Robbie and the Robots

By ASHLEY CASS
Scene Reporter

We’re heavy on Robbie Doyen this week as we review two local releases.

SMTX 78666
SMTX 78666
http://www.myspace.com/sanmarcoscompilation

SMTX 78666 is a 19-song compilation featuring original songs from local bands The Jared Francis Band, Scott Biram, Robbie and the Robots, Eleven Fingered Charlie, The Cari Hutson Band, Kallisti Gold, The Jocks, The Subtle Creeps, The Word Association, The Wailing Walls, The Hatchets, Grant Ewing, Bernie Calcote Blackwater Gospel, Rockus Circus, The AK47’s, Chancla, Fambly and Apse Affinity.

Intended as a charitable cause and the brainchild of Robbie Doyen, lead singer of Robbie and the Robots, SMTX 78666 includes a variety of genres, including bluegrass, rock ‘n roll, hip hop, ska, punk, metal and blues. Partial proceeds of the CD go to AFFTER (Advocates for Fibromyalgia Funding Treatment Education and Research) in an attempt to fight the disease that afflicts Doyen’s father. Fibromyalgia is thought to be second most common rheumatic condition in the United States, affecting two percent Americans, according to John Hopkins University research.

The first track “Texas Beer” by Jared Francis Band, recalls the greatness of living in Texas – the best part being Texas beer. Comparable to American rock band O.A.R, the Jared Francis Band reminisce about their time in Texas and refute the experience of moving to Oklahoma – “Gray skies, Texas Rain – ain’t nothing better to ease my pain. Oklahoma is fading fast. San Marcos, Texas, you’re right on track.” The upbeat guitar and funky bass make the track one of the more jammy tracks of the album.

The foot tapping track entitled “Whitehouse Blues” by Scott Biram characterized by fast riffs and Biram’s rye soaked vocals is a banjo-picked yodeling good time. “Up in the Scene,” the Hip Hop Remix by Robbie and the Robots begins with emcee Omari Kamua laying down rhyme atop funky electric guitar and pounding bass. After a minute, Doyen begins with the lyrics “my favorite band is playing up in Austin and I’m going to go.” The poppy garage Texas country band’s lyrics are simple but clever.

Another standout track is “Snake Eyes” by the hip hop group The Word Association. The down tempo groove contains some profanity but keeps a perpetual harmony in its looped bars and numerous singers dropping rhymes. The track begins with a sole member rapping the lyrics “if you take a young man, put a microphone in his hand and push him as hard as you can – you have an artistic weapon. We have ten,” and concludes with several of the members chiming in “no surprise, you rolling dice with snake eyes. No surprise, you rolling dice with snake eyes.”

“All Night Ramblin” by Grant Ewing is a notable blues track featuring soft cymbal tapping, rolling guitar riffs, and the theme of drowning the blues with a night of alcohol “slamming.”

“Misguided Confidence” by the AK47s begins with ravage raucous screaming and Hot Topic-esque metal rock guitar riffs and drumming. While most of the lyrics in the song are difficult to understand, the track further proves that there’s something for everyone on the compilation. “Chancla” by Chancla which translates into flip-flop depicts the story of a boy disciplined by “number one tool of Latina mothers for discipline.” Featuring a few words in Spanish, the comedic song tells the story of a young boy being asked to make a chicken pot pie and throwing out the “basura” and getting lost in playing “Pacman” instead of doing his chorus.

The album artwork done by local artist Bonner Fowles depicts a laid back river floating experience on the San Marcos River which folds out into three part gatefold. The inner sleeve is simpler with tree leaves adorning the upper outer corners encircling the artist names, song titles and band website. The inner back tray features a girl tubing with a beer and cigarette in hand encompassing the overall theme of the album – river floating and house parties.

Robbie and the Robots
Todaysterday
Jacket Weather Records
http://www.myspace.com/robbieandtherobots

Released in 2005, Todaysterday is the first and only full-length album (so far) for pop-punk alternative rockers Robbie and the Robots which consists of Robbie Doyen on guitar and lead vocals, Aphyr St. James on djembe and backup vocals, Levi Cory on bass and backup vocals, Jesse Hodges on lead guitar and backup, and J.R. “Mojo” Juica on drums. The 10-track album which centralizes mostly on relationships and partying encompasses a splash of genres from pop to punk to rockabilly to rock throughout. Incredibly witty, Doyen’s lyrics are clever, well-written and rhyme.

The album’s first track entitled, “Symbiosis,” is a soft ballad with a repetitive “na na na na na na na,” chorus. Commencing with a psychobilly guitar intro “Drug Free Sabbath,” is an album anthem which evidently gets its name from Doyen’s professed lyrics- – “I don’t smoke crack on the day of the Lord, I don’t smoke crack on the day of the Lord.” The track is a dancey number which is likely a crowd sing-along favorite with its upbeat tempo and easy lyrics. “Naked,” focuses on the joys of being young, dumb, and driving “naked with the top down.” There’s a notable rockabilly feel and Chuck Barry-esque guitar amidst the lyrics “drugs are better than people. Take a pill, take a hit, take a puff, take a sip, yeah, drugs are better than people.”

The album art, which appears to be a drain of some sort with the album title trailing in a downward spiral motion, was created and designed by Doyen. Created on a grayscale, the design is bland and simple. A female robot caricature also created by Doyen is featured in the insert. A picture of the band taken by Sarah Grace Lanz graces the back of the insert.

If Robbie and The Robots are as delightful and fun as their album suggests, the results are undeniably a rockin’ good time. - Newsstreamz

By HAP MANSFIELD
Scene Editor

With a brand new music video and an upcoming new CD, Robbie and the Robots are going places again.

The award winning band has had several different “robots” through the years and has faced some down time. However, there’s only one Robbie, and that’s Robbie Doyen, the band’s founder and songwriter. Robbie and the Robots will play their original blend of pop, punk and surf Friday night at Triple Crown, 206 North Edward Gary.

Doyen has been called a lot of interesting things in the press he’s received since the band’s first incarnation in 2002. Examples of epithets describing him run along the lines of “doped-up Richard Simmons” and “idiot savant hobo rock star.” While Doyen’s music is whimsical and clever, there’s more to him, and the band, than just quick wit and a sprightly stage presence.

Doyen writes a snappy pop tune and just happens to see the world through an eccentrically creative filter. That filter often gets mistaken as mere comedic talent, but don’t you believe it. Despite the amusing lyrics and fun stage persona, the music is solid, the tunes are catchy, the musicians are proficient and, like most good jokes, there’s a deeply serious side to the humor.

“Basically Robbie and the Robots is a singer-songwriter band,” Doyen said. “I just don’t write very traditional singer-songwriter songs. It’s kind of like Nine Inch Nails or Weezer or Dinosaur Jr. They’re all ‘bands’ that revolve around one songwriter. But I’m also the booking agent, and the manager and the secretary and the treasurer and whatever else, so I think the guys appreciate all the work outside of playing music that I put into the band. Lately, though, we’ve been jamming a lot at practice, and if a song came out of that we’d probably do a group writing credit.”

Named in honor of Doyen’s fondness for Issac Asimov books, Robbie and the Robots have gone through some personnel changes through the years with Doyen remaining the epicenter and songwriter of the group.

“The current lineup is me, James Thompson on lead guitar, Josh Mouton on bass and Tim Lormor on Drums,” Doyen said. “Having the flexibility to change my band members out but still keep the same name is the only way I’ve been able to keep my band going so long. And each new member always contributes something fresh and exciting to the music, so despite all of the band member flux we’ve still been able to grow musically. And the guys in the band right now are fantastic. One of the best pieces of advice I ever got was from a producer named Jim Volentine who said, ‘You’re only as good as the worst member of your band,’ so I always make sure I’m surrounded by very talented musicians.”

A native Texan, Doyen was born in Corpus Christi, raised in Boerne and graduated from Texas State with a degree in English and psychology. In a typical Doyen twist, the sensitive singer-songwriter also has a black belt in kung fu and teaches it at a local martial arts school. His musical interests started, like most musicians, in his teen years.

“I got my first guitar when I was 16,” Doyen said. “It was a cheap classical guitar and I nearly broke the neck off of it playing Metallica riffs. I immediately started writing songs. That’s why I wanted a guitar. I’ve always loved writing.”

His musical influences come from a kaleidoscope of sources, which may explain Doyen’s peculiar lyrical slant. Bands he is currently listening to include Oklahoma’s psychedelic Flaming Lips and alt-county standards, Wilco.

“I’ve really been getting into the Mountain Goats lately,” he said. “Ween and They Might Be Giants are always fun. I also take a lot of inspiration from the country performers I listened to as a kid, like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. Local Artists like Scott Biram and Terri Hendrix influence me a lot, too. I love they way they have run their careers.”

In the past, Robbie and the Robots have had unusual set-ups for their live shows like the gigs they played with a tent, a fake campfire and a giant moon and stars hung in the background. Still, there are gaps in the “robotic” catalog in which the band seems to disappear and then emerge out of nowhere and start working again, sort of like the mysterious chocolate factory of Willie Wonka. Part of this stems from hard times that have inspired and paralyzed Doyen’s work.

“Unfortunately for me, one of the main things that inspires me to create is tragedy,” he said. “But I’ve got such a bizarre viewpoint on the world that my observations are commonly interpreted as dark comedy. I get especially aroused creatively by complicated situations.”

One only has to hear his song “Small Town Psycho Crazy Girlfriend Blues” to be convinced of his sincerity on that point.

“But I’ve also learned that when there’s too much tragedy it can be almost impossible to get inspired,” Doyen continued. “For a while, so many awful things happened in a row that I could hardly pull myself out of my depression long enough to write anything. Between that and spending so much time working on the business part of Robbie and the Robots, I’ve felt very stifled for a while.”

However, a person as multifaceted and complex as Doyen often needs a solid outlet for his creativity. In the end, it is art that saves an artist from imploding.

“If it weren’t for a deep need to document my emotions through music, I probably wouldn’t have written anything for the last few years,” Doyen said. “But I’m slowly getting back on track. I’m writing every day again, and learning how to draw, and just relearning how to be a creative person. Making music videos has also played a huge part in reawakening my muse.”

Speaking of videos, the new Robbie and the Robots video for “I’m The One” is a clever compilation of animation and live action that aptly illustrates the song. Filmed by Austin director Randi Nguyen at Omega studio in front of a green screen, it tells the story of a little boy dreaming about being a rock star, replete with dancing girls and a variety of musicians.

“Randi and her crew did a fantastic job getting everything together,” Doyen said. “We had to shoot all of that green screen stuff in one day. It was a ton of work, but she pulled it off and the video looks great. And the reason you see so many different musicians in the video is because we were also making fun of how many band members I’ve had.”

You can see the results of all the work on this charming video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjWn6bDEGlE.

Being a part of the San Marcos local music scene for so long has given Doyen a unique perspective on why the area has so many unusually talented musicians.

“You know, I’ve heard people refer to San Marcos as being just like Austin used to be about thirty years ago before it started to get really corporate,” Doyen said. “There’s a freshness—a reckless innocence. There’s just enough influence from Austin for musicians to strive to create great music without quite so much of the business that can bog down that creativity. But at the same time, it would be great to see the scene grow and become more recognized. There are definitely some pretty huge names that have come out of this town, like Stevie Ray Vaughn and George Strait. There’s also Terri Hendrix and Scott Biram doing the solo thing. And Randy Rogers Band and Blue October are getting pretty huge.”

Doyen is supportive of the local scene, often hosting open mic nights at local venues and enjoying the music of other bands.

“Some of my favorite local bands in no particular order are Chasca, The Couch,The Standouts, Matt Begley and Bitter Whiskey, The Organics, The Beaumonts, The Columnists, Olive Street, Scott Biram, Grant Ewing,” he said.

Chasca, a modern rock band with a more than a hint of 1980’s era glam will play on the bill Friday night at Triple Crown with Robbie and the Robots. On the surface, it seems like a strange and unusual pairing.

But, then, Robbie and the Robots are more than somewhat strange and unusual. - San Marcos Local News

Robbie & The Robots play the tunes that draw you in. Led by Robbie's lyrics before you know it you're standing up and rocking. We had a chance to catch up with Robbie only because the basketball season hasn't started. In his other life he writes for the San Antonio Spurs website.
Arm The Pit: For the record, what is your band's name? How did you come up with that name?
Robbie Doyen: I'm Robbie Doyen from Robbie and the Robots. I made up the name because it's a name that can last through changing band members, and the band member turnover rate is really high here in San Marcos.
ATP: So who's in the band and what's everyone's life story in 50 words or less?
Robbie: Right now the band members are me, Jesse Hodges, Luke Pierce, and Kealy Sartor. I have degrees in Psychology and English. Jesse is an internet website designer. Luke is a student at ACC. Kealy wrecks his car a lot.
ATP: In a nutshell, please describe your sound.
Robbie: Robbie and the Robots songs are tragic comedies in the form of catchy rock tunes. The music will leave you dancing, laughing, and thinking.
ATP: Why did you each of you start playing music and was there a turning point from becoming the dream child that every mother and father hopes their child will become before discovering music? Why did music become a career choice for you?
Robbie: I got my first guitar when I was 16 because I wanted to try writing songs. persuing music was not a career choice. It chose me. It's a very hard life, and I wouldn't still be doing it if I didn't feel on some level that I have to.
ATP: What bands have influenced each of you?
Robbie: Dolly Parton. Willie Nelson. Kurt Cobain. Townes Van Zandt. Eddie Vedder. Robert Palmer. Trent Reznor. Scott Biram.
ATP: What makes your band unique?
Robbie: The lyrics.
Examples: "I don't smoke crack on the day of the Lord", "Everything is going great so clap your hands and masturbate", "She's not very strong, but her mouth is a muscle", "Sometimes rebellion is nothing more than self inflicted torture. I keep finding ways to hurt myself over and over and over"
ATP: If you could hang with anyone, who would it be?
Robbie: I hate this question. I would hang with Godzilla.
ATP: What instruments do you each play? How did you learn to play, self or school?
Robbie: We're a four piece, but sometimes I play solo acoustic shows with a tent and an electric campfire as stage props.
ATP: Do you write your own music? Who writes the music?
Robbie: I write the lyrics and melodies and rhythm guitar. Then I let the robots handle the rest with fairly minimal direction.
ATP: What inspires the songs you write?
Robbie: Sadness. Loneliness. Heartache. You know. The usual stuff.
ATP: How long does it take you to write a song that’s ready to record?
Robbie: Anywhere from a day to a year.
ATP: Do you do any recording on your own?
Robbie: Only with my tape recorder
ATP: How would you describe your local music scene? Likes, Dislikes.
Robbie: San Marcos: Awesome artists. Good fans. Decent selection of clubs. Nobody to help bands with business. No local radio station that will play local musicians. The music is good, but the business is terrible... probably what makes the music so good.
ATP: What would you like to change about your local music scene?
Robbie: I'd like for our local radio station to support local music, and I'd like for there to be a local record label.
ATP: What is your favorite local venue?
Robbie: Lucy's San Marcos
ATP: What's the biggest problem you find when working with other bands, booking agents, promoters and venues when setting up a show or a tour?
Robbie: It's a business where everybody is a flaky drunk with a massive ego. So between the butting of heads and the blackout drinking binges, nothing ever seems to get done.
ATP: How experienced are you on the stage? A virgin or whore.
Robbie: Let's just say, I've been around the block.
ATP: How do you transport your equipment to the gig? Mom's car or a battle weary van. Do you have name for it?
Robbie: In a car.... a ferrari limozine with a jaccuzzi in the back so all the groupies can wash up.
ATP: Most people will never know what it feels like to be on stage in front of a crowd, explain that feeling:
Robbie: If the crowd likes you it feels great. If the crowd hates you it sucks. and if the crowd ignores you, that is the worst of all.
ATP: Describe your typical stage show performance. Give us a hint into what we might expect at your show and why we should go.
Robbie: For the electric show I jump all over the stage and do lots of cool rock star leg kicking and head bobbing and such. The acoustic show is a bit more subdued, but it gives the audience a chance to understand my lyrics and the Campfire stage set-up is a big hit.
ATP: Tell us about your most memorable gig and why it was so great.
Robbie: I love to play Hoot-Nights. My favorite one so far was a Beck Hoot Night. We also did a Ween Hoot Night and a Motown Hoot Night.
ATP: Tell us about your worst gig and why it was so bad.
Robbie: I played at a nursing home when I was twenty. It was sad.
ATP: Do you believe commercial/mainstream music has had a negative effect on new music? Why or Why Not.
Robbie: No. The bands that make it that far have simply worked very hard. And if your music doesn't work on commercial stations, there are plenty of new ways to get your music heard thanks to the internet.
ATP: How do we take back music from the suits?
Robbie: Work hard at your own music, and support the music you love.
ATP: How big of an impact do you think the underground, indie scene has on the current pop culture?
Robbie: It takes about ten years for any underground scene to have an effect on pop culture, unless some brilliant punk comes flying in from out of nowhere. It's true that one man can make a scene. Like what Kurt Cobain did for Seattle and then to the country.
ATP: Do you feel that "underground" is just a marketing term like anything else?
Robbie: Not really. Because undergound is pretty undefinable. It just means nobody has ever heard of you.
ATP: Has the internet really been helpful to your promotion? Why or Why Not.
Robbie: I guess. The only thing that's ever been really helpful to my promotion is word of mouth.
ATP: Can you name a few of you favorite places on the web for band promotions?
Robbie: Arm the Pit of Course. Garageband is pretty cool except that most of the people who review your song are total tools. CDbaby does a lot to help out independent musicians. And there's a new place called austinonlinemusic that's trying to help lead musicians into the the age of online mp3 sales.
ATP: Do you have a website? What's the address?
Robbie: WWW.ROBBIEANDTHEROBOTS.COM
ATP: Tell us about your website:
Robbie: It's a lot of fun. The front page is a scene at a bar full of robots dancing to a band, and I am the only human. It is a photo map, and if you click
on the bathroom it takes you to the library where you can read some of my short stories or look at photo essays from past shows. There's also a great Flash Movie in the Movies section called stegosaurus, that I made based on a children's song with the same name. The website is cool. Go check it out.
ATP: Do you have a street team? How do you join your street team?
Robbie: Email me.
ATP: Would you open for a headlining act? Who would it be and why?
Robbie: Sure. I'd love to open for Cake or Green Day or someone huge like that. I bet it would be fun to perform on that level.
ATP: Where's your dream gig?
Robbie: An open mic at a small bar where it's just me and a group of superbadass musicians like Willie Nelson and Dimebag Darrell and Trent Reznor and Bob Dylan. We all get wasted and try out new material. And the bartender has huge tits.
ATP: Are there any established artists with whom you would like to play with?
Robbie: Yea, all the ones I just mentioned.
ATP: Are you looking to get a record deal? Why or Why Not?
Robbie: Sure, but I've already had so many bad run-in's with Record Labels, that I'd rather just do as much on my own as I can. If you're not already street savvy about the music business, Record Labels will do everything in their power to fuck you over.
ATP: Let us say that you have been just signed by a major label and they say time to move 2500 miles. Now what, would you be able to move?
Robbie: Well, depends if they're promoting the album well and treating me like a priority.
ATP: What are your plans for the future? In a year, 5 years.
Robbie: play a lot. make some new fans. Get some old fans back. make some records. Sell some records. Write some new songs.
ATP: Finally, do have any words on what Arm The Pit means to you?
Robbie: You guys are cool as shit.
ATP: Robbie, we want to thank for your time. Go Spurs. - Arm The Pit

Hanging out, listening and dancing to a live band with friends in a packed venue may seem like one of many ways to spend a weekend in San Marcos. On Sunday, it was a little different since it was for more than pure entertainment. San Marcos bands took the opportunity to contribute their musical talents free of charge to help raise several thousand dollars for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Lucy's on the Square, skytravel.org and Outhouse Designs played host to Sunday's benefit concert titled United We Jam. According to their press release, all proceeds from the event, which included donations taken at the door and tips received by service staff, would be donated to the American Red Cross. The lineup for the benefit was filled with some of San Marcos' favorite bands.
Acts who played the show included the following: Jackson Parten, JR Castro, Jared Francis, Bernie Calcote, Plinko, Kallisti Gold, Five Dollar Friend, Meatwood, Subtle Creeps, Rebecca Creek, Cari Hutson Band, Robbie and the Robots, The Word Association, Oceanus, Clap!Clap!, A Year in Exile, 57 State and Eleven Fingered Charlie.
This is not the first benefit show of its kind. Skytravel.org sponsored the first United We Jam concert in Austin for victims of the Sept. 11 attacks. The effort raised more than $6,000. Sunday's show raised nearly the same amount, a little over $5,000, said Lucy's spokesperson Brian Scofield.
The American Red Cross Web site stated that as of Sunday, the organization had received nearly $764.7 million. They estimate that more than $2 billion will be required to meet costs for the emergency needs of Hurricane Katrina survivors. The sum is 20 times greater than the relief provided by the Red Cross for all hurricanes in 2004.
The all-day show started at 2 p.m. and continued until midnight. The event was free, but donations could be placed in a bright orange bucket at the entrance. James Sartor, history senior, was one of many students willing to give a contribution.
"I'm proud to be here. I gave ten bucks," Sartor said.
Sartor also experienced a form of tragedy from Hurricane Katrina.
"Our family cemetery in Lafayette, La., was flooded, and the coffins came up and opened. So our whole ancestry, the bodies of our ancestors are gone," Sartor said.
The bands playing the benefit were happy to be a part of cause.
"Lucy's asked us to play and they told us what it was for, so we said 'yes,'" said Jody Wood, vocalist of the metal band Oceanus.
Wood also has ties to the catastrophe.
"I know some of my family whose houses may be gone in Mississippi," Wood said. "I don't know anyone personally from New Orleans, but it's weird; at my job, I talk to evacuees from New Orleans wanting help to set up their Internet in hotels or rooms."
The Word Association, a local hip-hop group, praised fellow bands in its songs and continually asked people to donate what they could throughout the performance. The message was echoed as each band took the stage. People in the audience cheered and showed their support by giving tips to bartenders and participating on the dance floor. Some even jumped on stage.
One band member was enthusiastic about playing the show and recalled similar benefit shows.
"Oh. It's great. I know a number of bands played a benefit for the tsunami," said Levi Cory, bassist for the pop rock band Robbie and the Robots. "San Marcos is really great for pulling together in situations like this to do what they can."
Lindsey Lashway, audience member and pre-mass communication senior, had family directly affected.
"I used to live in Metairie, which is right outside of New Orleans, and I have a lot of family there," Lashway said. "Luckily, they got out and went to my parents' house in Galveston. Their houses were not too badly damaged because they lived on the outskirts."
Lashway was glad that San Marcos was doing its part to contribute. She said although the hurricane was a great tragedy, she was happy to know money was being raised for victims.
Guitarist Jesse Hodges, also of Robbie and the Robots, had family affected as well.
"My uncle's wife's grandchildren are all out of their house.," Hodges said. "So they are all living with them in Corpus Christi now. They have several teenagers and two additional adults living in a two bedroom house."
The audience continued to grow as the evening progressed, and Lucy's became a crowded house with people enjoying the music and continuing to donate money. The bar was busy, with customers leaving tips for the cause.
In their press release, the sponsors of United We Jam stated that they hoped to collect at least $10,000 in conjunction with Jack's Patio Bar in San Antonio.
In addition to taking donations at Lucy's, Outhouse Designs supplied, designed and sold white United We Jam T-shirts at the show. They featured the words "United We Jam: Hurricane Katrina Benefit" printed in black with the Texas and American flags depicted with Lucy's Barfish. A lineup of the bands was on the back in bright red ink. Donations can still be made to the relief effort at the Red Cross Web site.
Cory summarized the bands' participation in the benefit show as a way to express their sympathy.
"We may not be able to contribute thousands and thousands of dollars, but it's all in spirit and heart," Cory said. - University Star

On Sunday night, Lucy’s on the Square hosted a benefit for the local chapter of N.O.R.M.L. in an effort to raise funds for the defense against the war on weed.

N.O.R.M.L. (if you haven’t heard) is the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws and has fought “the good fight” for over 30 years. Founded in 1970 by Keith Stroup, the organization hosts chapters in all 50 states. The main goal, however, isn’t just the issue of legalizing pot, but also the advocacy of medicinal marijuana and the education of people on the facts behind marijuana usage.

The benefit held Sunday night reflected N.O.R.M.L.’s goals, with some fine musical talent and giveaways to boot.

In the spirit of Mary Jane, the Lee Person band opened up with a funk/soul sound that got the whole crowd shaking their figurative moneymakers. The band’s namesake, Lee Person, held the lead electric so well as to think he came out of the womb with a guitar pick in his hand. During the show, Person flipped his guitar to his face and grinded out chords with his teeth.

Bassist Mikel Graves thrummed his bass harmoniously with Person, adding his own jazzy riffs to the sound, while drummer Tommy Barrera provided a wide range of beats through masterfully slapping his skins.

For their last song, the band covered Jimi Hendrix’s classic “Purple Haze,” thereby capturing the true spirit of the benefit. Closing with Hendrix can be tricky, though, as Jimi laid down his own unique brand of rock style that is hard to follow and even harder to imitate. Fortunately, Lee Person and his crew not only kissed the sky properly, they successfully paid homage to the legendary rock and soul artist.

Robbie and the Robots, a local rock-group favorite, followed the Lee Person Band and proved to be jam-tastic, bringing out the hip grooves as well as the humor. One of Robbie’s lyrics requests, “If you’re out there feelin’ great/clap your hands and masturbate.” The Robots rocked with a cover of Robert Palmer’s ’80s great “Addicted to Love” — and who wouldn’t like their closer “I Don’t Smoke Crack on The Day of the Lord”?

Robbie and the Robots reminded locals why they kick ass while making everyone laugh and really enjoy the rock venue — something many bands just can’t seem to grasp. They portrayed rock as something to have a good time with and contributed rockingly to the N.O.R.M.L. benefit, as a whole.

The night’s closers were The Word Association and Electric Mayhem, with intermixed components that are the sum of one cool hip-hop steamroller. The poets of Word Association, Park Nast, Ad-lib, Sigma Prime, Omari, W-ill, Jaysin and Chief pitched words and syllables so precisely it took mental effort to keep up. Each artist had his own distinct voice and style, from staccato to low and slow flows.

To say these cats have skills in the ways of rhyme is an understatement. They can speak for themselves:

“I keep my ear to da breaks and my foot on the gas/If you’re a thorn in my side, then I’m a foot in you’re a**!”

“Who am I to ask for any breaks though?/ Like I was born with wings and a halo!”

“My oral capacity/Is something that you have to see.”

These and other rhymes were flipped and cleverly combined to create a far more original sound than the common bling-ice-Benz-rolling chump rap that dominates the radio airwaves. The Word Association, rocking their mics to DJ Crown’s skilled scratching and beat mixing, represent hip-hop in the best sense of the word: speaking about life, truth, and struggles.

Electric Mayhem shut down the house with their distinct flavor of both old and new school hip-hop while the crowd boogied out to the dance floor. The records spinning and beat cuts had that kind of pull, while DJ Crown and Chief gave the crowd more phat breaks than a fall down the stairs.

The N.O.R.M.L. benefit at Lucy’s was one of the better methods of informing and educating the masses about Marijuana laws and the progress being made to improve them. There was also a raffle and giveaways. N.O.R.M.L. hats were thrown into the crowd and the prizes for the raffle included free pizzas, tattoos, and piercings and some finely blown glassware.

For more information on N.O.R.M.L. or to get involved, visit www.sanmarcosnorml.org or contact Gian Pearson at gpiozz@txstate.edu. - University Star

#1 Alternative Band in Austin:
Robbie and the Robots

#5 Best Party Band in Austin:
Robbie and the Robots

#1 Acoustic Guitar Player in Austin:
Jesse Hodges (Robbie and the Robots) - The Edge Magazine

Groups like Robbie and the Robots come around only once in a while: Usually at a time when you find yourself stuffing more and more bar napkins into your ears and thinking, 'they all sound alike.'



The Robots are carefully clumsy, tastefully raw and their lyrics are a good reason to remove the napkin plugs, lest the semi-sweet but dark humor, fly right by.



Songs like "Naked", a true story about a Toga-less, Toga party, or "Drug Free Sabbath," a tale of a man's unwavering conviction NEVER to smoke crack on Sundays.



And there's my favorite (and I'm not alone here), "Small Town Psycho Crazy Girlfriend Blues," where front-man, Robbie Doyen, gleefully sings, "That knife in her hand is really making me scared!"



"STPCG-Blues" is another true (although exaggerated) Doyen-experience, proving once again that sometimes fact can be more fun than fiction.



"I like to make the best out of my misery by making light of it," Doyen told LIVE!



Prior to the Robots, who have been together almost 5 years, Doyen had a band called, Too Small Shoes, which was responsible for his debut album although some of those songs made the jump to the Robots' new CD, Todaysterday.



"I've always had an aptitude to write songs so I needed to learn an instrument to complete the circle. One cord songs like some of the Tom Petty tunes made me think, 'I can do that,' so at 16, I picked up the guitar," explained Doyen.



Robbie Doyen was born in Corpus Christi, raised in Boerne and has lived the past 10 years in San Marcos, where he does so much more than just write and play fun music. His last project, stripped of all his trademark slanted humor, was a compilation CD he produced of 19 different San Marcos bands.



The album, entitled SMTX 78666, is being sold to raise money for Fibromyalgia research, a disease that afflicts millions of Americans each year, including Doyen's father, Robert Sr.



For Friday's Steel Penny show, Aaron Pyle replaced regular bass player Sterling Finlay, whose father Kent, owns Cheatham Street Warehouse. Drums and lead guitar were executed perfectly by ol' timer, Luke Pierce and Texas State music major, Nick Garcia, respectively.



Robbie and the Robots now share a space on my musical shelf with the Austin-based band, Jabarvy, as two of the most pleasant surprises this year.



The weekend show was Robbie and the Robots' debut San Angelo appearance, but I'm sure we'll see them back soon with their one-person cheerleading section, Sarah, in tow. You can check out more of their music at myspace.com/robbieandtherobots. - Mark Kneubel

Robbie and the Robots
#2 best alternative band
#5 best party band - The Edge Magazine

Drug Free Sabbath won an Honor Award in the Seventh annual Great American Song Contest. - Great American Song Contest

Elisa Botello
Features Reporter

Robbie Doyen, Robbie and the Robots' lead singer and songwriter, came up with the idea for SMTX 78666 — a 19-song compilation with a cause.

"My father has fibromyalgia and is in constant pain," Doyen said. "I just want to do anything I can to help him and the millions of others around the world who suffer from this disease."

Fibromyalgia syndrome is thought to be the second most common rheumatic condition (osteoarthritis being the first) affecting Americans, according to the Johns Hopkins White Paper on Arthritis. This painful syndrome affects two percent of Americans, about 3.7 million people.

The album, representing San Marcos as a fun, relaxing, hilarious and hospitable town, will donate a majority of the proceeds from the album's sales to Advocates for Fibromyalgia Funding Treatment Education and Research, he said.

The group's president, Shari Ferbert, shares Doyen's excitement for the SMTX 78666 album's release.

"It is a very worthwhile cause being done by very talented and generous musicians," she said.

Besides appearing on the album with his band, Doyen produced the compilation as well as chose which bands would be included. Doyen said he wanted a variety of different bands to show off the musical diversity San Marcos has to offer while keeping the album fun and youthful.

SMTX 78666 contains exclusive songs, he said. The Word Association recorded "Snake Eyes" specifically for the compilation. Another exclusive is "Up in the Scene *HipHop Remix*" by Robbie and the Robots featuring emcee Omari Kamau.

Doyen said the public's reaction to the album has been overwhelmingly positive earning over $1,000 within its first week.

"The community here in San Marcos is very happy with and supportive of the compilation," he said.

SMTX 78666 was released May 12 — National Fibromyalgia Awareness Day. The album is available regionally at Sundance Records, Hastings in San Marcos and Waterloo Records in Austin. People may support the cause by donating money to Advocates for Fibromyalgia Funding Treatment Education and Research (www.affter.org). SMTX 78666 stickers are available at locations where the album is sold.

SMTX 78666 is not the average charity drive-type album, Doyen said. From the music of country and blues artist Scott H. Biram to the poetic lyrics of the hip-hop group The Word Association, SMTX 78666 has something for every music fan. The album includes several other genres such as rock 'n' roll, ska, soul, punk and blues.

The local compilation album SMTX 78666 embodies the qualities that make San Marcos the Texas legend it has become, Doyen said.
The 19 San Marcos bands featured on the album perform original songs, many about local trademarks such as floating the river and attending house parties, he said. - University Star

Several of the live-music mainstays in San Marcos have joined together in a new compilation "SMTX 78666" from which artists will use a portion of the proceeds to benefit Fibromyalgia research.

Highlights on this album are The Word Association's "Snake Eyes" and Robbie and the Robots' hip-hop remix of "Up in the Scene", but there's really something for everyone on the 78666 mix.

Not to mention the art work. Local artist Bonner Fowles painted a pretty sweet depiction of the San Marcos River on the cover of "78666" which folds out into a complete scene. Kinda like when you buy vinyl and get to enjoy the gatefold.

Other artists include: Jared Francis BAnd, Scott Biram, Eleven Fingered Charlie, The Cari Hutson Band, Kallisti Gold, The Jocks, The Subtle Creeps and more.

"SMTX 78666" is available at Sundance Records. - The Local 411

Todaysterday is a great album for those who love genuinely creative and incredibly witty rock and roll music. Robbie and the Robots provide extensive listening pleasure to their fans with their body moving tunes and the wit of Songwriter Robbie Doyen.
What's great about this CD is how personal it sounds. Honest passion and strong vocals fill your ears. "Small Town Psycho Crazy Girlfriend Blues" is sure to become a rock and roll anthem, with a finger-snapping drum beat and soul-rocking guitar riffs. One of the best songs on the CD to lose control and dance to is "Naked". Once the music hits your ears you'll never want to grow up! "Symbiosis", a purposeful sing along, is a crowd favorite and fun to dance to at Robots' shows. Robbie and the Robots' "Todaysterday" is sure to make you twist, shout, and just get on down!
Grade: A+
Review by: G*
- The San Marcos Scene