Rob Paravonian

Infobox Comedian
name = Rob Paravonian


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birth_name = Rob Paravonian
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birth_place = Waukegan, Illinois
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medium = stand up, guitar comedy
nationality = American
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influences = Steve Martin, Bill Cosby, Jack Benny
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notable_work = "Pachelbel Rant"


website = http://www.RobPRocks.com
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Rob Paravonian is a comedian, best known for his "Pachelbel Rant" which parodies the use of the chord progression from Pachelbel's Canon in many popular songs.cite web|url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM|title=YouTube:Pachelbel Rant]

Music

Born in Waukegan, Illinois, Rob Paravonian (Paravonian is an Armenian name) has always loved music, learning cello at age six and playing it from grade school through to the Waukegan High School Symphony. At age 10 the Grade School Orchestra went to nationals in Nashville, and at 13 he went to Florida with the High School Chamber Orchestra, before teaching himself guitar and bass in high school. [cite web|url=http://www.robprocks.com/info/bio_index.html|title=Rob Paravonian's biography]

While attending college at USC in Los Angeles, Rob began working as a comedian, performing at wide-open shows in cafes in L.A. After college he studied improvisation and ensemble work at the Second City Training Center in Chicago and became a regular at the Improv. He also began going on the road, playing Midwest clubs and headlining colleges from coast to coast.

After moving to New York, he quickly became a regular at Catch a Rising Star, and has appeared on Comedy Central, VH1, has written cartoon theme songs, written and performed sketch shows and is on his third solo show.

In 2005 he performed for U.S. troops in Afghanistan, which he described as "...a great experience." [cite web|url=http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/newssun/entertainment/321267,5_5_WA31_MAINROB_S1.article|title=Hometown boy Waukegan native Rob Paravonian brings his comedy act back to Lake County]

Musical stand up

Originally a traditional stand up comedian, Rob started bringing his guitar with him to pass the time waiting for his set at the open mic clubs in LA, playing comical songs he'd written with the other comics there. They suggested he try some guitar stuff on stage and, since he had played music most of his life he tried it, and found the crowd enjoyed it. [cite web|url=http://www.robprocks.com/info/faq.html|title=RobPRocks.com - Frequently Asked Questions]

Much of his success comes from word of mouth and via the internet (his Pachelbel Rant video having received over 2 million hits on YouTube in six months).

Pachelbel Rant

Rob's popular Youtube video regarding his hatred toward Pachelbel's Canon in D major has attracted more than 5.2 million viewers, including over 72,000 favorites. Below is a list of the songs he references (at times ambiguously) throughout his routine, and the lyrics that tie to each of them:

Releases

tudio CD

*Living it Down
*American Cheese
*Don't Crowd the Plow

Live CD

*Live on Both Coasts
*Official Bootleg
*Playing for Drunks

DVD

*40 Minutes From Chicago
*Rob P. Live

References

External links

*imdb name|id=1327813|name=Rob Paravonian
* [http://www.robprocks.com RobPRocks.com]
*MySpace|robparavonian
* [http://paravonia.blogspot.com/ Rob Paravonian at BlogSpot]