Inside Lacrosse & BGB Present | Inside The Beats with Rob Rotanz

Former Dartmouth and Duke middie Jon Livadas and his crew at Big Green Beats are pumping out exclusive interviews with the players and the music playlists that they are listening to right before they gear up and head out to the field.

This week’s “Inside the Beats” features Duke middie Rob Rotanz, a senior from Fairfield Prep, Conn., and a preseason All-American according to Face-Off Yearbook.

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1) What are three songs on your iPod before a big game?

I like to start it off with That’s All ft. Gucci Mane by Brenton Duvall. This song has become more of a pregame ritual necessity than anything else. Next I like The Flood (Wideboys Radio Edit) by Cheryl Cole. This song has a lot of energy and never fails to get me pumped up. I like to end with One More Night by DJ Money. It’s a mash up of a few great songs that I really enjoy.

2) If all else fails, what is your all time favorite go to pump up jam?

If all else fails I just start my Pregame Playlist over again. Can’t say that one song in particular can do the trick.

3) What are the top 10 songs in your iTunes most played? Be honest

1. Scar Tissue by Red Hot Chili Peppers
2. Right Me Up by State Radio
3. Feel My Flow by Naughty by Nature
4. Rainbow of Love by Bob Sinclar
5. That’s All by Brenton Duvall
6. G’d Up Wiz Khalifa
7. All of the Lights by Kanye West
8. Dear Professor by Dean’s List
9. Feel so Close by Calvin Harris
10. We Found Love by Rihanna

4) Who are your five favorite artists of all time?

1. Red Hot Chili Peppers
2. Eminem
3. State Radio
4. Lil Wayne
5. James Taylor

5) Would you rather be the biggest DJ in the world or the lead singer for the biggest rock band in the world?

I would have to go with the biggest DJ in the world right now. They seem to be the modern day rockstars traveling all over the world and playing at all these big time festivals and shows. Can’t really lose with either choice though.

6) What are your favorite genres? How has your music taste developed over your lacrosse career?

I don’t really have favorite genres. If a song has a good sound, solid lyrics or some combination of the two I will probably like it. I use to be a huge Lil Wayne fan and really liked anything that was similar to that. Since coming to college I definitely would say I’ve gotten more into techno music, but I’m always going through different phases.

7) Is there an artist or band that mimics your style of play or is your counterpart in the music world? On top of that, what genre best describes your style

Can’t really say there is a certain song or artist that mimics my game. I want to say Made in America by Toby Keith but I’m not sure if I have reached that level of American yet.

If one song could come on when you entered a room what would it be?

I’ve seen MacGruber 100 times and it is my favorite movie so I would have to say Take Me Home Tonight by Eddie Money strictly because it’s the song playing when MacGruber enters a party.

If you could mash up 3 songs into one what would you choose?

It would have to be some combination of Scar Tissue- RHCP, Heartbreaker- MSTRKRFT and Til I Collapse- Eminem. These three songs put together by somebody that knows what they are doing would make a song I would need on my Ipod.

10) What songs are popular right now in the locker room? Who claims to be the team DJ? More importantly, who actually is the team DJ?

Two big songs that we’ve been playing in the locker room are Lights (Bassnectar Remix) and Titanium Alesso Remix. They always seem to get the team fired up. On the DJ front, the team is DJ-less right now. There is always Daniel DJ Wiggles Wigrizer, but since Zach Howell graduated last year nobody has really stepped up so it’s been DJ by committee so far. It’s always an experience when Turri puts on a new song that he “discovered” just to find out that we’ve all been listening to said song for a couple of months already.

11) who has the worst taste in music taste on the team? Who has the best (besides you)? Why?

Henry Lobb has to have the worst taste just because he only listens to Wiz Khalifa and Mac Miller. Sorry bud but you have to branch out at some point. As far as best taste I gotta give the nod to Swerving Eddie Loftus here. The kid has a knack for pulling out old school 90’s songs that nobody else would think to put on in the locker room.

12) What are a few songs that headline your team’s warm up mix? And who is left in charge with the monumental decision of what goes on the warm up mix?

Its always a tradition for the seniors to all decide what songs go onto warm up mix. It gets hard sometimes because there’s always one guy who wants a random song, like Stephen Coyle putting Playing With the Boys from Top Gun on last years warm up mix. If you don’t know it pull it up and try and convince me it belongs on a warm up tape. Some headliners for this year’s warm up we got The Flood (Wideboys Remix) and Flux Pavilion’s I Can’t Stop.

13) Usually each year a team develops an “anthem” that seems to get played after big wins or in times of need. What is your teams “anthem” right now?

No anthem right now for this years team yet. We usually find a song towards the end of the season that everyone can rally around.

14) What is the best live show you have ever attended? If you could attend and show or music event what would it be?

Saw Swedish House Mafia in Madison Square Garden over winter break this year. That was a pretty cool experience.

15) How or where do you find new music? (you don’t have to say BGB but if that’s the truth than run with it)

I had a few random websites but as soon as Jon Livadas transferred to Duke