Chewelah singer-songwriter Rob Nein brings debut record to fruition with Grammy Award-winning pianist, producer

From Snoqualmie to Los Angeles and Seattle to Chewelah, Robert Nein’s road to his debut album and working with a Grammy nominated jazz pianist has proved perfectly unconventional.

Nein credits his mother for his love of music. She enlisted a 5-year-old Nein and his 6-year-old sister in piano classes. They grew tired of the classical repertoire and wanted to learn pop and jazz standards.

“That’s how it started, and it just never ended,” Nein said. “I never quit playing.”

Nein began writing his own music sporadically while in college, and after more than a decade in public relations and journalism, he decided to give it a shot in the music mecca that is Los Angeles.

After being humbled by the City of Angels, he went back to Washington and the Seattle area, where he played piano in hotel bars and worked in a wide array of industry-adjacent jobs.

In 2013, Nein followed his wife back to her hometown of Chewelah. While assimilating to small town life after spending years in bustling cities, he read a number of books by Steven Pressfield, such as “The War of Art,” that altered his creative approach.

“He wrote three books on the creative process and how we sabotage ourselves … by giving in to the resistance that always comes up,” Nein said. “The little voice that says, ‘You’re not good enough, other people are doing better than you.’ ”

Nein began to treat songwriting “like a profession” and spent two years writing a musical, “The Goshen Country Club.” He entered the 28-song work into the Seattle-area New Works Festival, and although Nein didn’t make the final cut, he had learned the power of consistency and began working on his own music.

“You can’t sit around and wait for inspiration,” Nein said. “You have to go to your workplace and start working; something will happen.”

He wrote a large catalog of country and jazz music, deciding to focus on the latter first. Nein knew he didn’t just need a producer to help bring his songs to their full potential, but an excellent producer at that. So, he found himself in a Portland studio with Grammy-nominated jazz pianist and producer Randy Porter alongside a room full of talented musicians to bring a record to life.

“I knew from the first time I talked to him we would get along; we’d be simpatico,” Nein said. “I decided that if the musicians and the producer truly liked the material, if they liked the songs and respected it, I would go ahead with it. I didn’t want this to be a vanity project.”

The end result was Nein’s 10-track record, “My Undivided Attention,” which was released in late February under the stage name Rob McGilton. Although the project is perhaps best described as contemporary jazz with its piano-driven melodies and tasteful brass licks, Nein’s wide range of influences, such as the theater and Randy Newman, also make their mark.

Each song on the tongue-in-cheek album features a different narrative, one often driven by an unreliable narrator, in commentary of the human folly. For example, in the title track, the “main character” claims to be giving his undivided attention by being addicted to his phone and tracking the latest trends, not missing a single text, etc.

Through many decades of trial and error, Nein has finally found himself with a proper debut record, and no matter the result, one thing will remain true – this album is his.

“I’ve already enjoyed writing the music and working with some great musicians to create a record,” Nein said. “I feel satisfied about the finished product, and whatever the critical verdict and financial results are, I’ll be happy with them.”