Interview with Eric Warren of the Len Brown Society

October 12, 2026

A lot of what keeps the Davis music community going happens in small ways. A record store takes in a box of CDs its owner was about to recycle. People who stopped by for something else take one home and actually play it. That’s why this story stuck with us, and it’s a pretty good picture of how the Davis music scene works: people paying attention to each other.

Eric Warren moved to Davis with his family about four years ago. A few months back, while cleaning out his garage, he decided he no longer needed the 200 Len Brown Society CDs he’d carried from move to move for two decades. On the way to the recycling center, he stopped at Armadillo Music instead. Paul, who was working that day, took the box and ran a giveaway on Instagram. The CDs went home with shoppers, and a few weeks later Eric got an email from Spotify telling him his listener numbers were climbing.

It arrived during a hard year. Eric was diagnosed with cancer in March and had major surgery, and he’s now cancer free. When he told friends what was happening with the old record, several offered to play the songs with him. Now the Len Brown Society is set to play its first show in over twenty years, running through It Wasn’t The Smoothest Time start to finish.

The show is Saturday, October 17 at Armadillo Music, starting at 8:30 PM and open to all ages. The Bootleg, the bar inside the store, will be open with regional beers and non-alcoholic options. The $5 cover goes entirely to the band, and it’s cash only (no cards or phone payments), so bring a five dollar bill and line up outside. Space is limited. If you missed the free CDs, the album is also out on vinyl, in stock at Armadillo’s now and for sale at the show.

We caught up with Eric about the old band, the box of CDs, and the new lineup, which came together in part over a neighbor’s gecko.

How did the Len Brown Society start, and where did the band play back then?

Actually, the band was playing in San Francisco at that time. I started the project in Long Beach where I was going to college. I had met a bunch of talented musicians while living there and wanted to record with all of them. I wrote a bunch of songs and enlisted the help of all of those talented people. I recorded with many different people, in many different formats, in many different places. The end result was the album, “It Wasn’t The Smoothest Time’. I sent the recordings to my friends Thomas Campbell and Greg Lamson who started the label Galaxia. They liked what they heard and offered to put out the music. I moved to SF in 2000 and the record finally came out in 2001. While living in SF I put together a band coincidentally with musicians I had met in Long Beach. One of which played drums on several of the recorded tracks. We played many shows in SF and Oakland over the next year or two at places like Kimo’s, The Bottom of The Hill, The Parkside, 111 Minna, The Stork Club, various house shows and art gatherings. I think we stopped because we lost our rehearsal space and couldn’t afford a new one. Things started to get really expensive in SF so I ended up moving to Sacramento where I played with E-Squared, Salt Wizard, The Jay Shaner Band and most recently Humanbody. I met my wife when we started Salt Wizard and we moved to Davis with our two kids about 4 years ago.

How did a box of CDs end up at Armadillo Music, and when did you first notice the Spotify numbers moving?

I was cleaning out the garage a few months ago and decided I no longer needed the 200 Len Brown cd’s I had been moving around with for the past 20 years. On the way to the recycling center I decided that I may as well see if Armadillo might want them. I stopped by the store, Paul was working and he was very positive and enthusiastic about taking the cd’s and finding some way to get them out there. He decided to give them away and ran a little promotion on Instagram. People snatched them up and a few weeks later I got an email from Spotify informing me that the number of listeners was growing.

Do you have a sense of who’s been listening? Have you heard from people who picked up a CD, friends from those years, or listeners hearing the band for the first time?

It’s kind of a combination of all of those things. I’ve heard from random people who have heard it. For instance, I was talking about music with the husband of my daughter’s preschool teacher at a picnic who had picked up a cd from Armadillo. I’m not an expert on algorithms, but I heard from some old friends that The Len Brown Society had popped up in their feed. It’s interesting how music works these days. It’s like a snowball effect. The more people listen the more it comes up…

You’ve had a hard stretch with your health. How did that shape the decision to play again?

I was diagnosed with cancer last March and went through a major surgery to remove the cancer. As of now I am currently cancer free and I’m feeling much better. It is strange that the interest in my music corresponded with this time of sickness. The interest and support from Paul and Armadillo really lifted my spirits and gave me something to think about and look forward to. When you can’t get out of bed it’s nice to have something to think about. When I mentioned the story, friends offered to play the songs with me. The band came together very organically and the guys I’m playing with picked up on the songs right away.

Who’s in the band for October 17, and how did the lineup come together?

Like I mentioned before, the original album was a collaboration project where I recorded my songs with many different people. I always imagined The Len Brown Society project to be a revolving door of musicians to jam and record with. So when I told the story to my friend Thom McMillian he offered to play bass immediately. Not long after that I met drummer Jacob Menough and Tommy King (guitar). A few weeks later I was helping my son take care of our neighbor Cory Levinson’s gecko. Cory mentioned he played keys and he was in.

What will the set look like, and are there plans beyond this show?

We will be playing the entire album, start to finish. We’ve started working on some new songs and p[lan on playing those and the old songs in the future. In fact we have already been invited to play Super Owl’s Anniversary show.

You’ve played in San Francisco, Oakland, and Sacramento. How does that compare, and what has the support in Davis meant to you?

I wasn’t around for the Davis music scene in 2001, however, the music scene in SF around 2001 seemed to be dying. We played with plenty of great bands but I think the tech boom and increased cost of living drove the artists out. When I moved to Sacramento, the scene and level of musicianship was great. I feel so honored and grateful for the recent support Armadillo and the people of Davis have given this music. It has been fantastic.