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…
Darren Robbins
2 Min Read
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…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
As a musician, singer, and songwriter, I am often surprised by the similarities between myself and Tom Petty. WeÁ¢€â„¢ve both been supremely blessed with the love of good women, the…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
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…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
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,…
Darren Robbins
2 Min Read
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…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
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…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
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…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
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…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
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…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
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…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
Girlfriends, I was sitting on my diamond-encrusted toilet the other day thinking that yaÁ¢€â„¢ll probably had no idea what kind of music to buy. Judging by your willingness to accept…
Darren Robbins
2 Min Read
I donÁ¢€â„¢t wait by the phone like I used to I donÁ¢€â„¢t hope for kind words you might say You donÁ¢€â„¢t prey on my mind like you used to But…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
The cutout bins are filled with what IÁ¢€â„¢ve always called Á¢€Å“blatant pop attemptsÁ¢€ Á¢€” albums created for maximum commercial appeal that, despite such intentions, failed miserably on all fronts. In…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
The news of Danny FedericiÁ¢€â„¢s passing has me contemplating a number of emotions. It seems that with every passing week, there is news of cancer claiming yet another beautiful spirit…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away lived a kid who hadnÁ¢€â„¢t a care in the world. In the small Indiana town he called home, he had…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
When I was a kid, my heroes were, at the very least, deserving of adoration. The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Cheap Trick, Dan Pastorini (the one non-musician of the bunch) Á¢€”…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
Many summers ago, I was a counselor at a remote summer camp in the heart of lake-bound Michigan and, suffering from a bad case of cabin fever (literally), I had…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
Although released in late 1977, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack would be impossible to ignore for much of 1978, with the Bee Gees’ “Night Fever” and “Stayin’ Alive,” as well…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
The weird thing about being into music as much as I am (much to the chagrin of every girlfriend I’ve ever had) is that I still end up missing out…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
The Beginning Mike Zelenko (drummer): “I met Jim through an advertisement in the Illinois Entertainer (a local monthly music magazine) right out of high school. He called me a couple…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
Tim Smith (ex-Jellyfish, current member of Sheryl CrowÁ¢€™s band) 1. The Beatles, Rubber Soul My favorite period for the band, as they were firing on all cylinders. Pre-self-indulgent, post-early-sugar-pop. “If…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
Welcome to a series I began at He’s A Whore and am proud-as-punch to continue here at Popdose. While not able to mention everything that happened, I’ve touched upon some…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
This column is dedicated to featuring those bands that arenÁ¢€â„¢t household names but, to my ears, should be. Growing up in a small town in southern Michigan, the closest major…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
One of the great things about writing for a blog as world famous as Popdose is that the mere mention of my association with this collective of rock-blog superheroes gains…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
Foreigner – “Urgent,” circa ’81 A friend of mine once observed that you know youÁ¢€â„¢re getting older when most of your favorite bands are touring without their original singers. Thankfully,…
Darren Robbins
3 Min Read
With Popdose having just rolled off the showroom floor all shiny and new, still full of that Á¢€Å“new car smell,Á¢€ I am chuffed to the Á¢€Ëœnads to be a part…
Darren Robbins
1 Min Read
In 1975, music critic Jon Landau, having seen Springsteen’s performance at the Harvard Square Theater, wrote the immortal words, “I saw rock and roll’s future, and its name is Bruce…
Darren Robbins
2 Min Read
Detroit’s Romantics had gone from local club faves to national up-and-comers with the release of their debut self-titled album and follow-up effort, “National Breakout”; both albums featuring the edgy power…
Darren Robbins
4 Min Read
When I first heard Tom Petty sing the words Á¢€Å“even the losers get lucky sometimesÁ¢€, I couldnÁ¢€â„¢t help feel that this was a guy who, no matter how rich and…
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