Before playing with Ben Folds Five he was bassist for bands Toxic Popsickle and Lexx Luthor (with Godsmack's Sully Erna).
During the eponymous tour in support of their album The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner, Robert began to use several synthesizers on stage, as well as his typical electric & acoustic basses.
Robert is known for his unique use of a Big Muff pedal, used to provide a layer of fuzz distortion on top of his typical bass tone.
Sledge had a sponsorship from Epiphone for his use of the Les Paul Bass, which can be seen in the Ben Folds Five performance on Sessions at West 54th.
[2] Robert currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where he gives music lessons and plays in local rock bands "Organ Failure",[3] and "Surrender Human.