Rob Fahey's music - a Baltimore guy with a guitar who sings it from the heart

October 13, 2:36 PMBaltimore Budget Travel ExaminerChris Barsam

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 Rob Fahey

Rob Fahey stands at the microphone, a couple of songs into his first set. It is a small, appreciative crowd. An appreciative crowd of any size is best. Rob thanks the audience, adjusts a couple of knobs, and then starts playing his acoustic guitar.

The song starts off slowly. It sounds like it's going to be a ballad. The guitar work is beautiful, like Lindsey Buckingham's in Fleetwood Mac's  Landslide. It continues for about 20 seconds, stops, repeats. Then a quicker-paced tune with the same theme. Finally, the vocals:

I saw you in the corner
You tried to pass me by

The high notes on the last line sound like Neil Young!

and if I caught you with the lights up
that just might blow your high

We are hooked.
The tune is a folksy, fun, Bob Dylanesque melody, the lyrics clearly personal. If it were a ballet or a sculpture, you would not be able to take your eyes off it. What is the equivalent when you are listening to one guy with a guitar standing right in front of you?

You made the clique and you're established
but you still know my name
and when you come down you may notice
some things are still the same

The song is Red and Blue.

Rob Fahey’s voice has been in the public ear since 1981, when his Raised on the Radio was featured in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Since then, there have been albums by The Ravyns, The Pieces, and Rob’s solo acoustic work including Trust Me I Do This All The Time and Live at Sheffield.

Rob plays small venues like this all over the Baltimore area, most dependably The Horse You Came In On in Fells Point, early Sunday evenings. This particular performance was enjoyed at MacGregors in Havre de Grace.

I knew you when you were lonely
and I watched you grow from a child
but I don't blame you for leaving, dear
some things should be not denied

Turns out this song was written in 1974, when Rob was in college, and only saw the light of day recently.

So, stop your crying
you remind me of all that is true
Love, we're all trying
We have all felt the same as in you
We have all felt the same as in you
Red and Blue

This song is one that Rob kept private for years, and it was worth the wait. There is such heart-rending, brutal honesty in this song cloaked in such beautiful guitar work that you cannot listen to it without feeling something. You just can't.

So how do you go about hearing Red and Blue? Go to www.RobFahey.com and see where he is playing this month. You can approach Rob during a break and ask to buy his Live at Sheffield CD.

Because you'll want to hear more.

For more info:   Rob Fahey's website, Rob Fahey on Facebook, Rob Fahey albums