Spotlight On...Rich Robinson

By Ian Rice
Arts and Lifestyle Editor


In the world of rock music, Rich Robinson's legend has already been well established. For the last fifteen years, Robinson has been one of the genre's most interesting guitarists, as part of both The Black Crowes (in which he shares the spotlight with brother Chris Robinson) and as a solo artist. His knack for catchy guitar runs and hook-laden melodies has earned him the nickname "Riff Robinson" amongst his fans and his songwriting has done nothing but shatter rock and roll boundaries with each successive recording he has been a part of.




Although Rich Robinson's talents are more than familiar to the millions of fans who've embraced his work both in and out of The Black Crowes, many remain unaware of his musical prowess. Despite being one of the most original and consistently-pleasing releases of last year, his debut solo effort Paper failed to gain a tremendous amount of commercial success. Robinson took it in stride, however, abundantly cognizant of the fact that such a potent musical statement would be out of place in the current flash and image-conscious climate that is today's popular music scene.


But those who have been graced with the music included on Paper know that the aforementioned praise of Robinson is both deserving and true. The self-produced album, which was released on the man's own independent label, finds Robinson singing lead and playing most of the instruments, something that was a first experience for him. When The Black Crowes took an extended hiatus in early 2002, Robinson found himself with alot of creative time on his hands. "After the Crowes broke up," Robinson explains, "I sat around for a few months and spent time with my family, and then I started trying to figure out what I wanted to do. It was a struggle for awhile, because at the time there were a lot of family deaths and various weirdness that happened all at once, and I'd never really had to deal with that kind of stuff before. And I'd been in the Crowes for my whole adult life, so when it stopped, it was like, 'Well, what the hell am I supposed to do now?'"


As an outlet for the new compositions he'd been continually writing, Robinson formed a four-piece band, Hookah Brown, which hit the road in early 2003 to the delight of fans and critics alike. Hookah Brown even began putting together demos for a full-length album to be released at the end of their first year on the scene. But, things didn't quite work out as planned. Having spent his entire musical career as a team player, Robinson eventually realized that he was glad to be away from the politics of band life. Thus, he opted to disband Hookah Brown and shoulder the burden of a solo career.


"Eventually I just said 'Screw it, I'll just do it myself,'" Robinson notes of his choice to go it alone. "I'd never really sung lead, so I started taking singing lessons, and the first lesson showed me what I'd been doing wrong, and I immediately became a stronger singer. I started thinking about writing lyrics that worked for my voice. And I tried playing some shows and singing, which was fun, and that built up my confidence about singing."


So, Robinson built a private recording studio in his Connecticut home, the first brick in the foundation of his new musical path. Initially, Robinson worked with and produced a slue of burgeoning artists in his new studio, working on his own material in his down time. Shortly afterward, Robinson made his first completely solo statement, writing and performing the score for the 2002 feature film "Highway." This experience (although never commercially released) undoubtedly gave Robinson both the confidence and the drive to take on a solo career with full force.


It was at this time that the process of constructing his debut release begain. Robinson recorded Paper essentially on his own, adding only drummer Joe Magistro and Black Crowes compatriot Eddie Harsch on keyboards in a full-time capacity. A smattering of unknown studio musicians made up his horn and string sections, as well as several flourishes of color from BR5-49's Donnie Herron on fiddle and pedal steel. "It was a little weird," Robinson confides, "because I'd never made a record without my brother before and I was used to having a bunch of people in the studio. But it was also cool, because I was learning new things and because I felt like I was able to create something new, without the baggage of my musical history."


With the concept of shedding "the baggage of his musical history" firmly in mind, Robinson took the recording's focus a step further by bypassing the music industry almost entirely. "At some point I realized that I just didn't want to deal with record companies anymore," he notes. "I don't want to deal with anyone telling me to change my songs or what producer to use. I don't want to spend six million dollars making a record and then worry about having to sell six million records to pay for it. So I decided to try doing it myself. The music business is kind of like Rome burning right now, and I don't think the traditional record-company methods work anymore. I think that music's going back to the underground way of doing things, and I'm excited about being a part of that."


Both during the recording and after the release of Paper, Robinson continued to tour clubs and other small venues, working out his new material in front of smaller yet no less endearing crowds. After concluding said tour with a successful stint in the UK, Robinson retreated to his Connecticut home once again. Fans assumed he was preparing another release, considering his public admission that he had recorded enough material to make Paper a double album. But a bigger surprise was on the horizon.


In January of 2005, Rich appeared with brother Chris at a Las Vegas electronics convention, the pair's first appearance together since The Black Crowes were put on the back burner three years prior. The duo performed an abbrieviated acoustic set featuring many of their more popular songs, an event that set the rumor mill on high with talk about a Black Crowes reunion. Before long, the fans' wildest dreams came true, as it was announced that The Black Crowes were indeed reforming and heading out on the road. As an added bonus, guitarist Marc Ford would be returning to the fold. A fan favorite and highly regarded in the rock world, the pairing of Robinson and Ford was often considered to be the pinnacle of the Black Crowes career and definitely the top choice amongst die-hard fans.


With The Black Crowes currently on the road, it remains a mystery when (if ever) Robinson will return to his solo work. It's hard to imagine all that creativity would be closed off, considering Robinson's excitement concerning it all. "This whole project," he noted just prior to Paper's worldwide release, "has been a completely positive situation from the start. There's no stress, no bullshit, and I'm really excited about the whole thing. I'm really happy with this record, which was my only goal. And now I'm looking forward to getting it out there and playing these songs on tour, and seeing what happens."


One hopes that there will be many more years of music from Robinson to come, whether as a Black Crowe or otherwise.




Quotes from Mr. Robinson provided by an official press release, courtesy of www.richrobinson.net.