BEHIND THE MUSIC OF KEITH DOBSON
To Whom It May Concern:
My name is Keith Dobson. I wanted to introduce myself and welcome you to my portfolio. I specialize in guitar but play many instruments including electric bass, double bass, cello, and drums. I am also the guitarist and vocalist in the band Cryptic.
I discovered music at a young age and have been surrounded by music my entire life. My father is a bass player and has performed live with bands as long as I can remember. My mother used to sing in our local church. My extended family are also all musicians.
At age 9, I received my first electric guitar and have been playing ever since. I began practicing and learning songs almost immediately. I received lessons from my mentor, Scott, for a few months, but had to stop due to school and sports. However, I continued to practice every night. At age 10, I began playing live on stage at my church. At age 12, I was the full time lead guitarist. I continued in this position until the church dissolved in 2018.
In 2017, I formed a band called Cryptic with my long time friends, Riley and Jesus. After a few months of writing and practicing, we began to perform our original songs live. Since that time, I have performed in venues such as Whisky A Go Go, House of Blues, Brick by Brick, Chain Reaction, and Che Cafe. In addition to playing live, my music and band have been the featured artist on Oregon’s KSKQ FM’s radio show, The Metal Mixtape, and on internet radio via Metal Messiah’s radio show Joker’s Electric Circus. Both featured extended interviews and my music. Professional photographer, Johnnie Crow, featured a live photo shoot from House of Blues in the e-magazine Game On Media.
In March 2019, Cryptic published its first album entitled The Gates on all major streaming services. The album was recorded, produced, mastered, and published by my father and me. My father helped me co-found EchoBox Media and it's record label Volume 11 Records. EchoBox Media was established by the two of us to support my music career. Since that time, we have had nearly 8,000 streams across platforms. I am currently in the process of publishing a solo project and am writing the sophomore album for Cryptic.
My education in music began in 4th grade when I started playing cello with the elementary school orchestra. In 6th grade, I was moved to double bass. At that same time, I was asked to join the school jazz ensemble as a guitarist. While at these schools I earned spots in both the Honor Jazz and Honor Orchestra. These groups were comprised of the best talent in the school district.
I continued with these instruments and groups until I transferred to San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts. At that time, I was required to choose a major. I chose to continue with jazz guitar. All of the programs I have been involved with have prepared me to be the musician I am today. But, I want to continue to learn and grow as a musician. In July 2020, I will begin studying Music Performance in Guitar at Musician's Institute of Contemporary Music in Hollywood, CA.
While I have accomplished much in my music career, I have also had the opportunity to volunteer as an instructor in a local middle school’s “Rock Club.” This has given me the chance to work with teachers and to help others find a love of music. I was also a football player until 10th grade, when I sustained a career ending knee injury. While playing youth football, I was selected as an all-star player 2 years in a row. With the last year resulting in the local Superbowl and an eventual national championship.
I am very driven and see myself as a professional musician. I want to be the best musician I can possibly be. I want to be able to touch the lives of others through my music. And, I want to be able to give back to the community by supporting local music and music programs.
If you have questions, please feel free to contact me.
Sincerely,
Keith Dobson