The Times-Picayune
Surburban punk band is about 'just having fun'
Barry Lemoine
September 19, 2001"'Cool Down! Got It?'" has that certain bubblegum poppiness that makes bobbing your head nearly impossible to resist and is sure to get the girlies swooning," said Robin Tenney, a music reviewer for the lapunx music Web site when she described the 10-track album by The Robinsons.
Formed in May 2000, The Robinsons is a suburban punk band from St. Bernard Parish. Members are: Mike Patton, vocals and guitar; Todd Patton, drummer; Allen Wagner, bass guitar, and Terrell Robinson, keyboards and vocals.
Mike Patton, Robinson and Wagner are former members of the local group Park Bench.
Mike Patton likes the direction his new group is taking.
"With Park Bench, we were getting somewhere, but not what we wanted," he said. "This new style is more simple and lets our vocals stand out. We try to put three-part harmony in every song. But we are really all about just having fun."
The Robinsons play a wide range of tunes influenced by bands such as Green Day and The Ramones.
Mike Patton, who graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi in 1999 with a degree in English, uses his love of literature in his songwriting.
"It's like creative writing and storytelling. We're making statements of society while making up stories," he said. He also said many of his songs have a bit of a sarcastic tone.
The Robinsons have somewhat of a cult following in Chalmette, with fan Web pages and a rowdy group of devoted followers, but the band also has enjoyed success outside of the parish with gigs in Baton Rouge, Houma and Jackson, Miss.
In fact, the band will be recording with producer Wyatt Funderburk next month in a studio in Starkville, Miss.
Patton hopes to get signed to a small, independent label and go on tour next summer.
"I'm really proud of this album," he said. "Not everyone can write that pop hook. And when I turn on the radio, I ask, 'Why not us?'"
The Robinsons will perform Sept. 10 at 6:30 p.m. at the Maumus Center, 721 Friscoville Ave., Arabi, as part of the kickoff party for the new After School Acting Program offered to teens interested in drama and theater.
The event is free and open to the public. For information about the band, visit their Web site at www.therobinsonsmusic.net.
So to any teen who would like to act, I invite them to the kickoff party.
To The Robinsons, I wish continued good luck.
And to Mike Patton and to all of you out there who provide the music that we dance to and the words we sing along with, I say Bravo.