Robert Brown (musician)

Robert Brown (AKA "Captain Robert") is an American multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the lead vocalist of the steampunk-themed band Abney Park. Brown was born on May 27, 1970 in Washington.

A large part of Brown's childhood was spent traveling in South East Asia with his mother Carolyn Heinz, who is a well known cultural anthropologist. Brown spent time in India, China, Thailand, and Polynesia, assisting his mother in her research.

Brown briefly attended the University of London and lived near Abney Park Cemetery. After leaving the University of London, Brown relocated to Seattle at the height of the Grunge movement, where he started the dark electronica band "October 27th", and later formed "the EaTen" with guitarist Robert Hazelton (now with the "Deadly Nightshade Botanical Society"). Soon after, they changed the band's name from the EaTen to Abney Park, after the London cemetery.

Brown is the principal songwriter in Abney Park. In addition to this, he is the band's lead singer, and plays darbuka, diatonic button accordion (melodeon), and harmonica. Brown's lyrical and musical style is noted for having a unique blend of many musical nationalities and eras. Brown is also responsible for making most of the band's exotic steampunk instruments.

In 2011, Brown authored a novel, "The Wrath of Fate", which explored Abney Park's backstory in greater detail, as well as helped in the development of Airship Pirates, an RPG based on the works of Robert Brown.

Brown has made appearances on MTV, G4tV, King 5 Evening Magazine, and has been interviewed in many genre websites, magazines and newspapers including The Guardian, the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times.

Robert is married to fellow band member Kristina Erickson, and has two children, Isabella and Chloe.