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When Robin Lane showed up in Boston in the late 70's she was an unknown quantity, very much an outsider in the rock scene. She just sort of turned up one day, and with a deal under her belt announced she was making the move from acoustic folk-rock to electrified band. Outside of the scuttlebut that she was the daughter of Dean Martin's long-time pianist Danny Lane, noone really knew much about her, nor di most suspect what great potential she had. I first met Robin at the Record Garage, the legendary guitar store in Harvard Square that was one of the focal points of the scene in the mid-seventies (owner Jack Griffin later went on to open the Cambridge Music Complex). Many crucial introductions were made and partnerships initiated among the cramped quarters there on Eliot Street, and Robin's future band was no exception. I have read that Asa Brebner was the one who put Robin's band together, and he was definitely the first on board and guided the process. But I recall the day that Robin had come in and spoken to a few of us at the Garage, explaining how she had a deal lined up and needed a solid band. It was Billy Cole, the Garage's manager, who first put Robin on the scent of her eventual bandmates. Billy had gone to Europe just prior to that with the Modern Lovers, and he suggested that the guitar slots would best be filled by Asa and Leroy Radcliffe, who played bass and guitar, respectively, for the final version of the Lovers- before Jonathan went solo. Billy was a huge admirer of both players, particularly Leroy, whose work with an Epiphone Trini Lopez model guitar was truly unique among rock players at the time. Having played with Jonathan Richman, both guys knew how to support a song without hiding behind excessive volume, applying subtlety and dynamics that enhanced the singer's performance. Cole had also been a roadie at one point for Reddy Teddy, and he suggested former RT member Scott Baerenwald as the most solid, melodic bass player in town. He also recommended Tim Jackson as drummer, a hard-hitting player who had been in the popular Sidewinders in the early 70's, along with singer Andy Paley and Eric Rosenfeld (Andy went on to enjoy a succesful career as a producer, working on albums for Jonathan Richman and Brian Wilson among many others; Eric is simply the best guitarist I have ever seen, in or out of Boston). I think Robin considered Alan "Alpo" Paulino as her bass player for a short while, when they were dating just after her arrival. But for all Alpo's heart and hard-driven work with the Real Kids and Primitive Souls, Scott was just too talented a player and singer to pass up. Scott wasn't just a rock bass player, he was a multi-talented, all-around musician.
Asa, Leroy and Billy were all neighbors, so it may have been a team effort to put together the band that was to be known as the Chartbusters; whatever the case may be, the group fell together quickly with all that veteran talent on board. That was no surprise. What was a surprise was how well Robin adapted her acoustic style to the electric rock approach. Not only was it working, it was sounding really, really cool. The first real break or the band came with the release of "When Thing Go Wrong", a local anthem and nationally charting song co-written by Robin and Joanne Cippola. Joanne was in Planet Street with another regular at the Record Garage, a fellow we irreverently called Mike the Street Bum because he made a living as a busker with no fixed address- Mike was a phenomenal guitarist, armed with a Strat and an MXR Distortion Plus he was as close to Hendrix as you could get before Stevie Ray came along some years later. "When Thing Go Wrong" received heavy airplay and the Chartbusters climbed rapidly to the top of the local heap.
Don't let the toy Beatles guitar fool you- Robin is an accomplished guitarist as well as a wonderful singer-songwriter.
The band:
Robin Lane - Guitar, Lead Vocals
Leroy Radcliffe - Guitar, Vocals
Asa Brebner - Guitar, Vocals
Tim Jackson - Drums
Scott Baerenwald - Bass
