In an industry in more upheaval than the Athens Stock Exchange, Rob “The Leprechaun” Allen’s aluminum anniversary at Lazer 99.3 FM would probably be more accurately accounted for utilizing dog-year calculations. The Crawler recently checked in with the veteran jock.
Crawler: I imagine you have quite a few career highlights, and possibly some lows.
Rob Allen: I was working a meet-and-greet for Trapt and 30 Seconds To Mars one time, and Jared Leto kept staring at me. I kept staring at him. I couldn’t tell if he wanted me or he was thinking “Geez, this guy looks like an Oompa Loompa.” [laughs] But yes, I get to meet a lot of interesting people. On the flip, I miss the Rock Girls. I’m happily married to my wife Sara, but oh, how I miss those Rock Girls.
So, if they did hand you the reins, what else would you do at the station?
Well, we’ve seemed to move to more modern alternative. I’d like to hear more B-sides, punk, and thrash. But what do I know? I’m just a lowly weekend guy. That’s why the music director gets the big bucks.
True, but the weekends also allow you more freedom to champion lesser-known or local bands, which you do every chance you get. And you get more respect because you too are a local musician. What do you have going on in that regard these days?
I’ve been playing drums with my Ramones tribute band, The Remones, for more than three years now. I also did a studio thrash side-project with Kevin Bias on Soundcloud.com called The Leprechaun Project. But the big news is that I am starting a brand new thrash/punk band we’re calling The Freakies 413.
Allen adds that the last piece of that puzzle is to find a guitar player. Axe-slingers interested in the opportunity can hit him up at rallen@springfieldrocks.com.
In other news, “Is She Really Going Out With Him” songwriter Joe Jackson really isn’t bringing anybody out with him on his current Fast Forward tour — which includes a recently announced Oct. 29 stop at Noho’s Academy of Music. He’ll be opening for himself, performing a solo piano/vocal set before bringing on the full band.
“We’re all strong singers,” Jackson notes of the latter, “and along with that and Teddy’s [guitarist Ted Kumpel] diversity and mastery of effects and Doug’s [drummer Doug Yowel] use of both electronic and live percussion, it will sound like a lot more than what we are — four people on stage.”
Tix are on sale at the Academy website or available by phone at (413) 584-9032 ext. 105.
Last but not least, 21-year-old Meghan Trainor’s lips weren’t moving at Mohegan Sun July 4 as scheduled. And she wasn’t lying about the reason she cancelled, either.
“Thank you Dr. Kessler for seeing me immediately and being so helpful,” the singer reported after a vocal hemorrhage derailed her MTrain tour. “Thank you guys for all the [Websta] edits and get-well posts you made. You made me feel a lot better about this crappy situation.”
Trainor’s rescheduled Sun play is now Sept. 7.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email garycarra@aol.com.
