Musicians often sing about anger or angst. Roman Alexander, lead singer of Roman Alexander & The Robbery, is a musician who sings about anger and angst. “breathes positivity and consciousness into the people listening.”

Alexander has had a difficult life. Alexander suffered a seizure in 2005 while training for a mixed-martial-arts match. Alexander was diagnosed with an arterial vein malformation (AVM), which is an abnormal accumulation of blood cells in the brain. Alexander chose brain surgery over medication because he didn’t want to be dependent on drugs for his entire life.

“When I woke up that day in the hospital, I felt so limited,” says Alexander. “I had to learn to walk again. One side of my body was weak. I had lost my license and my job, I had $240,000 in medical bills.”

Alexander’s survival gave the impression that anything was possible and that he could do something to make his world better. It was this that he gained a new perspective. “positivity,”Alexander describes it as a reinvigorated songwriting. “I had songs written before the surgery, but I was looking at life in a completely different way – I wanted to express this new, rejuvenated human.”

Alexander is now joined by Jeff Carruth, Ryan Reno (bassist) and Matt McDavid (guitarist), who translate positive messages into catchy rhythms. They were serendipitously connected and the band now brings an edge to Alexander’s soft sound and creates new hooks. The band is known for its rock-blues and reggae sound and has toured Florida, California and will be performing at the OC Music Fest 2009 in May 2009.

Alexander hopes that The Robbery’s and Roman Alexander’s songs will bring about change in people’s lives. Alexander thinks deeply about how he hopes to bring his listeners the same new beginning point that he felt when he first woke from hospital. “It was like ‘Wow,’ there’s so much I can do to be proactive, to live my life in a new and better way.”

It can also be about the music. “I’m a rhythm kid,” says Alexander, “Everything I’ve done, fighting, music, dancing, is all about beats.”

Visit www.Roman Alexander and The Robbery to learn more. www.myspace.com/romanalexanderandtherobbery. You can find more information on the OC Music Fest at www.OCMusicFest.org www.ocmusicfest09.com.