For The Post / Samer Almadani

The students standing outside Bob Stewart’s office in Scripps Hall aren’t waiting for concert tickets. Most do not even know he has a band.

Recently appointed associate director of the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, Stewart has been juggling his new responsibilities while still trying to focus on his band.

“It is a tough balancing act,” Stewart said.

Stewart began performing his original material at open mic nights in Athens. What started as a one-man band grew when he added guitarist Elliot Abrams, an Ohio University anthropology professor.

“After about two hours of talking, we realized we both love music ... [Abrams] brought his guitar over to my house later that evening,” Stewart said.

The band would later add bassist Greg Bikowski and harmonica player John Ortman.

Outside the classroom, Stewart and Abrams put aside their busy work week and focus on their passion for creating music.

“A lot of professors have hobbies. Ours just happens to be music,” Abrams said.

For professor Andre Gribou, music is his hobby and career, and there is no need to separate the two.
 

He packs a lecture hall in Walter Hall as students prepare to learn about the history of rock music. But his love for music extends outside the classroom, where he entertains crowds as a classical pianist.

Gribou has performed throughout the U.S. and Latin America, and he holds degrees from the Hartt School of Music and The Juilliard School. He joined the OU School of Music faculty in the fall of 2004.

Gribou is not just a professor and pianist. He and choreographer/dancer Mark Haim created a solo dance piece set to J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations. They have performed it nationwide, including sold-out shows at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

Similarly, Stewart’s music makes him “more than a man behind a desk.”

Stewart has released two solo CDs, A Million Miles Away From Home and Don’t Think You Know. The subdued folk music ranges from romantic ballads to anti-war tributes.

For Stewart, his songs are musical photographs, documenting his life. As Stewart talks about performing his song, “All Over Again,” he lights up. He wrote the romantic ballad for his second wife, Penny Shelton, recalling how in love he was when they met.

“When I sing that song, I am taken back to that moment when I felt all those feelings. I still get a little emotional when I perform it,” he said.

Stewart admits the support from his wife and children is what keeps him performing despite his hectic schedule.

“They realize that performing is a very healthy thing for me, and that I get a lot of enjoyment from it,” Stewart said.

The Bob Stewart Band is a “very serious hobby and will be around for a while,” Stewart said. The band is working on new material and actively performing in Athens.

The band hopes to release its first live CD this quarter.

While being a professor sometimes makes it difficult for the band to get together, Stewart admits that the music never leaves him.

“I have a song in my head right this minute, and I can’t make that go away,” Stewart said. “I don’t need an iPod because I always have a tune in my head of some song I’m working on.”