SOMA Spotlight: Bob Ziegler, Apple Pie Master and lead singer of Skyfactor

Village Green’s Spotlight series is designed to help residents of SOMA – or MapSO – get to know their neighbors better. Village Green asks the questions, the Spotlight personality does the rest! Find more Spotlights here.

Surname?

Bob Ziegler.

Which city do you live in and how long have you lived here?

We have lived in South Orange for the past two years and will be moving to Maplewood in the fall.

SOMA or MapSO?

SOMA-S.

What are you doing and what are you working on?

Singing has been my passion since I was 16 and I was lucky enough to find three other guys that I have been playing with for 20 years in a band called Skyfactor. My bandmates Jon Rubin (guitar), Cliff Rubin (bass) and Jason Taylor (drums) are not only amazing musicians but also good friends of mine who have become like family. We are currently working on our 5th studio album which will be released this coming winter. We have been lucky enough to have our songs featured on various television shows such as MTV’s “Teen Mom”, NBC’s “The Voice” and “The Eric Andre Show”. We have been super excited since we were selected to play at Maplewoodstock this year and can’t wait to play for our friends and family in the community. Our website is www.skyfactormusic.com or you can also find us on all streaming platforms – Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc.

Have you always dreamed of this and why?

I’ve always loved music and dreamed of playing for people and connecting with audiences at live shows. It was exciting to see the music spread around the world and see how many countries it was being heard in. I think we had listeners in 75 countries on Spotify last year. Pretty crazy!

What is one thing people wouldn’t guess about you?

I’m baking a mean apple pie. 🙂

If you could say something nice to the residents of SOMA, what would it be?

I love the community here and the pride that people have in living here. We have children at Columbia (High School) and soon at Maplewood Middle School, and I love seeing everyone working hard to make these towns special places for families.

Do you enjoy going to live concerts? Do they inspire you? How does being a musician affect your enjoyment of music when you’re in the audience?

Yes, I try to see as much live music as possible and you take something away from every show. I definitely get inspired. I just saw Pearl Jam play twice in Las Vegas and that definitely inspired me to play our festival shows this summer. I think every musician has a certain competitive spirit too and when you see another band you think “get me, coach, I can do that too” :). Just like an athlete on the sidelines, a little competition is healthy I think.

Where do you like to hang out in SOMA and why?

I love hiking the reservation with my wife Amanda, playing tennis at Baird, eating lunch at Order in SO, and getting pastries and coffee at Able Baker, just to name a few.

Why do you think live music is good for society and the community?

Music is how people express themselves, their experiences, their pain and joy, their culture, their ideas, their dreams. When you listen to live music, you get all of that in one and you can have fun at the same time. I think if everyone listened to more live music, the world would be a better place. (I guess I’m being a bit optimistic.)

What is your favorite restaurant in SOMA?

Oh man, so many good ones, but we go to Ariyoshi for sushi quite often and are never disappointed.

What is your favorite SOMA tradition and why?

I would say sledding at Flood Hill. It’s a pretty steep slope and you get going quickly. It’s really fun. I take my kids with me sometimes.

Who were (and could be) your heroes in your childhood?

I have to say that my mother was my hero growing up. She was in the trenches every day making sure my siblings and I had food, shelter and felt loved while I worked as a single mom. She is 81 now and is going to rock out at Maplewoodstock. I can’t wait!

If you had to choose between invisibility, the ability to fly, or constantly having to search for a parking space in SOMA – what would it be?

I can usually find parking pretty easily, so I would choose flying. Being able to soar above everything and feel the freedom of flying is hard to beat. It probably feels similar to playing music, I imagine.