Gas! Gas! Gas!: Bob O’Connell

The singer & guitarist behind Just Bob on how he transitioned from designing major magazines to booking back-to-back live gigs all over NYC and NJ.

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Bob O’Connell used to design stunning covers and spreads at House Beautiful, Elle, Martha Stewart, and Women’s Health. When he’d admit to colleagues that he used to rock out with his long locks in an ‘80s hair band, no one believed him… until they heard him sing.

Now, Just Bob performs live covers for packed bars and hot venues throughout New York City and the Jersey Shore—his desk days a distant memory. If you’ve ever had the urge to go for a career in music or live performance, you could learn a thing or two from Bob. Here, the coolest dad and husband in all of NJ proves it’s never too late to go for your dream. And, in many ways, he’s just getting started in career #2…

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Bob, we've known each other for a long time by working together at Women's Health. What brought you to magazines in the first place?

I was a house painter when I was younger; my stepdad owned a big painting and contracting company. I was playing music back then (guitar), but nothing serious. He said, “Come work with us. We make good money and you'll have everything that you could want.” So, I did it for years, and I hated it. It was mindless and I was always creative. When my stepdad died of a massive heart attack, my mom was like, “This is your business now.” At 20 years old, I didn’t want to do it.

She told me to finish out all the big jobs that he had (he did a lot of condominium buildings), and then I got into residential work, hanging wallpaper and stuff. I was doing quite well, but then I just couldn’t anymore. So, I sold off all the equipment, but then I was like, “Now what?” 

My brother, William Abranowicz, is a well-known photographer (we have different last names because I took my wife’s). He launched the look of Martha Stewart and has done everything under the sun. He said to me, “You know, you like art. What if you go for graphic design?” I thought, That could be pretty cool. So, I went to Parsons, and while I was there, I got a job offer to work for Martha Stewart magazine, which was just launching.

I had no idea what I was doing, I had no computer experience. I had to scan transparencies into the computer and label and file everything—it was photo department work. I’d get there and be like, “Oh, this scanner is a little different than what I’m used to working on, can you show me how you use it?” And then I’d just write everything down. 

From Martha, I went to Esquire, then This Old House, House & Garden, HomeStyle, House Beautiful, Oprah, Ladies’ Home Journal… It was crazy. My favorite was working at This Old House, I loved the subject matter and it was a great team with a lot of mentors.

Your last magazine job was at Elle and then you transitioned into music. How did that happen? 

I freelanced at Elle for quite some time. I wanted to be on staff (it was a really good staff; Martin Hoops came from Vogue and was the Creative Director, Nina Garcia was the Editor-in-Chief), but they already had two designers and art directors. I was like, “I don't care, I just want a job that has a 401k. You don't even have to pay me!” 

I was still a little young to fully stop making that kind of money and get out. But, I knew magazines were pretty done. So, I said to my wife Gloria, “What do you think if I just try to play music? It's what I've always wanted to do.” She said, “I don't know how you're going to make the same kind of money.” I'm like, “I'm not, there's no way.” She's a retired school teacher with a pension and health insurance, so we decided to take the chance. And, it was just really freeing. 

I never sang before. I went to open mic nights far away from my house where nobody knew who the hell I was. At the first one, I couldn't get through three songs, I lost my voice! I was like, “This is insane.” But, I was really passionate about it and really, really wanted to do it because I just love to play. So, I took vocal lessons for a while and it was a night and day difference. 

Now, I can sing for hours, no problem. I have a bunch of gigs and everything has totally changed. The work just comes and it’s an insane amount.

How did your group band, The Neighbors, come to be?

The Neighbors originally started with just me, the singer, and another friend who played guitar. We used to play in my basement and the neighbors next door heard us and said, “Hey, we’re having a party, do you guys wanna play?” We were like, “Yeah, sure!” 

We didn't have a band name and I was talking on the microphone and I'm like, “Oh, we're the neighbors, literally.” So, that's how we became The Neighbors.

Eventually, the guitar player left and my friend who was a piano player came in and joined us. And that's it, we're still together. We only play about once a month down the shore in the summertime. We're all really good friends. 

You’re a solo musician under Just Bob. It’s your main focus and full-time job now, right?

Yeah, Just Bob. In the summertime, I can easily pull six days a week playing. Last year, I think I did 275 gigs, which was insane. I was doing doubles where I'd play in the afternoon then again at night and I was just burning the candle. When I was starting out I didn't want to say no to any jobs. I took anything and everything that was thrown at me because I wanted my name out there, I wanted people to hear me.

To be honest with you, Just Bob is all word of mouth now. I never reach out to people for work, I never call bars—they wind up calling me, which is such a huge compliment! I'm very fortunate that I don't have to do that.

How do you describe your music to people who haven’t heard you before?

Well, I only play covers. And I'm very eclectic. My first set, I pretty much do what I wanna do, whatever it might be. Then, my second set, I'll do all requests. “What do you wanna hear?” People shout out songs and I pride myself on being able to play anything. I can play about 3,000 songs. 

But, it’s funny, people always request the same stuff. “Play Wagon Wheel!” Like, really? Is that the best you can do?

Two weeks ago, it was my last song of the night and I usually end with “Purple Rain” into “Faithfully” into that Noah Kahan song, “Stick Season.” Some guy came up to me and asked, “Hey, can you play ‘American Pie’?” I went, “That's 15 minutes long! That’s a $50 song.” I joke around with people, you know? And he's like, “Fine, here's $50.” And I played it.

What advice do you have for other people who are looking to get into a similar career, whether it's music or another type of live gig?

For me, it was going to open mic nights. You don't get paid anything, but you get to play, people hear you, and you can hone your skills while you're out there—whatever those might be. It's helped me drastically. I had always played in front of people, but I'd never been like naked up there playing in front of a crowd. Like, I'm the singer and the guitar player and the entire band. 

I think just stepping off the ledge is huge. It does help if you have somebody pushing you. My wife Gloria was always saying, “Just go do it.” 

I have a friend who's a great guitar player and I've never really heard him sing, but he wants to go out and play so bad. I'm just like, “Dude, just do it. I'll go to an open mic with you, I'll hold your hand, but just do it.” The first one is obviously the hardest, but once you get through it, you'll hear what was wrong and just work on it from there.

I also busted my ass at vocal lessions. I'd be driving in the car with Gloria doing all these vocal exercises. She's like, “What the fuck is wrong with you?” I'm like, “Me, me, me, me! Just practicing, babe.”

I think just stepping off the ledge is huge. It does help if you have somebody pushing you. Gloria was always saying, “Just go do it.” 

It's funny. When I was younger, I was insanely quiet. I would never talk to anybody. I just had a hard time with it. And then, as I moved up in magazines, every once in a while, I'd get stepped on by somebody, and it would really bother me.

My brother would be like, “Hey man, you gotta step up if you wanna continue. You're in New York City now and these people are cutthroat.” (Conde Nast, especially, was hardcore. I used to come out of that office shaking.) So, I started opening up a little bit.

And now I, I just walk up to anybody because I have to survive. I don't have a job to rely on anymore—I can’t just go to work on Monday morning. So, I have to walk up and say, “Hey I'm a guitar player and singer, I'd love to play your place.” I’m more aggressive in a sense.

What a journey from when you were little to now… 

Yeah. To be honest, I didn't think that I'd be able to sustain this, but I’m very motivated. This is what I’ve always loved to do and really wanted to do my whole life. 

Prior to being in magazines, right after high school, I was in a hair metal band and we came very, very close to being signed. We had a huge management company and producers who did, like, Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles. We had major people behind us, and then it just fell apart. I stopped playing for 10 years because I was so depressed.

Where can people see you perform?

In the summer, I play a lot down the Jersey shore. I have a few more gigs left at the Oculus in New York City, which has been phenomenal. It's a great venue. I just played there with Jimmy Leahey, the guitar player from Styx [see above video], which was cool. He's a great friend. The first Tuesday in October is my last gig there. 

I also play up at Woodbridge Brewing Co. in Woodbridge, New Jersey. And there’s a place in Jersey City, 902 Brewing Co., that I may start playing. 

The best thing to do is follow me on Instagram. 

But, I’ve been a little lackadaisical about my calendar lately because my InDesign is broken. It's funny, when you’re out of magazines and something goes wrong, you can’t just call tech for help. Now, I have no idea how to do shit on my computer because everybody used to do it for me! My kids are like, “Go to your System Preferences, Dad,” and I’m like, “I don’t even know where that is!”

Shit, Bob, you gotta get on that! 😜

Congrats, Bob! Let’s gas him up in the comments, and, if you’re in the NY/NJ area, go check him out at one of his upcoming live shows!

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