Robert J receives Lifetime Achievement Award from Madison Area Music Association

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This is MagSync Radio.

We are local music.

Eleven albums plus a couple of bands including those we know as the moon gypsies

and the rowdy prairie dogs.

I've always loved that name.

And so many awards I could not even count them on two hands.

I needed more hands than that.

I am talking about Madison-based musician

Robert J. Conaway, of course we all know him as the great Robert J.

He is about to receive the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award

from the Madison Area Music Association.

And it's really not just about the music.

It's because he has also taken time to care about others

and give back to the community.

Robert J. Thank you for joining me.

Well, thank you Terry. Nice to be here with you today.

A Lifetime Achievement from the organization that tries to do so much good in our community,

the Madison Area Music Association.

What does an award like this one mean to you?

I'm honored to be thought of for this award.

I mean, you know, it's a lot of great people in the Madison community.

Music community have won it in the past.

I guess I'm thankful that they're putting me in that same bag

as the rest of the people like Michael Crone,

but it's big, Ben Sidren, all these great people, Jonathan Little,

the lips.

They've all won that award.

And so now I guess they're running out of people.

Oh, it's me.

You know, it is interesting.

There have only been 20 Lifetime Achievement Awards

given prior to you accepting yours on Sunday.

That says a lot about you.

What do you think about when you think about your music career

and the things you've given to the Madison Area?

I love Madison.

I think Madison is a great town.

It's been my home for over 40 years.

And it's allowed me to do what I love to do, which is play music

and make sort of a living doing it, you know.

We always look for recognition or connections, you know,

through our music.

This kind of makes me feel connected.

You know, we're going to learn a lot more about you at the

celebration because there will be a video that plays when

people watch this.

What do you hope they walk away remembering about you?

Well, that it was meant to be from the earliest days of my

existence.

I've had a guitar.

I'm making mouse crank guitar when I was little.

And words on my way up from there that I'm a survivor.

I'm stubborn enough to stuck with it the whole time.

Maybe they'll learn that, you know, songwriting has been my

favorite and most important thing.

You know, if you want a great guitar player, there's a

million out there in this town alone.

You want a great singer.

You can go there too.

But what I pride myself on, you want a song?

Well, hey, I'll get you one.

And you have one awards for your song writing and knowing

that that is the part that you really, really love.

That has to feel good to be recognized for songwriting.

I definitely feel good about it, you know.

I feel good for some reason, some would have embarrassed.

There's so many qualified people in this town, you know.

I have a humble attitude towards it all.

But I am honored that somebody's taken notice, you know.

Well, I've seen you play many, many times.

And when you get on that stage, you just come to life.

There is something about Robert J on stage.

I don't care if you're so lower with a band, you just come

to life.

It's nervous energy.

Okay, so one of the reasons a site of that you've supported

the community, you've supported other artists, your songs

are incredible.

But another reason behind this lifetime achievement award is

the Mama Cares program and you were the driving force

behind that.

Why was this so important for you to begin?

It all started because of a benefit that was thrown

for my family when my son had emergency brains for a jury.

We had a super outing at the high insulin 350 people came.

We just thought we had to pay it forward in some way.

My wife Jill and I decided at the time that we should do

something to help others.

So we came up with Mama Cares.

I've proposed it to powers at Beat the Mama's and we've

been doing it ever since.

And I'm happy to say we've given out over $110,000 raised

and given out over $110,000.

All the money we raise goes towards helping our fellow

musicians in need.

And this can be something, you know, keeping the lights on

at their home or medical care, whatever it may be.

And it's really important, isn't it?

Well, totally, you know, we'd love to give more than we

can, you know, and then we do just to let them know that

they're not alone.

We're here to help them.

It's a good feeling.

It was a good feeling for our family when we were helped.

So we want to pass it forward.

Wonderful.

Who'd our deposit in the old karma bank?

I believe in that.

Absolutely.

Sure.

You're going to be able to make some more deposits

in the karma bank coming up.

What can you tell us about this year's Mama Cares?

Well, this year's Mama Cares is going to be, again,

at the high noon saloon on Sunday, March 29th.

This year, the theme is we've got you covered.

We're featuring three cover bands from the Madison area,

the Hounds, Power Take Off, and the Fufu dolls.

So it'll be a fun day.

And, you know, we do it a little differently every year.

That's just seem to be a good theme for this year, you know,

we got you covered.

I love it.

Oh, this is something to look forward to.

And it's pretty much an afternoon party, isn't it?

It goes from three till eight o'clock.

Yeah.

Yeah, you know, it's going to be raffles,

auction, silent and live auctions.

Our good friend Mr.

Butchvig is already pledged to give us some good stuff.

Swag from garbage and his career.

And we're just starting to get together all the auction items,

you know, so if anybody has any interest in either sponsoring

an auction item or donating an auction item or being a sponsor

for the show, please get ahold of us.

And I was there.

I've been there a couple of times in the past and it is fun.

You know, Madison is not a huge cover band city.

So this is going to get a little rowdy, I think,

for a Sunday, fun day looking forward to it.

Yeah, yeah.

Musicians are often really the first to step up.

And I think we're seeing this even in current times.

In Minneapolis, bands have been playing benefits.

Why is it?

What is it about musicians and your hearts that you always want to do

things for others?

We're kind of the life of the party.

You know, you go out to a bar to usually to see music or not

always or, you know, and we've just been there.

And when people need us, they ask us and we've gotten a lot

from the community and our frequent flyers and repeat offenders

who come out to see us play.

You know, when the cause comes up, they ask us musicians

and quite often we say, yeah, let's do it.

You know how to bring the people together.

That is true.

Before I let you go, is there anything you want to add

that I didn't ask you?

Well, as far as the legacy show of this coming Sunday,

I'm thrilled that my good buddy, Mr. Mike Massey,

is also getting the legacy award too.

We used to be in a band that we would go up and play

and Northern Minnesota at the Lake of the Woods

and we call ourselves Bobber and Pike, the Fishing Musicians.

I was Bobber, of course, and he was Pike.

Oh, I don't think I ever knew that.

Yeah, yes, sorry.

It's not a very well-known thing, but yeah,

we used to go up there and we'd fish every day

and play music every night.

And it was a pretty nice couple of weeks to get away.

And so I'm thankful that Mike is getting the award

and well-deserved there and I used to be able

to get it right alongside him, you know.

Oh, my gosh.

Yeah, and again, that's happening this Sunday, February 15th.

It is at the East Side Club in Madison,

just for good cause to come on out.

I think it is a goodwill offering.

And there's going to be some free beer, free pizza

and even cake.

How about that?

Woo-hoo.

Yeah.

We are asking for a donation, I guess,

that they're asking just to help defray costs and things.

It's not mandatory, but of course,

if you can pitch in to help the model of a program,

that's a good thing.

And we always love to say, if you're coming,

bring a friend and have that friend, bring a friend.

It's going to be a joyous afternoon.

And I think we could all use some joy and good music right now.

The last hour of it, after the awards are given out,

Shawn Michael D'Argan's Beatles band is going to be playing

for an hour, so we'll get a little festive at that point.

Oh, absolutely.

The song we're going to leave this interview with

is a beautiful blur.

This is one of my absolute favorite songs of yours,

but for those who maybe haven't heard it,

what can you tell us about it?

I kind of wrote it because for me and all my friends,

a lot of us had kids and everything and life is a beautiful blur.

There's ups and downs and everything,

but it's definitely a blur.

So that's how I came into writing that song.

As a blue collar musician that I am,

we have our doubts about the course we've taken

life sometimes.

So that kind of came out a little bit in the song.

Fun little fact, the video that it's going to be shown

at the Legacy Award of my life and my career

is the backdrop music to it is this song.

So now people have a little peek into what's going to happen.

Now they really do need to show up on Sunday

to help us celebrate.

Oh, it's going to be wonderful.

Robert J.

Congratulations again on your Madison Area Music Association.

Lifetime achievement and we all cannot wait to celebrate you on Sunday.

Oh boy, I'm a lucky guy, I guess, right?

I think it's going to be amazing

and you are so deserving.

Congratulations.

Thank you, Terry.

I'm standing down the headlights

that shine me on this road

reliving all my past lives

on how many more to go on in the middle of the road

in the middle of the road.

I'm counting my blessings

that I've needed this far

and I caught myself confessing

that the dashboard of my car

in the middle of the road

in the middle of the road.

It's down in the road, man.

Second gives you never time.

Now it's down in the middle of the road

and there's this decision.

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