Author Archives: Brian Robbins

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

Alific – Echoes From The Soul

Echoes From The Soul is what happens when a monster bass player/studio wizard has an empty sonic canvas to work with – and basically no one to answer to but himself. Alific is Brendan Dane and Brendan Dane is Alific: songwriter, engineer, producer, arranger, and player of the majority of the instruments you hear on […]

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Humble Pie – Performance: Rockin’ The Fillmore – The Complete Recordings

The original album was a staple of any rock ‘n’ roll album collection: you might not have owned any other Humble Pie records, but chances are good that you owned 1971’s Performance: Rockin’ The Fillmore. The double album was culled from a two-night/four-show stand that the Pie made at the legendary Fillmore East in May […]

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Mike Doughty Rediscovers “Circles,” “Super Bon Bon” … and Mike Doughty

Don’t confuse Mike Doughty’s new Circles Super Bon Bon … album as a “greatest hits” collection from his days with the band Soul Coughing. Uh-uh. Nope. The fact of the matter is, it wasn’t that long ago that the idea of even playing these songs was the last thing on Doughty’s mind. As documented in […]

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Old 97’s & Waylon Jennings

The first thing you hear is an electric guitar with a three-pack-a-day rasp, Duane Eddying its way through a twangy hook; the bass string – fretted at F – rings out, barking against the rest of the riff as it chases its tail to resolution. Another pass through and here comes the snap of the […]

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GravelRoad – The Bloody Scalp Of Burt Merlin

On their latest release – The Bloody Scalp Of Burt Merlin (don’t be scared to touch the cover) – Seattle’s GravelRoad continues to do all the stuff they do so well while adding new textures and depth to the mix. Bloody Scalp finds drummer Martin Reinsel, guitarist/vocalist Stefan Zillioux, and doer-of-what-needs-doin’ Jon Kirby Newman (guitar, […]

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Talking Sunshine Daydream with Ken Babbs: Kesey, The Dead & Little Kids And Dogs

Call it what you want: The Last Acid Test; The Field Trip; The Springfield Creamery Benefit; or perhaps simply 8/27/72. Even the most casual of Deadheads are at least aware of the facts: the Grateful Dead played an outdoor concert in Veneta, OR that day, immersed in record-breaking heat. The show was a benefit to […]

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Patterson Hood: Alabama Ass Whuppin’, Drive-By Truckers’ Upcoming Studio Album, And Thank God For Triple-A

The latest album from the Drive-by Truckers is actually a blast from the past – a full-bore, string-thrashing, drum-pounding, floor-thumping, wall-shaking blast from the past, known as Alabama Ass Whuppin’. Originally released by the band in 2000, AAW is a time capsule chock full of CBGB-meets-Vee-Eff-Dubya-hall chickaboom punkness that captures the Truckers’ live lineup of […]

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The Clash – Sound System & Hits Back

The new box set Sound System is a sprawling collection of sound, sights, and swag galore that totally befits “the only band that matters”: The Clash. Packed into a replica boombox designed by Clash bassist Paul Simonon are remastered versions of five of the band’s studio albums (The Clash, Give ‘Em Enough Rope, London Calling, […]

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Sly & Robbie – Stepper Takes The Taxi

It will no doubt be the names of veteran Jamaican rhythm masters Sly Dunbar (drums) and Robbie Shakespeare (bass) that’ll catch your eye on the cover of Stepper takes The Taxi, but once you have it spinning, it’ll be the sweet, sweet saxophone of Guillaume “Stepper” Briard that grabs your ear. Briard, a longtime member […]

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Chris Kelsey & What I Say – The Electric Miles Project

Saxophonist Chris Kelsey and his co-conspirators on The Electric Miles Project (guitarists Rolf Sturm and Jack DeSalvo; bassist Joe Gallant; drummer Dean Sharp) are some kind of brave and crazy. They have tackled some of the most wild-assed work of Miles Davis’ career in a manner that comes across as being both respectful and fearless […]

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