Robert Scheffler

Truce is the third full length studio album from New York City-based singer-songwriter Robert Scheffler. It was written and performed by Scheffler, recorded at home, self-produced, then mixed and mastered by Scott Anthony (Beastie Boys, The Feelies) at Storybook Sound. Truce is a collection of eleven songs bridging rock, Americana and indie folk. It’s also Scheffler’s most musically compelling and lyrically personal work to date. It will be released June 26 for digital download on all streaming platforms. 

After years of playing music festivals, legendary downtown NYC clubs like Mercury Lounge, Arlene Grocery, and the Bitter End and touring locally with his band A Million Pieces, Scheffler’s day job as a research editor and writer for a national magazine began taking center stage, turning into a full-time career he couldn’t pass up. After a successful tenure in publishing, the time came to move on. Upon leaving his job, his first order of business was to get back to writing and recording. The process, however, was daunting. What more did he have to say? How would he create music without a band? 

A couple of serendipitous events helped bring Truce to life. Sifting through his old CD collection, Scheffler came across a promo disc that was given out at Warren Zevon’s Life’ll Kill Ya record release party, which he’d attended years back in the hopes of pitching a magazine article. The article never happened but he recalled that at the event, Zevon talked about recording tracks at home and bringing them into a studio to fill them out. Scheffler decided to give Zevon’s process a try. Fleshing out lyrics, however, proved tricky. Ideas that he’d collected in notebooks didn’t seem to want to take flight. Then he saw an interview with writer George Saunders on Colbert. The novelist’s process, as he described it, was surprisingly down to earth: if it’s not fun, don’t do it; have a plan but be willing to abandon it. It was just the advice Scheffler needed. Starting fresh, the songs began coming together. 

Truce sets out to explore the agreements–unspoken or overt–between not only individuals but between people and the world around them. The acoustic-guitar-driven opening track, “Excuse the Mess,” describes the vulnerability that comes with a new relationship but also serves as a welcome to the record itself. Electric guitars take over on “Hang On, Skyline,” imagining a impatient soul’s reckless leap of faith. “Basher” and “All in Good Time” examine two sides of the ongoing (and universal) work of coming out–the shedding of false narratives and the simple audacity of honesty. “Carry On Without Me,” “Punch Line,” “We’re All Waiting” and the title track offer distinct reflections on loss–the loss of friends, the loss of hope, and the disillusionment that comes when attachments start to fray. Scheffler’s sense of humor is on display in the ukulele ballad “I Don’t Love You Like I Should” and “Blue Sky Mess,” a look at the improbable push-pull tension at the heart of long-term connections. If there’s a musical outlier, it’s the beat-forward “Where Do I Know You From?” which captures the mystery that any city dweller has faced at least once–in this case with the tease of a forgotten hookup.  

Blending seasoned musicianship, soulful vocals, introspective lyrics and inspired music, Truce represents an exciting milestone in the body of work from a songwriter in his prime. 

About Robert Scheffler:

Songwriter, singer and guitarist Robert Scheffler has been called a “songwriter’s writer” and “unquestionably one of the best performers in the New York area” by local reviewers. Previous record releases include Needles (EP), Pretty Town and Life of Luxury (including tracks produced by Jim Rondinelli [Wilco, Matthew Sweet]). His work has appeared on dozens of TV shows and several short film soundtracks. One song, “Rendezvous,” figured prominently (and dubiously) in a movie that The New York Times labeled “an unpalatable mush.” The film wasn’t great but it wasn’t all that bad–Emmy Rossum was in it.

When Scheffler isn’t writing songs, he’s making furniture. His partner John knew his latest project was all but finished when Scheffler started making trips to the lumberyard.