Los Al grad drops first album “Conversations”

How Robbie Lyons spent his time during the pandemic.

Although he’s not yet on major record label, a 2017 Los Alamitos graduate has taken matters into his own hands, literally, and just released his first album “Conversations.”
Robbie Lyons said this week creating his own music is what he’s wanted to do since third grade. “I’ve always wanted to make and release my own music,” said Lyons.

A veteran of many years under Los Al’s director of orchestra and jazz Justin Padilla, Lyons said his musical odyssey began on the saxophone in 3rd grade. “I played sax, then found trumpet and then fell in love with drums,” said Lyon.
Currently, Lyons attends Fullerton College but hopes to get a ticket into CalArts as soon as possible.

His recently released album is self-published, but Lyons believes that is merely a first step to getting the attention of a major label. “My goal is to one day be on a major record label,” he said.

Lyons said he had hoped to have the album complete by 2019, doing “a lot of trial and error,” tweaking the songs, etc., “but it kept being delayed.”
When the pandemic set in, this young songwriter said his “conversations” with a love interest gave him both the time and inspiration to finish it.

“I played everything on the album,” said Lyons, including guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard, he said, admitting that much of it “was trial and error.” Lyons said he also did the vocals and learned to “mix” the tracks using software.

The album includes six songs; Gone with the Wind, Pressed, Flirt, Mute, Ninety-one and Same Home, his favorite.

“I remember all the time I spent on it and it was a reminder of the investment, of what I’m capable of.”

It wasn’t always that way, he candidly admits, thinking for a long time “I can’t do anything. I can never make music. I had a lot of doubts.”

Yet, after experimenting with variations of the theme, song names and other concepts, Lyons said he eventually got everything recorded and mix. Then, friends stepped in to help him with graphics for the album, publicity photos, etc.

“I’m pretty proud of it,” said Lyons this week.

Lyons album is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube and all other major platforms.