ABOUT
Kane is a musician, singer, songwriter, and audio engineer based in Pittsburgh, PA. Lead vocalist, Rob Kane, writes, records, mixes and produces primarily 70s and 80s influenced melodic hard rock. Kane is the lead vocalist for the bands, Xander Demos and XDB, Love In Chains and Apocalyptic Lovers, as well as Love and Venom, Pittsburgh's tribute to the Scorpions and Whitesnake​
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"The silver bullet in Apocalyptic Lovers' arsenal comes in the form of vocalist Robert Kane. He possesses a refined tenor and silky timbre..."
- Brent Rusche Fireworks Magazine
Originally from the Youngstown, OH area, Kane grew up listening to and influenced by 70s and 80s melodic hard rock. As primarily a lead vocalist, Kane developed his own signature, powerful, vibrato-laden, melodic vocal style influenced by the vocal styles of Robert Plant, Ian Gillen, Don Dokken, Tony Harnell, and Michael Sweet to name a few. He briefly attended the Youngstown State University, Dana School of Music for vocal performance and expanded his skills and music theory knowledge. Kane fronted several local area bands, most notably, Little Sister and Love and War. Little Sister was an original band featuring Youngstown natives George Allen (bass), Kurt Kretchek (drums) and Mike Vega (guitar). Later, Kane would join Love and War (now Apocalyptic Lovers) featuring Dave Hope (drums), Sean Magee (lead guitar) and Mike Nagy (bass).
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Of his music roots, Kane says, “I remember the neighborhood friends and I would make cardboard guitars, put on the black and white makeup, blast the music in the garage and pretend we were KISS.” Kane recalls, “…my father was a junior high and high school art teacher. He used to create the sets for the school musicals and had a bunch of Broadway musicals on vinyl, like My Fair Lady, West Side Story, Camelot, and stuff like that. One day I was exposed to Ian Gillen, not via Deep Purple, but as Jesus on the original cast recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. My dad’s students would send him home with their records, so I was exposed to a lot of music from Firefall to Air Supply to Foreigner, Journey, and KISS.” During his high school years, Kane pleaded with a close drummer friend for an audition to replace his cover band’s recently departed lead singer. He got the gig and hasn't stopped singing since.
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In addition to singing, Kane also plays guitar and bass. Wayne would be proud, as the very first song he learned was Stairway to Heaven, picking out every note by ear. One of Kane’s passions is electric guitar and guitar effects. Having a limited background in electronics, he’s enjoyed building his own effects pedals.
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One of the highlights of Kane’s musical journey began with Apocalyptic Lovers. Redemption Vol I, was recorded by Josh Roman at Mindrocket Studio in Pennsylvania. It was mixed over 12 days by legendary producer, mixer, and engineer, Michael Wagener at his WireWorld Studio in Nashville, TN. It was an honor and the thrill of a lifetime to meet Michael who has worked with Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica, Skid Row, Dokken, White Lion, Motley Crue, Poison, Alice Cooper, to name a few. Reminiscent of the days when arena rock and music videos ruled the airwaves, the album was released on National Record Store Day, April 16, 2016.
Kane in some ways reminds me of a cross between Stryper‘s Michael Sweet and Dokken‘s Don Dokken with his high vocal register.
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-Sleaze Roxx
Kane teamed up with guitarist Mike Floros, another Youngstown native, and lead guitarist for SteelCity. The two enlisted the help of Mike’s trusted production team of Ty Sims and Erik Johnson to help round out the sound that would become Love In Chains. Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist extraordinaire, Erik added visceral power on drums and absolute punch on bass. With Rob and Erik rounding out the vocals, the sound was not just complete but absolutely rock solid. Influenced by bands like KISS, Europe, Dokken, and Stryper, their music is an unapologetic throwback to a time when heavy guitar riffs, bombastic drums, soaring vocals, and heavenly harmonies dominated the airwaves. The band released their debut recording, Everyday Heroes followed up by a covers album titled The Rust Belt EP. The latter being a tribute to the local and national artists who hailed from their hometown area including songs by the likes of such greats as Cleveland's own Michael Stanley Band (MSB), and Beau Coup, Pittsburgh's King of Cool, Donnie Iris and Youngstown's Noisy Mama (White Noise).
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Kane is currently writing and recording tracks which include songs written during his tenure with Little Sister, as well as recent originals of his own, and collaborations with other musicians, most notably Sean Magee (Apocalyptic Lovers) and Ron Williams (Lazarus). The music is reminiscent of a time when rock ruled the airwaves; 70s and 80s influenced, guitar based, memorable songs with great hooks, soaring vocals and loud, but melodic, in your face guitars. Infused with love, heartbreak, anger, happiness, despair, and hope, Kane mixes personal experience that is relatable to the human experience.
