Black Crowes guitarist on flying solo — and being Bad Company
By Gary Graff
July 21, 2016
Rich Robinson did not make the most noise in the Black Crowes — at least not with his mouth. But as the group’s co-founder (along with older brother and frontman Chris Robinson), co-songwriter and guitarist, the Atlanta native was an active partner in the group’s eight albums, getting his rock ‘n’ roll wings with his propulsive rhythm playing and commanding leads. Through the Crowes he also became one of the rare guitarists to be part of a band with Jimmy Page, during a spate of touring in 1999. Meanwhile, Robinson has also released five solo albums — the latest of which, Flux, came out in June — and he was tapped by Bad Company to sub for a missing Mick Ralphs during the band’s recent early summer swing through North America. And with his band having disbanded, seemingly for good, in 2014 (Robinson announced the split during January of 2015), Flux can be seen as the first statement of Robinson’s musical life fully out of the Crowes’ nest. Robinson spoke to FGPO about the album and more during the Bad Company tour.
FGPO: Was Flux pretty much on schedule for you, or earlier or later than you expected?
Robinson: I had The Ceaseless Sight out in 2014, and I knew I wanted to do another (solo album) at some point. I knew [the Crowes] were done in 2014; I just waited to see what Chris was finally going to do, and 2015 came around and I just said: “Fuck it. I’m done waiting. This is stupid.” So two years later, having all this [music] ready and just being ready to go into the studio — that was basically the reason.
FGPO: Was knowing that there was no Black Crowes anymore liberating at all? Did you feel like you didn’t have to approach Flux as something that would stand far enough apart from the band this time?
Robinson: Not really. I’ve always written the way I write, and I’ve always written just based on taste. I come up with parts and figure, “This’ll go here and here and here.” Sometimes things will seem like, “Oh, I don’t like it. I’m gonna dump it,” and then they take a left turn and be my favorite thing.” So it’s never really changed, no matter what I’m writing for.
FGPO: Are you more of a studio or a live musician?
Robinson: I like both, of course. Making records is what’s always brought me the most focus and joy — but also struggle sometimes. But the feeling that I get when something like that is complete, the creation of something and being in the studio and making records, that’s what’s always brought me the most happening and joy, so I’m really content with where I am. It’s never really changed.
FGPO: Given what happened with the Crowes, Flux is kind of an appropriate title, isn’t it?
Robinson: (laughs) It just really seemed to make sense. When you’re in the middle of something you don’t see where it’s going to go. It doesn’t feel like we can see where we are, truly, without getting away from it — then you can see how other things set this up to where you are now. So in a sense the record and how it’s titled really represents that. There’s this fluidity and this sort of change that goes into whatever the next place is.
FGPO: What was your creative mission on Flux?
Robinson: I went in with less than I had on Ceaseless Sight. I had a bunch of parts but decided I wasn’t going to finish the songs until I got into the studio up in Woodstock. I really like that energy of having certain things to use as a springboard and going in and seeing what happens. It’s all about how it feels, just, like, sitting in that place. How does this feel? So I took the parts and went in and worked them out and we wound up recording about 18 songs. To me the record has this continuity but it covers a lot of musical ground. It feels kind of different from the rest — even when we were recording it, it felt that way. Sonically, vocally it’s like a next-level record. I’m really happy about it.
FGPO: It seems like more of a rock record, too.
Robinson: Yeah, it is. I think it’s a little harder-edged than Ceaseless Sight. I think there’s some heavier stuff, just some cool things, but I guess more like in a sense of Led Zeppelin III. There’s some real piano-driven pieces but still guitar behind it. There’s some really big choruses. It’s definitely a rock record, but there are some cool other elements in there, too.
FGPO: Was the guitar approach to this album any different?
Robinson: Not really. I’ve always been free to do whatever. I can’t think of anything specific I did that I haven’t done before. I did use multiple echoplexes to get some really cool sounds, that type of thing, some reverse reverb here and there. Really, a lot of that has to do with the keyboards, which is great.
FGPO: This is the second album you’ve made up in Woodstock. Do you feel an affinity for the area and its musical legacy?
Robinson: I do. I feel a connection to that place for whatever reason. And sometimes it’s not, like, the best connection; sometimes there’s a resistance there, other times there’s a flow. It’s really interesting. There’s definitely that in there.
FGPO: In addition to Flux you’ve also re-released your other four solo albums. Feel like your life flashing before your eyes?
Robinson: It’s really to get everything in one place [Eagle Rock Entertainment]. I feel like it’s been so fragmented. I’d have one record here on this [label], one here, one there. So it’s kind of cool to have it all under one roof and kind of take stock in a sense and for the first time look at some of these songs and some of this music before I put out the new album. Just to have the opportunity to be able to do that is really cool.
FGPO: Were any of them more interesting to revisit than the others?
Robinson: Well, Paper, certainly. We kept the masters in a space that got flooded during [Hurricane Sandy]. I sent the tapes to a friend of mine to restore them, and then they were shipped out to L.A. with all the Crowes gear and were sitting there for awhile. When we decided to do [the reissue] I went to my storage space out there and had to have them transferred to ProTools files — and there were no vocals on there! The vocals were re-recorded onto another set of tapes or something. I don’t think they were erased. At first I was like: “Oh, shit. While I’m making my new record I also have to re-sing Paper?” “But it was cool in a sense. We got in the studio and put ’em up, and I was like: “Man, this fucking thing sounds great!” I remember recording the record originally, everything sounded big and thick, and it still did. Some of these songs I had written for the Crowes and we just didn’t do them, these big rock songs. So it was great to remix and re-sing [the songs], tweak the words a little bit, pull out lines I couldn’t stand to sing, and it just turned out great. And then to bring back some songs that weren’t on the originally that I really liked, but weren’t finished back then, was great, too.
FGPO: People were surprised to see you fill in for Mick Ralphs in Bad Company this year. How did that come together?
Robinson: I met Paul [Rodgers] at a Jimmy Page tribute last November [at the Experience Music Project in Seattle]. He did two Firm songs and asked me to play guitar. When Mick couldn’t do the tour he said: “Could you fill in?” “Yeah, of course” — just really simple like that. Very cool. Very mellow. It’s not unlike Jackie Green joining the Black Crowes or whatever. It’s low stress ’cause it’s not my band. I’m not singing, not playing my music, so it’s cool. And I’m always up for trying different things.
FGPO: So where does Bad Company fit in your musical makeup?
Robinson: Growing up, you couldn’t avoid it. “Oh Atlanta,” of course, and “Rock and Roll Fantasy” were on the radio 24-7. All those songs were so prevalent on the radio in my youth, it’s amazing how many. So it’s just in there, almost like this information that attaches to your DNA as you grow up, ’cause we used to listen to the radio a lot. As I got older I would lean towards Free, which was like the perfect four-piece band, and such discipline — nobody ever overplayed and Andy Fraser was one of my favorite bass players and then put Paul out front singing. And then having Bad Company come later was just the next step, really.
FGPO: Any chance we’ll see the Black Crowes again? You guys have broken up before, after all?
Robinson: No, I think it’s pretty much dead and gone. I just can’t see us doing it again, and it’s a shame. I think Chris thought he had some leverage; the 25th anniversary was coming up and his wife sent this email over demanding all this stuff. And we said: “We don’t agree to your terms” and the rest is history. It’s the same old shit. We could’ve done one final tour and ended on a high note with everyone in the band, done something really cool and say goodbye. We could’ve handed it better — or Chris could’ve. It’s a bummer, and that’s all I can say.
