Rob Laakso was an American musician, record producer, and engineer best known as Kurt Vile’s recording partner and multi-instrumentalist in his backing band The Violators.
Following the departure of guitarist Adam Granduciel, Laakso became a full member of The Violators in 2011, after contributing to Vile’s second and fourth studio albums, God Is Saying This to You… (2009) and Smoke Ring for My Halo (2011).
Laakso’s contributions to Vile’s subsequent studio albums, Wakin on a Pretty Daze (2013), b’lieve I’m goin down… (2015), Bottle It In (2018), and Watch my moves (2022), were significant.
Laakso was also a multi-instrumentalist who has played in the shoegaze band Swirlies, among others.
He collaborated with the Swirlies on:
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- Damon, Andy, Rob, Ron: The Yes Girls (2000)
- Cats of the Wild Volume 2 (2003)
- Swirlies’ Magic Strop: Winsome Zamula’s Hammer of Contumely (2005)
Laakso died of cancer on May 5, 2023, at the age of 44.
He is survived by his wife Sarah, Laakso’s wife, and their two children. A GoFundMe page has been set up in the family’s honor.