Biography

Rod Ibieta is a self-taught keyboard player. Originally from Chile, Rod began his career in the 1980s there as part of several successful Pop bands eventually releasing an album under the EMI label. Rod moved to the US in 1989 to continue graduate studies in Educational Technology eventually graduating from Arizona State University in 1996. During this time, Rod continued playing solo projects and released 4 CDs from 1991 to 2003.

He is currently having the time of his life playing keyboards for The Catfish Groove Farm, a Tempe-based jazz-funk band that has gained a substantial following in the Phoenix area.

Rod picked up the piano at age 18. He writes: “There was an old, broken-down piano in the house we lived in at the time and I started to noodle and play around with it. I eventually learned chord structure by removing the lid and looking at the pattern the hammers made on the strings.” This lead to more experimentation and his eventual fascination with electronic keyboards. He adds, “I simply love the sound of analog synthesizers and I've collected a few over the years. There's something wonderfully imperfect and expressive about them that digital keyboards can't imitate.”

Rod's inspiration is fueled by keyboard luminaries such as Lyle Mays, Chick Corea, Jan Hammer and Thelonious Monk and he also greatly enjoys the sonic landscapes of David Helpling and Patrick O'Hearn.  He also has great admiration for virtuoso guitar players such as Alex Machacek, Shawn Lane, Scott Henderson, Joe Satriani, Al DiMeola, Daryl Streurmer, John McLaughlin, Pat Metheny and others.

 Rod lives in Tempe, Arizona with his wife Claudia and his two teenage children, their dog Pepper and two their cats Arthur and Guinevere.