Rob Costlow is a contemporary pianist from the United States. He has been playing piano all his life starting with lessons at age 5. He currently has three solo albums as well as one remix EP and one remix album collaboration with allMeadow. His work can be described as vivid and emotional melodic piano pieces. His Web site describes his sound as passionate and raw. Even though Costlow's music is often placed with certain genres, his style is not specifically ambient, new age, classical or jazz. Costlow simply delivers independent, sincere and contemporary music to which listeners can easily relate. By the time he was twelve, Rob Costlow was trying his piano instructor's patience by adding new endings to songs during lessons and recitals. "I despised taking lessons and especially practicing other people's music. It just wasn't for me. I had many melodies running through my head, and I wanted to turn them into songs," admits Rob. This mindset soon brought an end to the lessons that began at age five. Rob realized that his musical future was going to take a different path than the one set by his teachers. Rob is a true Hoosier born and raised in Indiana. Growing up in a large family helped Rob become focused and tenacious. As the youngest of six boys, Rob got used to seizing every opportunity. In fact, it was one of Rob's brothers that introduced him to contemporary piano music. "It was so different than the music I studied in lessons," says Costlow. "It helped give me the courage to try my hand at composition. I said to myself 'I can do this!' It was an immediate outlet for self-expression and also provided a sense of calm in times of stress." At age eleven, Rob lost his mother to ovarian cancer. Even as a young boy, Rob was affected by his mother's constant courage in the face of such adversity. This experience had a major influence on Rob's life and music. Rob received a Bachelors and Masters degree in Kinesiology from Indiana University, Bloomington (IU). Before transferring to IU as a junior, Rob began his college career as a Piano Performance and Composition major at Ball State University. He then changed majors to Kinesiology as a sophomore, giving an ironic twist to the meaning of Rob's first album, Sophomore Jinx. At IU, Rob was hit by a drunk driver and suffered injuries in both hands resulting in a broken left-hand and carpel tunnel syndrome in his right. Through surgery and physical therapy Rob has recovered, but still feels aching in his hands after extensive piano performances. While working on his Masters Degree at IU, Rob unofficially started a record label based on a business class project. In 2002, Rob released his first professional solo project, Sophomore Jinx (re-released 2005), containing all original music. In 2004, Rob officially founded TOURIST RECORDS®. Through TOURIST RECORDS®, Rob continues to create and license music. He hopes to inspire other artists to make their unique impact in the world. Professionally, Rob has worked for influential New Media companies. It is through the Internet that Rob has connected with many people of different backgrounds and cultures. He has gained fans of all ages worldwide, confirming that people are in need of much more than just your typical "top 40" music. An admitted perfectionist, Rob will take all the time he deems necessary for a task, and he can carry on lengthy conversations. :) Rob loves God, traveling, "cutting a rug" when the mood is right, eating pizza and Twizzlers (not together), putting ketchup on everything, and spending time with his family. While Rob has come a long way since his childhood lessons, his love for creating original compositions is still at the heart of his contemporary piano music. "Music is what inspires me," says Costlow. "It is in my soul. I never force myself to write. I do it when it comes to me. I take things a day at a time." Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.