Violinist Rob Landes caused quite a stir with his spontaneous jam on “Billie Jean” with a band of talented sibling buskers! The spicy groove on Michael Jackson’s megahit made quite a crowd form at the market and also scored the performers a viral hit on YouTube in August 2024. The video began with Landes spontaneously asking the kids in the family band if they know “Billie Jean.” The kids then settle into the iconic groove of MJ’s hit, and Landes delivers the vocal melody so beautifully on violin.
The family band may be made up of young musicians, but they can seriously play! The three-piece’s groove is really popping, making for the perfect rhythm section for Landes to work with. The American violinist really went to town over the groove, hitting all the right notes of Jackson’s vocal melody, but also adding his own touch with extra flourishes here and there. Here, we’re all about celebrating The King of Pop’s music, and this performance doesn’t disappoint!
The family band featured in the video is called Trip J. The group is based in Louisville, Kentucky, and they also share their music via their own YouTube channel, Trip J Band. Landes and Trip J’s jam went down a treat on YouTube, scoring 1.4 million views on the platform. Viewers loved the vibe of the spontaneous jam and added comments such as “Music is the universal language. Great band. Great kids. Great parents. Great family” and “That’s an epic jam session you can tell those kids love what they’re doing!”
Landes has scored several viral videos with his quirky takes on popular songs. He previously uploaded a 5.7 million view video that he shot during a street performance in Bangkok, Thailand. In the video, he performs a solo violin cover of Imagine Dragons’ “Radioactive.” Aside from some real fiery playing, the performance is notable for his use of a looping pedal to create a creative arrangement of the song on the fly.
Rob Landes is a 39-year-old musician who was born in Orem, Utah, on March 15, 1985. Readers might be interested to learn that he is a classically trained violinist, although he is best known for his performances of contemporary music. Landes has 4.18 million subscribers on YouTube and has a number of videos with more than 10 million views. His most popular videos feature covers of video game music, although he posts a wide range of covers and other quirky musical content on his channel.
