We had the good fortune of connecting with Rob Bennion and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rob, what inspires you?
This is a great question because inspiration and motivation is a constant struggle as an independent musician and business owner, as it is for every human being on the planet. I am inspired by nature, great art, and beauty. I’m inspired by others who are excelling in their craft. Last week I was in Vegas for some work and a convention, and I was able to see two Cirque Du Soleil shows, very inspirational to see them excel in the craft of acrobatics and gymnastics . . . great art also inspires, while in Los Angeles recently I was able to go to the Getty musem for the first time, and especially loved the Poussin and the Dance exhibit, showcasing influencial French painter Poussin’s works along with contemporary dance, Poussin being a painter who drew his own inspiration from ancient Greek and Roman sculpture, which in turn inspired LA coreographers to collaborate on the amazing exhibit.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I began singing before I could speak, according to my mother. I picked up the saxophone at 10 and was performing in nightclubs with college bands when I was 15. In 2007, I was working at a club in Japan playing sax six nights a week and I started to get bored playing along with “backing tracks” so I started DJing along with playing the sax, and this has become my main focus and selling point, combining live and DJed music to create an excellent and versatile musical experience with fewer players than traditional bands. My band “Gold Standard” is a DJ+band hybrid with live drums, vocals, and sax. I also often DJ solo and my most-requested song is “more sax please!”
In 2012, I founded Echo Talent which manages musicians and DJs. We are a boutique agency not trying to overtake the market with unsustainable “grow, grow, grow” but rather make sure each event is quality and meets our high standards. I performed on average pre-pandemic 4x a week however now in the post-pandemic boom I have been working typically 6x a week, and my bands and DJs are booked every weekend.
My main area of focus is Salt Lake/Park City, Utah, however my band and I travel often to the Bay Area, Los Angeles, Jackson Hole, Vegas, and as far away as Amsterdam, Tokyo, and Paris for events when our clients see the value we offer with a small group delivering a big impact.
My band recently performed events varying in size from an intimate Jackson ranch wedding to a 12,000 person awards show in the Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena. We have storage units with our full DJ+band set up in Los Angeles and San Francisco so often perform for events in those markets.
Last year I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, which is a form of cancer in the bones and plasma. I worked all through my initial chemotherapy and eventual bone marrow transplant, only taking off two weeks when I was actually hospitalized. I have always worked through sickness and pain, I feel the mark of a true professional is that they are able to provide their consistent product at every performance regardless of how they may feel.
I’m a father of 2 high-schoolers and love snow/skateboarding and traveling in my free time!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Although I work often in Vegas, SoCal, NorCal, Jackson Hole, Colorado, and abroad, my home is in Salt Lake City. Utah is a beautiful combination of urban and nature with the ski resorts just a half hour from the airport . .. I would take them skiing, then Latin dancing at the Cabin (Park City) or Ibiza (Salt Lake). Then we would head south to check out Zions or Arches national parks.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
My parents, who always believed in me when I didn’t believe in myself. My father bought my first saxophone from a pawn shop when there was little money to spare, and paid a local music teacher to fix up the saxophone and give me private lessons.

I also would like to thank all those who continue to believe in me and trust me to provide the music for their special occasions.

Website: https://www.echotalent.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/goldstandardmusic/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robbennion/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/echotalent

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/echotalentmgt

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/echo-talent-management-san-francisco

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/goldstandardmusic

Other: I have a fun DJ project called “Robot Dream” where I perform as a the character from a comic book. I hope to someday make this into a video game and TV series, and am nearly complete with the first volume. https://robotdream.com/mystory

Image Credits
Nicole Aston Photo