BIO

A Dose of Tao (‘Dow‘)

I heard someone recently ask Bob Anderson what kind of music is A Dose of Tao. He paused and looked quizzically. “Hum,” he replied. “I write in many genres of contemporary music so it’s hard to narrow it down to a single style or ‘type’. I guess if I had to put a label on our music, I’d call it ‘Medium Rock.’”

It’s true about the variety, judging by their debut CD, Painter. We are delighted by a hard-core Rhythm & Blues anthem (Just Like the Blues), enticed by a couple of softer rock songs (Run Like a River & Destiny), wooed by a two of love ballads (Painter & Deep Space), slammed by a hard-rock number or two (Alone and Move Away), enthralled by something resembling a Jerry Garcia-esc tune (Learning to Swim), taken back by a folk-rock psalm in the tradition of Bob Dylan from his earlier days (Nothing to Stand On), and even something we’d call, for lack of a better term, medium-rock (The Donz). An eclectic group of enlightened tunes to be sure, with lyrics flavored with Eastern Wisdom and interludes of beautiful guitar melodies. It even begins with an Asian gong! People say A Dose of Tao reminds them of Pink Floyd, The Grateful Dead, Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young, Bob Dylan, and Dire Straits, to name a few.

The band is centered in Portland, Oregon and if one listens carefully, they can hear the light pattering ambiance of Portland’s rain in the background. The band currently consists of three musicians: Bob Anderson, songwriter, lead voice, and guitar (and keyboards when recording); Will Mitchell, bass guitar and backing voice (as well as the band’s sound tech and mixing/mastering engineer); and Kyler Fischer, drums, percussion, and backing voice (and some rhythm guitar and bass when recording, as well as the band’s recording tech).

A Dose of Tao is always up for any gig, big or small, so hit us up. Our music can be streamed on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon and most other music streaming platforms. CDs of Painter are available. E-mail us if you wish to purchase one. We are currently working on our second CD.

We can be contacted at: doseoftaomusic@gmail.com
We are on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/album/6qWWLvUpEv6aMABV23ikT4?si=86RDSiVKSZ-o7mMPDI_qOA
We are also on Apple Music, Amazon, and several other major streaming platforms under our band name “A Dose of Tao”
 

Band Members

Bob Anderson

Bob Anderson was born into a musical family. In his twenties, Bob’s father, LeRoy Anderson, travelled the country in what was once the Glenn Miller Orchestra (then it had been taken over by sax player Tex Beneke when LeRoy played as Glenn died in WW2). He played the 1st trombone position, which was the spot held by Glenn Miller himself. LeRoy later became the Department Chair of the Music Department for an Oregon college. Bob says, “I was given the gift of music deep in my soul by my dad and I’m forever grateful.”
Bob wrote his first musical composition at age five, a piano piece called “The Red Baron”. In elementary school he played violin and composed a string quartet titled “Imbi,” which required the advanced string group to perform. His school music teacher, at the performance, said, “We often celebrate at the funeral, the life of as great composer. Let’s celebrate now as a new composer is born!”
During High School, Bob adopted the guitar as his primary instrument of choice and began writing songs. To date, he has composed over 120 pieces, including a string quartet that was played at his wedding. It was after he retired as a high school teacher that he began an advanced meditation practice to which he is active today. Not only did this practice help develop his voice with deep breath control, it also gave him the confidence, through counseling with his teachers and spiritual master, to undertake the process of recording his music. This recording of his music is something he claims is a major “karma project” for this life time.
Music has always been a part of Bob’s life. Now that he has the time, he devotes a majority of his life to creative projects, especially writing, performing, and recording music. Recording the Painter CD was highly instructive and Bob grew through the intense learning curve. With the help of his spiritual brothers, Kyler and Will, the project unfolded and came together with the band’s first CD, Painter. Currently, Bob says he currently has enough music for five more CDs, but this may grow as he still composes new material. A rock opera is one project in the works.