Meet Dylan Kober | Guitarist, Dobro Player, and Educator

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dylan Kober and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dylan, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
I find risk taking to be an essential but difficult challenge in my life. While I often like to play things safe, making music with people is all about taking risks and putting yourself out there for other musicians and listeners. If you do not take a risk than there is no potential for improvement. However, taking risks can not always lead to success and I always try to view this as a learning experience. There have been times were I learned from risk taking situations and these have helped me to better my musicality and teaching skills.

Being comfortable with risk has taken on a big role in my musical career. I have been fortunate enough to be offered wonderful opportunities to play with some amazing musicians across the country as well as being apart of some of Colorado’s premiere bluegrass and acoustic bands, and to teach music to younger students. But if it were not for me taking the risk of trying to put myself in these situations even if I may have thought I could not do it than I would not be doing the things I am doing today.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Most of my work consists of playing dobro and guitar in bluegrass and country bands as well as in smaller ensembles and with singers. I have been playing music and guitar since I was eight years old and have never stopped. While I have only been playing the dobro for four years, I have been able to carve out a good market for myself as an accompanist and a member of multiple bands in Colorado. I love playing behind a really good vocalists and alongside amazing musicians. It is so fun for me as a player and I am always striving to bring the most to the music and make it as good as I can for the listener.

I attended the University of Colorado Denver to study jazz guitar and audio engineering. There I was able to explore a variety of genres and play with lots of different musicians. I stared playing dobro in the bluegrass ensemble and that allowed me to dive into music in a way that I had not before. It really broadened my horizons to different possibilities. After graduating I started attending bluegrass and jazz jams across the Denver area and began to meet lots of amazing people. This lead me to playing with lots of different people and eventually to becoming part of some amazing bands including High Lonesome, Scott Slay & The Rail, and Timberline Troubadours. The toughest part has been balancing gigging and down time. There are times when there are many gigs and times when there are not as many. It is difficult to balance this shift as I am always chasing the next show and performance opportunity. But breaks give me the chance to focus on what I need to practice and how improve and reconnect with the music on a personal level.

Patience is an important skill that I am still learning. But patience and listening have been useful for me in finding my way in the acoustic music scene in Colorado. I have learned that hard work and patience can lead to good things but the work still needs to be done. I am always striving to improve myself and the projects that I am a part of to make them the best that I can.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
One spot that I would have to bring somebody would be the Gold Hill Inn. It is a wonderful spot just up Boulder Canyon. The food is spectacular, the staff incredible, and the decor a time traveling history lesson. I have played music there before, once in a freak blizzard in May of this year, and they pulled through for us. I had such an amazing time with all of the enthusiastic patrons and the generous staff and cooks.

I would also have to bring a visiting guest to Dazzle in downtown Denver. Dazzle is a precious jazz club and restaurant where I have seen some of the most brilliant music performed. They also have great food and drinks. But most of all I would absolutely have to share my love of the mountains with anyone visiting Colorado. There are so many astounding trails, camping spots, and mountains to climb that I have come to know living in Colorado and it would be delightful for people to experience how special the wilderness here is.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would like to dedicate my involvement in this Shoutout series to my parents Alf and Sue Kober. They have always been there to support me in my strive for success. From a young age my parents told me that if I put my heart and hard work into something than I can do it, no matter what it is.

I would also love to thank my musical comrades and friends over the years for all their support, love, and opportunities. Thank you to Bill Fatur, Ky Trujillo, Josh Greene, Nathan Hughes, Chuck and Lily Sitero, Sean McGowan, Peter Henriksen,
Greg Garrision, Scott Slay, Brendan O’Donoghue, Jason Bower, Gabe Gravangno, and many more.

Website: dylankobermusic.com

Instagram: dylankobermusic

Facebook: Dylan Kober Music

Image Credits
Lily Sitero Photography Alf Kober