Bob Forrest was hailed as 'the Bob Dylan of his generation' by many critics. But while his L.A. post-punk peers like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns & Roses, and Jane s Addiction skyrocketed to fame, his own band, Thelonious Monster, crashed and-burned it's way through countless members and blown opportunities. In fact, he was the one who actually discovered and had stolen away, two of the Red Hot Chili Peppers guitar players (John Frusciante and Josh Klinghoffer). Though Bob's own band and songs were undeniably strong, his career was so mismanaged, that RCA spent almost a half a million dollars making a record for him that was never released. John Doe of X, who produced one of his band s early albums, states that what makes Bob such a good singer is that 'he's not afraid.' Bob once tried to kill himself onstage while overseas, and he infamously mangled the Star Spangled Banner so badly at an NBA game in Los Angeles, that he become a minor sports celebrity, for all of the wrong reasons. After twenty-four formal detox attempts, he finally succeeded in getting clean from heroin in 1996. His weight had dropped down to 120 pounds and he was toothless at the time, but he has gone onto become the most famous drug counselor in the world, starring on the television programs Celebrity Rehab and Sober House , both with Dr. Drew. Ironically, he has helped many world famous actors, musicians, and athletes overcome their addictions, that he in his past life previously acted as a drug runner for. His self-destructive path was almost set from birth due to his life being shattered at age 13 when it was accidentally (and drunkenly) revealed to him that the person he'd been raised believing was his sister, was actually his mother. He refers to her now as, 'Sister mom.' In 2013, his memoir, Running with Monsters, came out on the major publisher, Crown Books, selling out of its first hardcover printing and racking-up over 10,000 digital download sales. A full-length documentary about his life, Bob & the Monster, was released to critical acclaim that same year. Produced by author and Grammy-winning producer, Ian Brennan (Tinariwen, Ramblin Jack Elliott), Survival Songs is Forrest's first official solo album and stands as a testament to his powers. Recorded live, outdoors in Big Sur, with sparse acoustic accompaniment, the record revisits classic, no-longer available material, wedding it with new works in a meditation on a cycle of redemption.