Because all we ever wanted was a solid-gold sonnet on a breakbeat. — Rob Getzschman, “Make It Plane”

Although I would call it honest, infectious and meticulously-crafted, Los Angeles singer / songwriter / director Rob Getzschman prefers to call his music “verbose, loquacious, nerdy stuff.”

“If you don’t know big words sometimes the music will fly past you, but it’s not trying to be pretentious,” he says. “The goal is not to use big words to impress, but to explore poetic means of expression that aren’t clichéd.”

Since his 2000 debut, Songs for the Anti-De-Counterrevolution, recorded with widely-acclaimed St. Louis producer DJ Crucial, Getzschman has released two EPs and eight full-lengths. His style has ranged from punk to Woody Guthrie-style folk to anti-folk. He even has something of a novelty album dedicated to, well, old folks, 2008’s For Mature Audiences Only.

Though I’m a big fan of lyrics like “But we can sing, if you want, until the clouds come home / Until Mao Tse-tung throws the game” from his 2005 album Hypocrisy In The Genius Room, I’d have to say my favorite Getzschman record is the one with his pop punk outfit Analog Jetpack, And How They Flew. I called the 2007 work – which he recorded with Robby Sahm and Dan Ryan of Pitchfork faves Le Loup – “delightful,” noting Getzschman’s “easy wordplay and gift for gab.” I also noted how Getzschman met Sahm while working at a D.C. Apple Store, where the former was training the latter to be an, er, Genius.

Getzschman’s tech skills have translated well to his emerging career as a director, and he has produced videos for everyone from LinkedIn and BET to Planned Parenthood. Having graduated with a Master’s degree in film and video production from American University in 2006, he continues to pursue film projects and self-produces his own albums and music videos.

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Getzschman got his first taste of Hollywood early, starring in a Boys Town public service announcement alongside The Love Boat’s Gavin MacLeod. “I’d like to tell you about Michael,” MacLeod orates, as a young Getzschman cowers in a trash-strewn alley. “Michael was living on the streets after being abused and rejected by his parents. And then Michael found Boys Town when he moved into a beautiful family-style home, supervised by a highly-trained married couple.” (The clip has to be seen to be believed.)

His real-life family later moved to St. Louis, and he picked up guitar shortly before starting at nearby Principia College, where he majored in Studio Art, Mass Communications and Theatre. Inspired by his love of folk music, he later spent a few weeks in New York taking guitar lessons from Bob Dylan’s early mentor, Dave Van Ronk, the “Mayor of MacDougal Street.” Though Van Ronk had plenty of kind words to say about Getzschman’s playing, “he advised me to throw away all of my Dylan records,” he remembers with a chuckle.

He later moved to New York full-time and participated in the city’s nascent anti-folk scene, before taking off for Boston and then D.C., where he headlined a tour promoting voting rights for the district. Along the way he perfected his own wordy, whimsical style, and his music was written up in publications including The Washington Post, Boston Phoenix and DCist. Analog Jetpack was even nominated for best punk song by independent music network Just Plain Folks, emerging from over 10,000 songs submitted.

Now ensconced in L.A., Getzschman continues his music and film exploits and also serves as a contributing editor for BlueComet.tv, a live music blog covering concerts and music videos.

It’s a full artistic platter for the former Genius and, one must say, a pretty happy ending for a kid who used to live in an alley.

— Ben Westhoff, Village Voice, NPR.org, Creative Loafing