Darren Robbins »
Popdoser Unveils New Trouser Press T-Shirts
When I was a kid, there was no Internet, which made getting my hands on great music almost impossible. From my small town in Michigan, Top 40 and AOR radio was all we had.
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 »Mix Six: “Homebrewed Goodness”
DOWNLOAD THE FULL MIX HERE It’s been said that actors wish they could be rock stars and rock stars wish they were actors. But what if you’re a writer and you also have a
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
Read More »Contemplating Adele’s “Chasing Pavements”
So much of our lives are shaped by how we carry ourselves — our self-confidence, if you will. Yet I have come to believe that confidence is actually an indicator of: a) the ability
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