Rob Cantor

Rob Cantor

Cantor performing with Tally Hall in 2006
Background information
Birth name Robert Howard Cantor
Also known as Yellow Tie
Born (1983-08-26) August 26, 1983
Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer-songwriter
Instruments
  • Vocals
  • guitar
Years active 2002–present
Labels
Associated acts
Website robcantor.com

Robert Howard Cantor (born August 26, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter and creator of multiple viral videos. He is best known as the yellow-tied vocalist and guitarist of indie rock band Tally Hall.[1][2]

Cantor is also known for his solo work as a comedy musician and viral video creator, particularly from the song "Shia LaBeouf", in which actor Shia LaBeouf is depicted as a cannibalistic serial killer.[3][4][5] His other work has included a solo album titled Not a Trampoline,[6][7] and another viral video, "29 Celebrity Impressions, 1 Original Song".[8][9]

Early life

Cantor was born and raised in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.[1] He attended Andover High School, where he met future Tally Hall member Zubin Sedghi and future collaborator Zach Krasman. In 2002, when attending University of Michigan, he formed Tally Hall with Sedghi and musician Andrew Horowitz. He majored in molecular biology, with a minor in nonprofessional music. He graduated in 2005, and turned down a full scholarship to medical school in order to pursue music full-time with Tally Hall.[1]

Career

Tally Hall

Between 2002 and 2011, Cantor performed as a guitarist and vocalist of the Michigan-based band Tally Hall. Tally Hall is currently on hiatus. The band's five members are distinguished by the color of their neckties, with Cantor's signature color being yellow.[2]

Cantor's career as a member of Tally Hall saw the release of three full-length albums: Complete Demos (2004), Marvin's Marvelous Mechanical Museum (2005), and Good & Evil (2011).[2]

Viral videos

Since 2011, Cantor has worked on multiple viral projects, including songs and corresponding viral videos, posted on his SoundCloud and YouTube pages.[6] In 2012, he released the comedy songs "Christian Bale Is at Your Party" and "Shia LaBeouf" (also known as "Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf").[6] In the song "Shia LaBeouf", Cantor narrates a story about the actor Shia LaBeouf as a cannibalistic serial killer.[5] Cantor posted a demo of the song to his SoundCloud page, from which it spread virally.[5]

On July 1, 2014, Cantor posted a video titled "29 Celebrity Impressions, 1 Original Song", in which he and Tally Hall member Andrew Horowitz performed Cantor's song "Perfect" in 29 different celebrity impressions. A week later, he released a making-of video, demonstrating that the act was a hoax done through audio and video editing, and in fact featured 11 different impressionists.[8][9] As of November 2015, the video has 13 million views, and the corresponding explanation video has 1.5 million views.

On October 21, 2014, Cantor posted a video titled "'Shia LaBeouf' – Live", the music video to his 2012 song of the same name. The video is a mockup of a live concert, featuring numerous dancers and performers, primarily the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, the West Los Angeles Children's Choir, and the Argus Quartet. At the end of the video, the actor Shia LaBeouf is seen applauding the performance.[3][4][5] Cantor has stated that the video took four months to organize and one day to shoot, and that it was worked on by 161 people, including Cantor's former musical collaborators Zubin Sedghi and Zach Krasman.[4] As of April 2017, the video has over 47 million views.

Not a Trampoline and other work

During Tally Hall's hiatus, Cantor has focused on his solo career, working as a commercial songwriter and eventually releasing a solo album, Not a Trampoline, in 2014.[6][7] Featured performers on the album include singer-songwriter Madi Diaz and Jhameel. Cantor's song "Lonely (But Not Alone)" from Not a Trampoline was used for the season 3 finale credits of Crackle television show Chosen.

In 2012, Cantor appeared on the album Hawaii: Part II, released under Tally Hall member Joe Hawley's side project ミラクルミュージカル (Mirakurumyūjikaru, "Miracle Musical").

Personal life

Cantor currently resides in Los Angeles, California.[8]

Discography

With Tally Hall

With ミラクルミュージカル

Solo career

With Joe Hawley

References

  1. 1 2 3 Lax, Rick. "Tally Hall: Welcome To Tally Hall". Unrated Magazine. Retrieved August 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  2. 1 2 3 Cantor, Rob (August 4, 2011). "Tally Hall's Rob Cantor Estimates That His Band's Cult Following Counts 200 Billion Fans". Dallas Observer (Interview). Interview with Darryl Smyers. Retrieved August 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  3. 1 2 Worland, Justin (October 24, 2014). "Shia LaBeouf Doesn't Mind Being Called a Cannibal". Time. Retrieved August 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  4. 1 2 3 Ramisetti, Kirthana (October 22, 2014). "Shia LaBeouf gives his approval to wacky 'cannibal' music video". Daily News. Retrieved August 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  5. 1 2 3 4 Fixell, Ethan (October 27, 2014). "Here's How You Get Shia LaBeouf in Your Cannibal Music Video". MTV News. Retrieved August 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  6. 1 2 3 4 Paltrowitz, Darren (April 7, 2014). "Rob Cantor Is Not A Trampoline, Even If His Career Seems Like One". The Improper. Retrieved August 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  7. 1 2 Cantor, Rob (June 1, 2014). "Interview:Rob Cantor". Artistdirect (Interview). Interview with Rick Florino. Retrieved August 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  8. 1 2 3 Whitelocks, Sadie (July 11, 2014). "Impersonator Rob Cantor who wowed YouTube viewers declares himself a fraud". Daily Mail. Retrieved August 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
  9. 1 2 Sneider, Jeff (July 9, 2014). "29 Celebrity Impressions Music Video Was a Hoax; Singer Reveals 'Making Of' Video". TheWrap. Retrieved August 2015. Check date values in: |access-date= (help)
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