Author Archives: Brian Robbins

Freelance word 'rassler, sloppy cartoonist, and thumper of stringed instruments. Tales, 'toons, and tunes at www.brian-robbins.com

Sticky Fingers – Like A Rolling Stone

It’s a piece of work – it really is: the opening seconds are a bit of sweet and wistful late-night bass work, way up high on the neck, supported by gentle acoustic guitar and shimmering keys. The bass retreats to allow the acoustic guitar to step into the foreground, all snuzzly with the keyboard … […]

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Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs – It’s Her Fault

Honest and true: I think the only folks who wouldn’t like Holly Golightly & The Brokeoffs’ new It’s Her Fault are inhabitants of Salt Lake City, Utah. And that’s not a done deal, either. Though it may be true that the opening tune “SLC” warns, Don’t get your hopes up in Salt Lake City Because […]

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The Highballers – The Highballers

If you like crunch with your twang; if you think it’s a crying shame that Hank Williams Sr. never lived long enough to own a Nudie suit; if you think the ultimate gig would be Johnny Cash fronting The Bottle Rockets – or Uncle Tupelo at their cowpunkiest – then you, my friend, need to […]

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Drive-By Truckers – English Oceans

Everything you need is right here. The Drive-By Truckers’ new English Oceans album makes its entrance with the chainsaw Sex Pistols-style guitar roar that ushers in “Shit Shots Count”. An hour later it bids farewell in a state of total marrow-deep zen (drummer Brad Morgan’s subconscious humming during the miles-deep drums that take “Grand Canyon” […]

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Alan Paul’s One Way Out : The Allman Brothers Uncut

For as public as The Allman Brothers Band’s saga has been for the last 45 years – a mix of magnificent triumphs and macabre tragedies; dues-paying and wretched excesses; clashing egos and brotherly love – their story has never been righteously told … until now. When author Alan Paul says that writing One Way Out […]

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John The Conqueror – The Good Life

Philly-based power trio John The Conqueror sounded way better than they deserved to on their 2012 self-titled debut. The biggest risk of coming out of the hole that strong was a classic one: how the hell do you follow that up? One of the best things that drummer Michael Gardner, bassist Ryan Lynn and guitarist/vocalist […]

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The Facebook Thing

Speaking of Facebook … some folks have asked about why all the new boat photos, links to stories, brian-robbins.com posts, etc. etc. don’t show up in their feeds, even though they’ve liked my Facebook page. Here’s the scoop: My Brian Robbins Facebook page is an “author’s page” – considered a business page by Facebook, with […]

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Bill Janovitz – Rocks Off: 50 Tracks That Tell The Story Of The Rolling Stones

Now, get your heads around this, boys and girls: author Bill Janovitz hasn’t compiled a list of the “50 greatest Stones songs of all time” or any such thing. Don’t get all caught up in debating why “Dead Flowers” doesn’t have a chapter in Janovitz’ book; or why “Fool To Cry” does – if you […]

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Jimbo Mathus & The Tri-State Coalition – Dark Night Of The Soul

A little over a year ago Jimbo Mathus & The Tri-State Coalition laid White Buffalo upon us – a multi-faceted album that captured the soul of the :::HANK:::KEITH:::JIMI::: holy trinity. A time capsule-worthy collection of interplanetary honky-tonk at its best, White Buffalo was bursting with the vibe and essence of some classic American music, slathered […]

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The Allman Brothers Band – Play All Night: Live At The Beacon Theatre 1992

If it hadn’t already been used for a 1994 studio album, the phrase “Back Where It All Begins” would have been an apropos subtitle for The Allman Brothers’ new archival release Play All Night. The band’s annual multi-night runs at NYC’s Beacon Theatre over the last 20-plus years have seen some of the modern-day ABB […]

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