Drinks with Rock Stars: Train’s Rob Hotchkiss
Reflecting on the road less taken and what lies ahead
It’s been 15 years since Grammy winning, multiplatinum artist Rob Hotchkiss saw his music career soar into the stratosphere with the overnight success of his band, Train. He would go on to write dozens of chart-topping hits including Drops of Jupiter and Calling All Angels, but by the third album, burnout would set in. The band had succumbed to drugs, divisive politics, and crushing ego battles. For sake of his health and happiness, Rob made the difficult decision to walk away from it all, the fame, the money, the power.
Taking refuge on the remote island of Vashon in Washington’s Puget Sound, he laid low for half a decade letting his mind wander the in-between spaces where creativity flourishes. Like Paul McCartney who ran away to the Hebrides to raise his family when the Beatles broke up, and Steve Jobs who ran away to India when he was fired from Apple, Rob knew he would find his way by taking much needed downtime.
He returned to the Bay Area a little over a year ago and reunited with Train bandmate Charlie Colin to work on their new band, Painbirds. He’s also launched his solo career with the critically acclaimed album, Midnight Ghost.
