Author Archives: Robert Brum

Nyack, New Rochelle, and the song about ‘Day the Music Died’

Fifty years ago, American Pie reached No. 1 on Billboard’s charts. Here’s some backstory on the making of a record that was born here in the Hudson Valley.

Hit-making studio legend recalls Springsteen’s breakthrough recordings

Brooks Arthur, the engineer behind hit records by Carole King, Neil Diamond, Janis Ian, and the Shangri-Las, was the founder of 914 Sound Studios. Photo by Betsy Hammer

‘The record company, Rosie, just gave me a big advance!’

The early recordings that would one day be part of a catalog that would earn Bruce Springsteen $550 million were captured in a music studio in an abandoned garage in suburban New York – not Asbury Park.

Braking the post-holiday cycle

Here are some steps – literally – to take to break out of the post-holiday torpor.

Cannondale: It all started above a pickle factory

Joe Montgomery and a small cadre of innovative thinkers started their bicycle brand in humble quarters, not far from the railroad station that gave the company its name. What began with bike trailers grew into a premium global brand. Here’s my latest feature for the Hearst Connecticut Media Group, which covers Wilton – where CannondaleContinue reading “Cannondale: It all started above a pickle factory”

Are Bike Paths the Road to the Future?

“I think in this country, cars still win. It’s very hard to change a mindset. … We’re socialized into where cars and trucks come first, and all the rest of that is like litter on the side of the road.”

Quiet backroad with a twisted backstory

Here’s a tour of one of my favorite cycling roads, part of a hilly loop I often ride from home. Inningwood starts with a tough climb but it’s worth it for the scenery along with way.