I recently put together a package of my writing clips from The Washington City Paper, circa 1999-2000, to bolster my music writing credentials for a freelance magazine writing gig I’m pursuing. The first two stories are actually surprisingly relevant this month, so I thought I’d note why here and post the whole package for anybody who might be interested: Colin Bane’s Writing Clips from Washington City Paper, 1999-2000.
The first story, circa 1999, is about The Dismemberment Plan, a great Washington, DC band that got all tangled up in a major label mess, mostly salvaged it by retreating to the independent label stomping grounds, then went on to moderate success before ultimately disbanding. My story focuses on the debacle with Atlantic Records and features interviews with frontman Travis Morrison and also with Kim Coletta from DeSoto Records, a great local indie label. In a fun afternote, The Dismemberment Plan is about to enjoy a very brief reunion, playing two sold-out shows next month to benefit Cal Robbins, the son of legendary D.C. rocker J. Robbins, which brings us to the second clip in this package…
My 1999 story on J. Robbins — frontman for Jawbox and Burning Airlines, pivotal player in Government Issue, indie-rock producer extraordinaire — focuses almost exclusively on his work behind the dials in the studio with a host of great local and national acts, including the Dismemberment Plan. In a not so fun afternote, J. Robbins’ one-year-old son Cal was born with Type 1 SMA, Spinal Muscular Atrophy and is having a very rough go of it. For more on Cal and his brutal disease — and how you can help, if you’re so inclined — click here: The DC punk scene and others have mobilized in support of the family in beautiful, inspiring ways that remind me why I love this town and this community so much. Fun afternote after all: This town and this community are small enough that, though I didn’t know either Travis Morrison or J. Robbins at the time I wrote these articles, they are both now friends and acquaintances and we share much in the way of mutual respect. Best wishes to them all, young Cal Robbins in particular.
Other clips in this oldies-but-goodies package include a feature on Mark Andersen on the occasion of a Positive Force DC anniversary, and a profile of Richard Peabody of both the excellent DC-based literary magazine Gargoyle and my old haunt, Atticus Books (RIP). Sometimes looking back on old work can be precarious, but most of these pieces hold up pretty well. I daresay: I’m sort of proud of them. Enjoy.
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The 
After spending my entire life confidently answering “What do you want to be when…” questions with “Writer,” I have now officially survived one whole year as a full-time freelance writer. To mark the occasion and move forward from it, this blog is going to serve three key purposes: