BY MICHELLE ROSENBERG
Staff Writer
Keansburg native Chip Robertson performs in front of a live crowd. ABERDEEN — Keansburg native Chip Robertson will be fulfilling his lifelong dream of releasing a CD during a release party Friday at the Indigo Coffeehouse, Route 34 in Aberdeen.
The CD, titled “Looking Ahead,” is described by Robertson as contemporary American acoustic music that is similar to the sounds of Cat Stevens and Donovan.
“ ‘Looking Ahead’ in many ways really is all about looking back,” Robertson said. “One needs to look at their past to help lead them into the future. With this CD, I looked back at my years growing up in the ‘Burg.”
All 11 songs on the CD are about different topics, he said. Some of them are based on not fitting in with society’s norm, he said.
“I’ve always had this dream, and it’s finally coming true. So, it’s not that bad to be the square peg trying to fit into the round hole,” he said.
Robertson, who has been playing since he was 11 or 12 years old, wrote all the songs on the CD by himself.
When he first started playing, he focused on acoustic cover songs. Then, after leaving the business for a while, he ran into an old friend in 2000 who convinced him to start writing music.
His friend was able to twist his arm and he has been writing and performing original material for over three years now.
Now, at 44 years of age, Robertson is poised to achieve his dream and release his debut CD.
The message he hopes to get out through his experiences is for kids not to give up on their dreams.
“Don’t bury your dreams. Make them come true,” he said. “Look at me — I’m 44 years old and I’m putting out my first CD when kids 18, 19, and 20 years old are all over the music industry these days.”
“If you don’t let the dream die, it won’t,” he said.
Robertson also said that he is thankful that he has music as an outlet to express himself emotionally.
“Music is my outlet, and I’m thankful. For those that don’t know what it [their outlet] is yet, keep looking, it’s there,” he said.
Robertson is releasing his CD strictly as an independent project. He went to a studio in South Jersey to record the music, and made a demo of three songs that he sent out to club owners. This helped him find locations to perform live and market himself.
Once all 11 songs were recorded, he produced 1,000 copies and booked a CD-release party at the Indigo Coffeehouse, where he has been performing regularly since it opened a little over a year ago.
Robertson, now residing in Cresskill, plans to give back to his hometown of Keansburg if his record sales are successful.
Robertson said he would love to donate money to try and establish the arts and art appreciation in the town.