All posts by Darren Robbins »
Being Kurt Cobain
My first impression of Kurt Cobain, even before I knew anything about him, was that he was the kid in school who was painfully quiet, but whose mind was silently screaming. This, I remember
Read More »Being Tom Petty
As a musician, singer, and songwriter, I am often surprised by the similarities between myself and Tom Petty. We’ve both been supremely blessed with the love of good women, the musical input and support
Read More »Desert Island Discs: Dan Wilson and Hugo Burnham
Dan Wilson (Trip Shakespeare, Semisonic, solo artist) Okay Darren, here are my picks! I’m sure if I thought about it more I’d only come up with a bunch more bonus picks, so I’m sticking
Read More »Ray LaMontagne: Chicago Theatre, October 1, 2008
There are few artists whose music evokes the coming of autumn more than Ray LaMontagne. Thus, it seemed only fitting that as I walked from my car to the venue, I should take note
Read More »Steve Foley, Elvis Presley, and America
This past weekend, drummer Steve Foley passed away at the age of 49. Foley, of course, is best known for replacing Chris Mars in the Replacements for their final tour in 1991 after years
Read More »@#$% Preconceptions: Eurythmics, “In the Garden”
Preconceptions can be a bitch. Lemme give you an example. Back in 1981, I bought an album by a band called The Tourists, whom I knew nothing about, and, upon first listen, promptly became
Read More »An Open Letter to Trent Reznor
Okay, let me just say right off the top that I’ve always had a bit of a problem with Trent Reznor. This was purely from an artistic POV. As a huge fan of Ministry’s
Read More »Random-onium: Redd Kross, Chris Isaak, and the “Miami Vice” Soundtrack
This is the first in a series that I call Random-onium!, for lack of a better term. The premise is that I go to a friend’s house and pick a few CDs out of
Read More »Blatant Pop Attempts: Ministry, “With Sympathy”
There are those artists who get a couple releases into their career before they feel the pressure from the suits at the label to “have a hit,” and then there are those artists who
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