Teen-Beat. Robert Schipul.

Rob joined the Teen-Beat family when he was a mere fifteen-years-old. Hailing from New Milford, CT, he was classically trained at the piano from an early age. He joins piano and rock in a manner which is all his own. Some may compare him to Ben Folds or Tori Amos but Rob has got his own unique style.

He originally recorded for Teen-Beat under the name Ascension. Before that, he went by "Rob Schipul," and has since been recording under the slightly longer "Robert Schipul."

UNREST Teen-Beat 26th Anniversary performances

Rob
Photo by [unknown]

Rob recording The American Scene at the University of Maryland, College Park
Photo by Mark Robinson

FILM

BLIND (Live)

Performed live at Teen-Beat 453, T.T. the Bear's Place, Cambridge, Mass., July 8, 2010.

TWISTED SPIRES (Live)

Performed live at Teen-Beat 453, T.T. the Bear's Place, Cambridge, Mass., July 8, 2010.

REVIEW OF SUMMERSKY ALBUM

From indie records to major-label releases, lots of new music is made in bedrooms. But not much of it actually sounds like bedroom music anymore. Remember the enigmatic personage of FM Cornog assembling pop furnishings in his East River Pipe bedroom? Fumbling his keyboard presets, drum machines, and narrow-range vocals into a duct-taped SM-58?

On Summersky, South Shore singer-songwriter Robert Schipul is bringing the mid-fi back. With syncopated handclaps and ambling sub-bass, "Waiting for Snow" sounds much more like a Babyface demo than a cheeky indie attempt to do dance pop. No one ever really wants to admit that '90s adult-contemporary soul was cool, but Schipul sells it here on Summersky's best track. The string-section and Wurlitzer-electric-piano sounds on "How Could You Possibly Understand" don't try too hard to be real, thus making a comfy home for a good melody.

Sometimes not having a producer can be a very good thing. But not all the posters on this bedroom's walls are tasteful. Another of Schipul's best songs, "Change from the Offering Plate," is nearly ruined by the addition of Chuck E. Cheese levels of clown-balloon-induced Auto-Tune. Maybe a little restraint on playing with the buttons could be a good thing.

- Jonathan Donaldson, The Boston Phoenix

DISCOGRAPHY

SINGLES

Incarnate [as Ascension]

ALBUMS

April
Live on WXCI
Cute-Core
6 Songs
Puffy Paint
The American Scene
Winter
Everything Stays the Same, the More You Want It to Change
Walking on a Wire
A Safe Way to Sound
Water & Light
Spiralling
Robert Schipul
Chemical Constellations
Summersky
Plays songs of The National
Dream Theft

COMPILATIONS

1997 Teenbeat Sampler
Cooler Than Empty Vee
1998 Teenbeat Sampler
Pixies Tribute (not released)
1999 Teenbeat Sampler
2000 Teenbeat Sampler
2001 Teenbeat Sampler
The Unlike Label Sampler 2002
2010 Teen-Beat / Other Music Sampler
Teen-Beat Holiday Card 2010/2011
We Believe You (His Name is Alive tribute)

ALSO

UNREST: Teen-Beat 26th Anniversary
Teen-Beat Checklist Cards

SONGS

A Century of Fakers
A Sadness Lasts 1000 Years
Aqua Marine
As Evening Sets In
Ascension
Autumn
Autumn Serenade
Baby Fish Mouth
Beautiful Day
Beautiful Nothing
Belton Circle
Better Off Unknown
Black Magic
Black Sunday Rain
Blind
Bloodbuzz Ohio
The Blue Falls Down
Blue Spring
Brilliantly
Change From the Offering Plate
Close Your Eyes
Could U Even Love Me
The Country Church
Crossover
Dagger
The Darkest Days
Dead Dreams
December
Declaring the Attack
Deserter
Electionation
Everything I Touch Gets Ruined
Evil is Live Backwards
Expectations
Fly Away
Foundation Day
The Friendly Beasts
Frost Covers Everything
Further Away
Gleaning What the Reapers Sow
Good King Wenceslas
Grapefruit
Grey Mind
Hallowed Groundings
Halloween
Haunted Streets In the Early Morning
The Herald Angels
Here You Can Dream
The Holly and the Ivy
How Could You Possibly
I Burn Myself
I Could Find You If I Really Wanted To
I Still Come Back for More
Ice-Pulse
In a Grave
In Comes April
In Orion
Incarnate
Into the Villa
Introduction
It Doesn’t Get Any Worse Than This
It’s Too Late Now, Baby
January (Pool of Ice)
Land
Landscape Painting
Letters for Ellen
Little Earthquakes
Live In My Heart
Lost
Maps
Mary
Mistaken for Strangers
Moon Beach
Moon Over Boston
Morning Gold Light
Night Terrors
No One Special
Not Even Breathing
Not Everyone Has a Home
O Come All Ye Faithful
O Come O Come Emmanuel
O Holy Night
October
Oh Well
On the Radio
Past the Mission
Patriotic Up Rise
Piano Sucks
Promenade
Punk Rock Child
Red Hot Air Balloon
Religion
Republic
Responsible
Return Policy
Round and Round
Schizophrenia
Schoolyard
Scratchings
Send My Face
Severed Hand
Shrapnel From the Carpet
Silent Night
Silver and Gold
Sling In My Hand
Slow Show
Snoozer
Sonata 1
Sonata 2
Sonata 3
Sonata 4
Sonata 5
Sonata 6
Sonata 7
Sorrow
Sounds In the Street
Spiralling
Spiralling (7” Pop Edit)
Spit in Half
Spittle
Spring Near Cornwall
Stem
Storm in August
Sugar
Sunday Smile
Super-Connected
Swallowed By the Moor
Sweater Off
Swing
Takeaway
Teething Brute
Thankful 4 U
There is a Light That Never Goes Out
Tightrope
Too Far Too Long
Treasure
Turn Out the Lights
Turn the Light Off
Twisted Spires
Underground
Underneath the Moon
Untitled
The Visiting Clientele
Waiting For Snow
Wash Me Out
The Wassail Song
Waterwheels
Wexford
When Heroes Fall Down
Where Is My Mind?
The Wind Over the Water
Winter
Witch
The Witching Hour

peek-a-boo