Thanks to hits like “Surrender,” “I Want You to Want Me,” and “Dream Police,” Cheap Trick has become one of the rock bands of a generation.
It has also become a matter for the next generation.
While guitarist Rick Nielsen, frontman Robin Zander and bassist Tom Petersson continue to form the core, two of their descendants have become permanent members of Cheap Trick’s lineup.
Nielsen’s son Daxx has filled in for estranged drummer Bun E. Carlos since 2010 and has played on the band’s last four albums. And since 2014, Zander’s son Robin Taylor Zander, aka RTZ, has played guitar and bass and performed background vocals, occasionally taking over his father’s lead vocals.
The younger Zander was also heard on three albums.
“Yeah, it’s a bit of a family affair,” Rick Nielsen said a few years ago. “We have some talented kids – maybe more talented than us! They grew up with us and the music, so it’s part of their DNA and they can come and play it like they’re part of the band.”
Cheap Trick and Tesla headline Arts, Beats & Eats
In fact, the younger Zander has played every position in Cheap Trick except lead singer for the past decade, filling in for Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson when they were unable to perform due to health issues. When Daxx Nielsen took time off in 2017 to spend time with his newborn, Zander even took over drums so Cheap Trick wouldn’t have to cancel any shows.
“Just watching my dad and (Cheap Trick) do those shows made me want to make music,” admits 30-year-old Zander, who was dubbed “Cheap Trick’s secret weapon” by Rolling Stone magazine. “That’s where I got the inspiration for my music – watching them do it.”
“I never thought about joining Cheap Trick, you know? When my dad was doing solo gigs when I was in high school, I would jump in and play guitar and do backing vocals, but not in an official capacity. It just evolved that way, very naturally. And it still feels the same.”
Florida-born Zander is also following his own musical path. He started with ukulele, moved to guitar at age 5, and then moved on to bass, drums and piano. He also sang in the school choir. “I was an introverted music freak from a pretty early age,” he says. It took him a while to understand that his father was more than just someone who played music for a living, but that he was definitely interested in the family business.
“All through school, I thought when I finished I would do something with music,” Zander says. “I never thought about doing anything else.” He studied at Berklee College of Music in Boston and Full Sail University in Florida, as well as Florida State University, but the biggest learning curve began when he moved to Nashville in 2015 to record with his own band, Smile.
“It’s a competitive but inspiring city,” he says. “There are so many really good songwriters, good musicians. People come here to make music. I think that’s toughened me up and made me even more determined.”
Those Smile songs eventually surfaced on Zander’s debut solo album, The Distance, last year. Produced by Jack Douglas (Cheap Trick, Aerosmith, Alice Cooper) for his Confidential Records label, the album is full of melodies and songwriting, with Zander playing and singing almost all of the instruments himself. It shows that the proverbial apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree, but it can hardly be considered an offshoot of Cheap Trick.
“This is definitely my own music,” explains Zander, who is currently working on his next album with Douglas. “I’m not trying to sound like anything. I’m not really going for a certain sound. A lot of people try to put all kinds of labels on your music, but I feel like my stuff is just what I’m doing at the time. I’ve listened to a lot of music that influenced me, but it all starts within myself and isn’t planned or worked out.”
Zander’s only plans, meanwhile, are to continue touring with Cheap Trick and making more of his own music.
“One thing I know: This is exactly what I want to do,” he says, “and what I have always wanted to do.”
Cheap Trick will perform on the Jim Beam National Stage at Arts, Beats & Eats in Royal Oak on Friday, August 30th at 7:30 p.m. For the full festival schedule and more information, visit artsbeatseats.com.
