can form an incredibly strong bond. Nothing wrong with that!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
We would start with a visit to a good boulangerie for a croissant (or any other pastry) and a coffee to go : à emporter.

Next we stroll the streets, taking in the city, the architecture, the people, the light… there’s no better city to walk around than Paris.

After some possible shopping, let’s go to my favorite lunch spot in Belleville – Les Mesanges. All locals, great food, cool staff. It’s the best and I treat myself there whenever I have a small victory.

Then we’ll walk through Parc Buttes Chaumont, It’s magnificent and you easily forget that you’re in a major city.

Maybe visit a museum and a Picon Biere at a brasserie.

For aperitif we’ll go to La Cave à Michel. The owner is always friendly and accommodating.

Then for dinner, we have too many options to list… but it’s Paris. You have your choice of literally anything and it’s almost guaranteed to be great. And we will get dessert.

Finally we can either call it or have a last glass somewhere. This is an easy answer.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents didn’t bat an eye when their 10 year old hyper active son got his first drum set, I received nothing but support from Bill and Robyn Sinclair.

I had a ton of incredible teachers – Gary Kelly, Doug Richards, Michael Carvin, John D’earth, Billy Hart. Each one unique and selfless in their generosity.

My friends and bandmates inspire and encourage me more than anyone else. One metric that you can use to measure your success as a musician is by the company you keep onstage.

Website: robbysinclair.com

Instagram: @robbysinclair

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/robby-sinclair-8804332a3

Image Credits
Portrait by Deborah Farnault