English Profs to Rock the House

Daryl and the Beans, a rock band featuring Department of English Professors Jeffrey Bean, Darrin Doyle and Robert Fanning will launch Hunk Alert, their second album, with a free concert Thurs., April 16 in Anspach Hall room 161. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. with an opening performance by local indie songwriter and Mount Pleasant High School senior Magdalena Fanning, followed by Daryl and the Beans at 8 p.m. 

All are welcome to the free concert. A large, enthusiastic crowd is expected, though it’s possible the crowd may not be large or enthusiastic. A spokesperson for the band, said “they are locked in and ready to rock no matter what.” For 15 years running, the band has made one special stop in Mount Pleasant as part of their ongoing World Domination Tour, which includes only one concert a year, in Mount Pleasant, Mich.

The 3-piece has traditionally featured Bean on guitar and bass, Fanning on guitar, and Doyle on the guitar, banjo, and percussion, with each member singing. (The band’s 4^th member, Professor Matt Roberson, has been called everything from “the band’s invisible on-stage aura” to their “deeply influential spiritual guru,” and it has been rumored that he may be the mysterious Daryl featured in the band’s name. But no one really knows.)

In the last couple years, the band added drummer Simon Doyle, Darrin’s son and the producer of Hunk Alert, but with Simon’s relocation to Chicago, Daryl and the Beans will feature CMU student Juice Legend on the drums.

“We’re excited to showcase Juice’s fantastic talent at the show,” said Fanning. “He learned our songs really quickly in rehearsals and has jolted Daryl and the Beans with a huge boost of even more heightened acoustic ecstasy.

Recorded at Spare Blanket Studios (Darrin Doyle’s basement) in the summer of 2025, Hunk Alert features 7 original songs and includes 3 covers in the band’s signature style of re-imagining popular songs. Also included is “Alma Mater,” a favorite of CMU student fans of the band, a heavy-metal version of CMU’s anthem written by Ruth Mavis in the Class of 1927. The song was also featured on Burnin’ the Eagle, their first album, but the newer version rocks even harder, so they called it “Alma Mater (Daryl’s Version),” with a nod to another fellow world dominator, Taylor Swift.

At this stop on the World Domination Tour, Daryl and the Beans will feature songs from the new album, along with several surprises, but the setlist is top secret. You need to be there to taste what the band dishes up.

Magdalena Fanning, a local favorite songwriter, is excited to open for Daryl and the Beans for the second year in a row. She will be releasing her first EP of original music this June, recorded and co-produced by David Biedenbender, composer and CMU alumnus.

Daryl and the Bean’s highly anticipated sophomore album Hunk Alert was secretly released on April 4^th and is available on Spotify, YouTube, and Apple Music. However, it’s way cooler to own the CD, and the band will sign it for you, to make it a highly valuable collectible. It has been reported that several Hunk Alert songs are already #1 hits on charts in at least three alternate universes.

Stay tuned to the English Department website, to learn more about the department’s programs and events.