The name is bound to ring a bell with music fans. But for Robin Taylor Zander, it can’t be easy ditching the shadow of a Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer—especially when you’re sharing the stage with the guy on tour. But the Cheap Trick frontman’s 30-year-old son appears to have handle on it.
“Musically, I’ve always been influenced by Cheap Trick,” says the younger Robin Zander, who’s played with the Trick for more than a decade. “Whether or not it comes out in my music is irrelevant.”
When pressed for influences other than Cheap Trick, Zander cites the “usual crew,” plus a few outliers. “Harry Nilsson has always been there … Gram Parsons, Neil Young, the Rutles,” he says. “I’m also a big fan of Andy Shauf from Canada and King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizards.”
Far from a Cheap Trick knockoff, “Nobody’s Home” is an unlikely fusion of T.Rex and Bread that plays exponentially better than such a pairing might imply—a credit to both Zander’s brass and his songwriting chops. “Nobody’s Home” was co-produced by Jack Douglas, the guy behind the boards for John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s Double Fantasy, Cheap Trick’s self-titled debut and assorted Aerosmith albums. The first new music from Zander since his 2023 debut, The Distance, the single is out today on Douglas’ Confidential label.
We’re proud to premiere the video for “Nobody’s Home.” Look for more new music from Zander in the fall.
—Hobart Rowland; photo by Jay Gilbert/Chris Schmitt
