Nashville, Tennessee; Seattle, Washington; Chicago, Illinois and Austin, Texas, are only a few of the places in the U.S. known as “music cities.” Over the last century, these cities have made names for themselves as epicenters for popular music, music production and artistry.
Rob Chidester, a Baton Rouge native, has been working for the last two years to put Baton Rouge on the map as another music city. His company, Royal Cyclops Productions, works to bring together local musicians and put on performances with the hope of drawing in the college crowd and developing a reputable music scene.
After studying theatre at the University, Chidester moved around the country, working production jobs in entertainment-focused cities like Los Angeles, New York City and Portland, Oregon.
“I’ve always made my living somehow in production,” Chidester said. “Whether it be film or television, video, stage productions. For 10 years, I worked as a stand-up comic, during the boom of stand-up comedy.”
He made his living as a songwriter and producer in Nashville for 11 years. Before returning to Baton Rouge, Chidester ran a scenic company that worked to set scenes for major motion pictures filmed in Nashville. Chidester’s background in theatre influences his production methods.
With the explosion of the film industry’s presence in Louisiana, Chidester followed the trail back to his hometown. Film production work proved prosperous, but Chidester soon noticed the overall lack of musical personality in Baton Rouge.
“It always bothered me that Baton Rouge has not been more of a music city,” Chidester said. “[Baton Rouge] has always been a band town. Though we’ve always had incredibly talented people, they always seem to have to go somewhere else to continue doing it.”
Another problem Chidester noticed is Baton Rouge’s geographical location. Wedged between Lafayette and New Orleans, any of the city’s musical status becomes diluted by the overpowering presence of the nearby Cajun and jazz meccas.
Since landing back in Baton Rouge, Chidester focuses on establishing a genuine music scene. Royal Cyclops aims to increase the quality of concerts and shows around the city. The company’s main event, “Drop the Needle,” is a monthly, live performance of popular albums in their entireties. Chidester, along with various local musicians, practice each month to perfect the performance, with Royal Cyclops pulling the strings.
Chidester said he considers “Drop the Needle” to be the flagship event for Royal Cyclops. The concert series helps bring together Baton Rouge’s artists and musicians for one central goal: entertainment. Along with encouraging collaboration, “Drop the Needle” appeals to the college-aged crowd of today, which Chidester sees as a crowd completely different from the once party-obsessed multitudes.
“The focus was to try and develop shows as opposed to gigs,” Chidester said. “I noticed a lot of cultural and artistic people are moving into Baton Rouge over the last 10 years or so. The ‘Drop the Needle’ shows I do are a great vehicle to bring different people from different bands and mix them together. So artists are now working with artist and respecting other artists as artists.”
Chidester’s attention to the crowds at his shows resulted in his realization that concert attendees are less concerned with a tailgating experience and more concerned with seeing well-produced shows. In shows without a certain level of production quality, he refers to the music being played as “the wallpaper” of the event. People are in the venues and drinking, but they aren’t listening to what’s being played.
One significant attribute of shows presented by Royal Cyclops is the start time. Chidester cites the time at which a concert starts as a contributing factor for show quality. While most shows begin at 9 p.m., 10 p.m. or 11 p.m., Chidester said he sees a benefit in playing at 7 p.m. or 8 p.m. The hourly difference has shown promise because audiences are able to enjoy a concert and then go party into the night.
“That demographic is changing too,” Chidester said. “They’re not going out at 11 or 12 o’clock at night to shows. The culture is changing. For the first time, we have a large demographic of culture-discerning people who would be an audience that would support better shows.”
Chidester said he strives to balance his work as a performer and director of Royal Cyclops. With two years under his belt, he is looking to the future of Baton Rouge’s artistry and reputation as an entertainment city. Because all his work is viewed through a theatrical lens, Chidester said he hopes to use Royal Cyclops to bring more theatre-oriented productions to audiences. As with concerts, the priority is entertainment with high production quality.
The annual arts and music event FestForAll is scheduled to return next month, and Royal Cyclops has some plans for the festival. In collaboration with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, Chidester hopes to set up concert stages in the downtown area. Spoken word poetry and acting events are also planned to take place in the Old State Capitol, tying back to Chidester’s theatre roots and education.
“[Royal Cyclops] will start spreading that caliber of music around town for others,” Chidester said. “It’s to get people used to going out for live entertainment and not just going out for a night of late-night drinking and music.”
You can reach Gerald Ducote on Twitter @geraldducoteTDR.

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Raegan Labat

Rob Chidester performs in a round of local singer-songwriters on Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015 at Red Dragon Listening Room.