Rob's onstage personality is friendly and laid back and his material is sharp, clean, and intelligent. Whether he's singing his own songs or deconstructing the ones on the charts, Rob uses music to get the laughs. Rob brings to the stage the best of both worlds: he's a top notch comic with impeccable timing and he's a solid musician with extremely funny songs. He not only takes his audiences on a hilarious ride, he takes comedy to the next level.
After growing up in the Chicago area, son of a first-generation Armenian-American school teacher who dabbled in local politics, Rob Paravonian went to college at USC in Los Angeles and now lives in New York. Rob writes and performs comedy and music and is a regular New York stand-up clubs and alternative comedy spaces. He also tours the country playing colleges and comedy clubs everywhere from Florida to Alaska, and from Maine to Montana.
Rob discovered music at an early age, learning cello at age six and playing it from grade school through to the Waukegan High School Symphony (yes, there was a Waukeagn High School Symphony). At age 10 Rob got his first taste of life on the road when the Grade School Orchestra went to nationals in Nashville, and at 13 he went to Florida with the High School Chamber Orchestra.
While in high school, Rob taught himself guitar and bass and began playing in bands, much to the dismay of his music . While he was still underage, he played in bars in Chicago, Milwaukee, and once he went to college, the greater Los Angeles area.
Although music had been the bulk of his life up until college, as an undergrad Rob pursued his other passion and studied writing. U.S.C.'s creative writing program was headed by author T.C. Boyle and Rob focused on short fiction and novellas. Rob also found a new love while in college comedy; and he began performing at wide-open shows in artsy cafes in L.A. (the precursor to the alternative comedy trend). Comedy took Rob back to Chicago after college, where he studied improvisation and ensemble work at the legendary Second City Theater. While in Chicago Rob became a regular at the Improv and began going on the road, playing the midwest clubs and headlining colleges from coast to coast.
Not wanting to limit himself to being a touring performer, Rob moved to New York where he has made a name for himself as an intelligent and unique performer. Rob quickly became a regular at Catch a Rising Star, has appeared on Comedy Central, VH1, has written cartoon theme songs, written and performed shows and is on his third solo show.
And he still plays the cello.
