Mark Robinson

Mark Robinson is best known as the guitarist and vocalist of the beloved indie pop band <a href="spotify:artist:0Hko1NgISX00BkCPOuyVzQ">Unrest</a>, in addition to being the entrepreneur of Teen Beat Records, a label that fired off its first release in 1985. While in high school during the early '80s he formed <a href="spotify:artist:0Hko1NgISX00BkCPOuyVzQ">Unrest</a> with <a href="spotify:artist:6GyEUrpJ9UHNcKaKeg5enR">Phil Krauth</a>, which lasted several albums and several singles into the mid-'90s. Shortly after the demise of that band, he formed <a href="spotify:artist:67lolfwHOPkbfmpktBe1f0">Air Miami</a> with other <a href="spotify:artist:0Hko1NgISX00BkCPOuyVzQ">Unrest</a>-mate Bridget Cross. Breaking up after an album and EP, <a href="spotify:artist:2XsjR9uloOSRIXigqqfDea">Robinson</a> moved on to the more angular and post-punk driven <a href="spotify:artist:2SNmxYDpBWoTrLmTZlsHxR">Flin Flon</a>, releasing two albums between 1998 and 1999. Other projects involving <a href="spotify:artist:2XsjR9uloOSRIXigqqfDea">Robinson</a> included the indie/lounge supergroup <a href="spotify:artist:6JlAwCW2fMFbbtPMD84bgn">Grenadine</a> and <a href="spotify:artist:51OKtNtm24ALAjAHBMiFng">the Project</a>, a one-off single with two members of <a href="spotify:artist:7pBOKiMJYOrsgHcNXuVruw">Tuscadero</a> that paid tribute to Christopher Reeve and the Titanic. While dividing time between his various bands and running Teen Beat, <a href="spotify:artist:2XsjR9uloOSRIXigqqfDea">Robinson</a> issued a number of solo recordings. 1987's Black Christmas cassette was the first, notably followed by the 1989 7" Sammy Supreme My Man, which honored <a href="spotify:artist:1NAWG3AngjBXyKbmPaz92D">Sammy Davis, Jr.</a> 1990's ramshackle Mark E. Superstar cassette alternated acoustic tunes with snippets from The Taking of Pelham One Two Three. 2000's Tiger Banana was a full-fledged proper solo record, with <a href="spotify:artist:2XsjR9uloOSRIXigqqfDea">Robinson</a> backed by three members of <a href="spotify:artist:4z3gabDVIY1yYKNtOxvIeC">Versus</a>. Canada's Green Highways followed the next year. He also launched a series of experimental electronics EPs later in the year, beginning with Taste. Just as important as <a href="spotify:artist:2XsjR9uloOSRIXigqqfDea">Robinson</a>'s own band and solo work is his Teen Beat label, which followed Dischord and predated Simple Machines as revered do-it-yourself outlets of independent music in the Washington, D.C., and Arlington, VA, areas. Similar to the other labels, Teen Beat's releases predominantly came from local acts. <a href="spotify:artist:2XsjR9uloOSRIXigqqfDea">Robinson</a>'s label tended to be pop-based and also followed the ideology and graphic identity of some of his favorite British indie labels, including Factory, 4AD, and Rough Trade. <a href="spotify:artist:2XsjR9uloOSRIXigqqfDea">Robinson</a> emulated Factory to the extent of assigning a catalog number to anything label related, including their first paid employee, interns, legal paperwork, Connecticut warehouse, and mouse pad. ~ Andy Kellman, Rovi