Injured musician reshapes career after spinal cord trauma – Broomfield Enterprise

For someone who plays the guitar and piano for a living, an injury rendering one's fingers debilitated would be nothing less than startling. That's exactly what happened to Broomfield native Robert Michael Sanders.

After touring around the world with his band Silence for 20 years, then producing his own solo album, Sanders Robert Michael is his stage name underwent a very common shoulder surgery.

Something went screwy with the oxygen, there was spinal cord damage. I couldn't move anything from shoulders down, Sanders recalled. That was terrifying. There was no way I could wrap my head around that.

That was in 2013. Sanders had to start over, first relearning how to walk and sit. After three months of rehab at the renowned Craig Hospital in Englewood, he was walking, and most of his physical agility returned. But the lasting effect settled in arms and hands.

My fine motor skills were cut in half, he said. So, guitar playing went away completely. Piano did at first too, but I used it as rehab tool.

As one might imagine, this sudden life change did not come without difficulty.

It has taken a long time to let that soak in and be good with it, Sanders said.

Musically, guitar requires such dexterity, and for Sanders, that ability just isn't there anymore. But he found on the piano, he could play melodies and chords better. He started plunking out songs for a new album.

Then, he reached out to other musician friends to record pieces as he put them together. Over time, Sanders' goal came to fruition with the recent release of his comeback album, Time Stood Still. It has been 10 years since his first solo album.

A lot of the songs are sort of a shadow of the last three years of me getting through those things Sanders said. I just started writing and playing and worked my hands up to play piano enough to write everything.

In the song, I Can't Cry, listeners get a glimpse into the conflict and pain he went through at first.

Sometimes I try so hard to push you away

But you never seem to listen anyhow, I know you're gonna stay

I try to tell myself I want only the best for you

But deep inside, I know I'd die if you ever said, we're through

Sanders recalls how he felt horrible for his then-girlfriend, Megan.

She didn't sign on for this, he said. She had to go through all this garbage with me.

Megan got really tired of Sanders' self-pity and his feeling sorry for her. She told him that she could have left him long ago.

She toughed it out with me and really pushed me to add music to my repertoire again, Sanders said.

Not only did Megan stay, she and Sanders were married in October.

The cover of Robert Michael Sanders first album since a 2013 spinal cord injury features an image of broken piano keys. (Robert Michael Sanders / Courtesy Image)

One thing he gets a lot is people telling him that they don't notice his disability.

While, that's great and all and I really appreciate the kind words I'm still dealing with issues people can't see, like chronic physical pain and pent up emotions, he said. It's frustrating to rethink how to do something that normal people do without thinking. Music is my way to express all these feelings. I don't have to bury them anymore.

Time Stood Still is a collection of thoughtful songs about life, its struggles and its victories. Rolling melodies, Sanders' soothing voice and perfect backup harmonies make it a great album for thinking about things, like road trips or sitting on the back porch looking out at the mountains.

Each song just became what it was and I began to tell the stories, Sanders said. Some are moments, some are giant spans of time. But they kind of all give a glimpse into the last few years.

In the album's title track, Sanders reminisces about days long ago with his band. It's not a sad song. It's just a nod to other days full of memories.

Time stood still

When we played our favorite songs like Eldorado and Cherry Hill

Time stood still

When we lived in backs of cars and parking lots and local bars

Sanders is a big believer in music as a healing art.

I hope some of it is generic enough that someone can listen to it and think, I get that, I understand, that, I've been there, he said. I hope listeners find something they connect with and that they are not alone.

Sanders is planning on performing his new album eventually. It's just a matter of getting everyone together for a performance.

Meanwhile, he's carved out a nice career and acting and directing. He is currently directing The Producers for Breckenridge Backstage Theater and is in a production of the musical Billy Elliot.

Time Stood Still and Sanders first solo album, Feel It Coming, can be found on iTunes, Spotify and most other music websites. Search for: Robert Michael+Time Stood Still.

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Injured musician reshapes career after spinal cord trauma - Broomfield Enterprise