Peak Covid-19 was a tough time for Rob “Roob” Blackwell. A longtime pianist, Blackwell decided to learn to play a different instrument during the pandemic, to help relieve stress. He picked the ukulele because he heard from others that it had a short learning curve, and began taking lessons with Anna Zinova (Pinkeye). After several lessons, Zinova suggested that Blackwell write a song that utilized the four different playing techniques they had worked on during their sessions.
One of those songs, “Ain’t That Dope,” ended up on an EP called Who’s Sorry Now?, featuring the debut recordings from Blackwell’s new project Sorry Section. All five of the songs were written by Blackwell and feature his vocals and newfound uke skills.
According to Blackwell, “The name Sorry Section comes from a sign I saw in a restaurant a few years back that said ‘Sorry Section Closed.’ The absence of a comma after ‘Sorry’ implied that the place actually had a sorry section. And that made me think: who sits in the sorry section, why are they there, and what do they talk about?”