about
Based in Melbourne, Australia Rohan ‘Ro Han’ Stevenson has been releasing self produced instrumental guitar music under the name ‘I Built The Sky’ since 2012.
Ranging from complex riffs, shredding guitars, catchy melodic lead work through to intricate acoustic pieces, Ro has gained worldwide attention as one to watch among the modern guitar community.
Over the last few years Ro has transformed what was essentially a studio project into a fully fledged live band, the beginnings of which saw live shows supporting international acts including Between The Buried and Me, Chon, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Monuments, Polyphia, Plini, Intervals, Twelve Foot Ninja, Haken and more.
In 2017, Ro was invited to present a songwriting masterclass at Los Angeles based university Cal Poly Pamona.
Later in 2017, I Built The Sky toured Australia in support of album ‘The Sky Is Not The Limit’ followed by national support for Caligula’s Horse.
In 2018 I Built The Sky hit new levels with a sold out show supporting Twelve Foot Ninja, a sold out single launch for track ‘Celestial’ followed by 2 headline shows in New Zealand and a 23 date tour of Europe/UK with Caligula’s Horse and Circles which gained overwhelming reviews all round.
2019 saw the release of album ‘The Zenith Rise’ which charted at number 8 on Bandcamp (Metal) 13 on Australian Independent Albums (AIR) 20 on iTunes Australia (Rock) and 50 overall.
2020 saw Ro head to USA for the NAMM convention in which he performed across 3 days representing Bare Knuckle Pickups, leaving shortly after to tour Europe and Uk across 23 dates with Progressive Metal heavyweights Monuments.
Later in 2020 Ro released ‘The Fire Inside’ which featured friends Andy Cizek on Vocals, Andrew Scott on Drums and Olly Steele performing a guest solo.
2021 saw a collaboration with long time friend Jake Howsam Lowe (Plini, The Helix Nebula) for an EP titled ‘Coalesce’. The EP features members of Intervals and The Omnific as well as world renowned guitarist Andre Nieri. Reaching #1 on Bandcamp across multiple categories, #3 on Australian AIR charts and number #39 on Itunes Australia the EP has been incredibly well received.
In 2022 Ro released the album ‘The Quiet Place Away’ which features 10 songs written and performed on acoustic guitars, the album features a string section recorded by Forrester Savell, keys performed by Ian Peres and percussion instruments performed by Ro. The album art features a meticulously hand crafted diorama by by Pat Fox and was mixed and mastered by Forrester Savell. Reaching several #1 charting positions on Bandcamp and #3 Indipendent album on AIR charts the album has amassed over 2.5 million streams collectively. After the release, an album launch show saw a sold out crowd attend the ‘Northcote Social Club’ in Melbourne with subsequent tours featuring cuts from the album performed live with several adaptations including the addition of drum kit performed by David Parkes.
2023 was filled with tours with I Built The Sky supporting Plini across Australia, followed by a Headline tour of Australia, UK and Europe, as well as performing at Radar Festival (alongside Periphery, Sleep Token) Brutal Assault festival, Comendatio Festival and NH7 Weekender Festival in India.
2024 was spent writing material for the new album to be released in 2025, with tours across Australia supporting Haken as well as headlining The Hills Festival India and a headline show in Bangalore India. Ro collaborated with Charlie Robbins on the track ‘Fleeting Moments’ which received over 250,000 streams to date.
In 2025, Ro is spending time crafting a new album for release and is set to perform internationally.
Stay updated by following I Built The Sky on Instagram here
media and artist quotes
“Nothing Short of Spectacular” - Heavy Mag
“The kids a natural” - Drew Goddard (Karnivool)
“Some of the best guitar work Ive ever seen” - Belwood Music
“Steve Vai levels of guitar trickery” - Overdrive Music Magazine
“Prog Titans” - Guitar World Magazine
"Fantastic guitar playing with some very finely tuned songwriting skills" - Josh Smith (Northlane)
"File it alongside some of the great instrumental rock/metal records of our time" - Heavy Music Magazine
"Go treat yourself to this outstanding album from a guy who can play guitar better than you ever will"
- My Indie Australia
"Everything you need in an instrumental song - Slippery riffs and big feels !" - Plini
"Lots of tasty playing, great tunes, and killer grooves on this well-produced third album. Rohan's melodies and tonal choices shine throughout" - Bryan Beller
(The Aristocrats, Zappa Plays Zappa, Steve Via, Joe Satriani and more)
"I was browsing iTunes just now, listened to a bunch of tunes and really like it!!" - Jordan Rudess (Dream Theatre) Via Instagram DM
