I’m sitting here on my bed in Brooklyn clutching a painful left middle finger whose nail I accidentally cut way too short the other day, giving me a little bit of a stabbing pain each time I bend a string far enough. Time has passed weirdly over the last couple weeks. I hauled a hundred-plus pounds of tube amp, telecaster, and luggage up the east coast, saw the Declaration of Independence, and played more guitar in a concentrated burst of time than I ever have in my life. And I’m only getting started.
The next few weeks will be spent in a van driving around the eastern US playing country guitar for one of the most fun bands I’ve ever been lucky enough to be a part of. I’m eternally grateful for the opportunity to chase a dream like this. Imposter syndrome creeps in pretty often, but I’m reminded of something my good friend Chris told me the other week when I was comparing myself to other country sidemen.
He said “just know that you are more qualified than nearly all of them.” He said that imposter syndrome goes away when you realize that you’ve done far more work than the people who don’t have it. And for the last 10+ years, I’ve always had it in my head that time spent holding a guitar or time spent in front of a microphone is the only time that is for sure, without a doubt, no question, not wasted.
To quote the great philosopher Aaron Lee Tasjan, “we all want something real.” That’s what we’re all looking for as humans, something genuine to believe in. I believe “real” is created when something is seen through straight from beginning to end, lived fully, and not overlooked with shortcuts.
When I’m thinking about what my ideal future looks like, it always has the same feature - that if/when my name ever comes up, all I want is the general consensus to be that I’m the real deal. Because AI, marketing, technology, and all the wretched bullshit that our future contains, will never be able to take away the fact that I put myself through the ringer to learn to play guitar and serve the music. We’ve come a long way from the multimedia studio at Georgia Tech.
Come see us on tour! I’d love to meet you, America!
#honkytonk #guitar #telcaster #queercountry
Photos by the one-and-only @adequate_chad .
What a time last Thursday night was at Smiths Olde Bar! We celebrated the release of our brand-new single Learn To Sing, @jameswdinsmoor and I partially-recited-partially-improv’d a whole skit, and the band and I managed to weave it all into a musical narrative through song.
Many, many thanks to our friends @garrettwheelerofficial and @britton_bass ! Many thanks to Smiths! And hugest thanks of all to YOU for coming to our show, and supporting independent artists like us.
Next month I’m on the road with the incomparable Paisley Fields as we make our way spreading the queer honkytonk gospel across the east coast. Who reads this far in descriptions anyway? I’ve been practicing country guitar like crazy for the last few weeks, and I’m still kind of pinching myself over the opportunity. Y’all I’m a real-ass touring guitarist. How cool. I can’t get over it. I’m so grateful. I’ve played plenty of bass over the years for different artists, but this feels like a step up. And I think the practicing is paying off, because I’m starting to really really play lead guitar without thinking too hard about it. Taking a lot of inspiration from Mike Campbell the last couple months.
Next week I’m renting a car and driving my live stuff up to New York. Do I know anyone on the way?
Grunge. Country. Grunchry. Crunge.
On Thursday, yous guys came to Smith’s Olde Bar and learned to sing. That was super cool. We filled the room from wall to wall and had a musical-theater-adjacent experience like no other! Then we rounded out the set with this PJ Harvey classic.
THANK YOU FOR COMING TO OUR SHOW. It means so much to see people out there still fighting for the existence of music made in kitchens on lazy Saturday mornings, in cars on long drives, nagging away at the mind instead of letting someone go to sleep.
Thanks to @garrettwheelerofficial and @britton_bass for playing, HUGE thank you to the best sound guy in Atlanta @noiserodent for both capturing and mixing the board audio for us, @adequate_chad for capturing video, and to @smithsoldebar for having us!
More videos and pics coming soon!
Robin
Thursday, learn to sing with me at @smithsoldebar .
On thursday, out latest single is coming out. It’s called Learn to Sing. I want to fill a room with people who all sing the song with me. And then we’re gonna record it.
And then if you join my mailing list, I’ll send the recording to ya!
Come learn to sing! Also, come soak up the sun.
What fun! What sun. What a night with @garrettwheelerofficial and Britton Bass.
#livemusic #atlantamusicscene #atlantamusic
Hi, we’re Robin Shakedown. Our all-new formula is clinically proven to keep your ears (and ass) sparkling. With our patented system, you too can learn the secrets behind keeping the human element in art.
We’re throwing a big party at @smithsoldebar in midtown Atlanta next Thursday to celebrate the release of our brand new song, Learn to Sing. Grab a ticket and a loved one (or a hated one) and join us! We want to record everyone singing this song.
Help us also celebrate the release of @garrettwheelerofficial ’s latest single, which comes out the very next day! Get a sample of some of the best indie and DIY rock and country bands the city has to offer. Tickets on sale now.
And hey, ask for Donna.
#livemusic #atlantamusic #atlantageorgia
Hey my name is Robin and a couple months ago, I taught myself how to record and mix.
It all started last summer when I noticed people were making songs with AI, and I didn’t like how that felt.
So I wrote a bunch of songs about like hope and cynicism and stuff, and the first one is coming out on April 16.
And to celebrate, I’m throwing a big concert at Smiths Olde Bar with my friends Garrett and Britton. This first song is called Learn To Sing and I want to get a recording of a hundred of my friends all in the same room together singing it.
I’d love to meet you if you’re not a friend yet. So get a ticket and come on by, and let’s celebrate the human element of music.
#atlantamusic #georgiamusic #atlmusicscene #learntosing @garrettwheelerofficial@britton_bass@thelonelyfew_band@smithsoldebar
When are you gonna learn to sing? Come find out on April 16 at @smithsoldebar . I want to pack a room full of people all singing this song, and I want to record all your beautiful voices. And if you join my mailing list, you’ll get a link to the recording of this song!
So sometime last year, I noticed that a lot of the artists I knew and loved were getting into AI art creation all of a sudden, and it really rubbed me the wrong way. So I set up my home studio and recorded an entire album by myself. Then I mixed it, and then my buddy Max mastered it, and soon you get to hear it. I’m really proud of the fact that I wrote and recorded this entire album by myself. No AI at all. Just guitars, microphones and a ton of heart.
Learn to Sing is the first single off our brand new record. And it drops on April 16.
Join us, @garrettwheelerofficial and @britton_bass of @thelonelyfew_band on April 16 at Smith’s! Tickets on sale now.
#atlantamusic #atlmusicscene #learntosing
Learn To Sing. What is it? It’s the very first single from our latest album. It’s a response to laziness and cynicism. It’s a concert on April 16th. At @sob.atl !
Last summer, I was getting sick and tired of people using AI for every little thing. I was also getting sick and tired of waiting around to record all the music I was writing, so I did it all myself. Written, recorded, and mixed a whole album in my little home studio. Real guitars, real microphones, real voices, and NO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. I did it all myself and I’m super proud of it.
Because that’s the kind of spirit that will set us free. No shortcuts, no digital fanciness, no paying-for-automated-anything. Just doing things the hard way. Because I love it.
Come hang with us, @garrettwheelerofficial , and @thelonelyfew_band at Smith’s Olde Bar on Thursday, April 16.
Tickets are on sale now. I’d love to see you there.
#atlantamusic #georgiamusic #atlmusicscene #livemusic #atlantageorgia
The record starts here.
On April 16th, meet us downstairs at @sob.atl to join the choir. Sing this song with us. We’re gonna record your beautiful voices and enshrine them in a stand for keeping soul in art.
We’ll be joined by @garrettwheelerofficial and @thelonelyfew_band in a celebration of real live art! And to keep the celebration going, our new single Learn To Sing is coming out as well - recorded entirely by human hands and ears, in my home studio, on a bare-bones rig, with real guitars, microphones, and a heart.
Tickets on sale now.
#atlantamusic #georgiamusic #atlmusicscene #livemusic #atlantageorgia
