September 5, 2007• Desert Island Discs, Music
Anyone who was paying attention in 2006 surely caught wind of a great album by the Indiana-based band, The Elms. Based in John Cougar...
September 5, 2007• Music
With the release of Bruce Springsteen’s new single, “Radio Nowhere”, which sounds to me like a tune straight out of 1981...
September 3, 2007• Music
If there was any good thing to come out of Tower Records going under last year, it was a chance for music geeks like myself to take a...
September 3, 2007• Darren's Great Unknowns, Music
From the moment I heard Bruce Gary’s infectious drum beat on the intro to “My Sharona”, I was hooked. I had never heard...
One of the most dramatic success stories of 2007 is Amy Winehouse, who first captivated us with her stunningly retro hit,...
September 1, 2007• Music
What would I be if I didn’t share my one and only Prince story? Well, here goes: I spent a couple weeks cutting basic tracks at...
August 30, 2007• Music
If you guys are anything at all like me, you were sad to see Rock & Roll Jeopardy go off the air before you were personally able to...
During my quest to find a new label home for my upcoming CD, I figured it would be beneficial to pass along some of the things I’ve...
August 30, 2007• Darren's Great Unknowns, Music
I was such a wee lad when the first Boston album came out in 1976 that I remember little else from the time, but I distinctly remember how...
August 29, 2007• Darren's Great Unknowns, Music
I dig Snow Patrol. There, I said it. I liked Snow Patrol back when they were just an Irish band getting some BBC airplay for their first...
August 24, 2007• Music
(what are you lookin’ at?) Today being Friday, I figured I’d keep things a little light and pay props to one of the good guys....
August 23, 2007• Music
When you’re young, you have the whole world in front of you. There is hope, potential, and innocence in healthy supply. Of course,...
August 22, 2007• Music
For me, “Help!†was the album that showed the Beatles to be outgrowing their teenybopper days (for lack of a better term) and...
August 18, 2007• Music
The very first guy who helped me out when I got to Chicago in ’86 was Jim Ellison. I did not know him as “the guy in Material...
(cover artwork for my debut CD, “Darren Robbins Steals Your Girlfriend”)Having just had my tune dropped from the Naked Gun...
August 17, 2007• Music
There are few things I loathe as much as cell phones. In L.A., there are people who can’t go five minutes without making a call,...
August 16, 2007• Music
When my first CD was released, during the autumn of 1988, cassettes were still the prevailing format. Yet, there I was, an unknown artist...
August 14, 2007• Music
Dear Eddie, As someone who has lived just up the street from you for close to a decade, we’ve crossed paths numerous times and...
August 11, 2007• Music
The scene: a house party in southern Illinois, summer 1988. With my debut CD’s release date fast approaching, I had driven down from...
(inner sleeve photo from my first solo record, “Darren Robbins Steals Your Girlfriend”)The year was 1986. I was high on life...
August 11, 2007• Darren's Great Unknowns, Music
The Beatles were my first love, musically. I remember being a young kid and having my uncle play me a copy of “Help!”. I...
August 10, 2007• Music
Today, I signed a one-year lease on a crappy little apartment in a crappy little part of the San Fernando Valley. No big news, really. The...
July 13, 2007• Darren's Great Unknowns, Music
In our second installment of tracks from Cheap Trick’s legendary New Year’s Eve show at L.A.’s Forum, we’re going...
July 12, 2007• Darren's Great Unknowns, Music
On New Year’s Eve 1979, Cheap Trick, riding a crest of massive international success via the multi-platinum At Budokan record (and...
July 15, 2006• Music
This past Thursday, I saw an advance screening of Tenacious D’s Pick Of Destiny. As a great fan of Jack Black and Kyle Gass, having...
July 6, 2006• Music
Like an idiot, I came across this CD a few months ago at Amoeba Music in L.A. and didn’t buy it. I seriously do not know why. A brain...
July 5, 2006• Music
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers (1976) Upon release of their debut effort, and amid a brief UK tour that saw the UK press tag them as...
June 25, 2006• Music
Since I’m on my way into the backyard for some quality hammock time on a lazy Sunday afternoon (okay, it’s hotter than...
May 30, 2006• Music
Material Issue/International Pop Overthrow (Mercury) 1991 As a subscriber to Musician magazine back in the day, I received a promotional...
May 25, 2006• Music
The great thrill of buying a new CD sight-unseen is having your faith rewarded by noting that the sounds coming from your speakers are...
