Rich Robinson on reuniting the Black Crowes: “You have to cut people slack”

Black Crowes guitarist Rich Robinson has commented on the band’s recent reconnection in an interview with Rolling Stone. He noted how he and his brother Chris Robinson now see the need to “understand the intention” whenever tensions rise.

Rich went on to describe how their conflict came to be defined by volume levels. “I’m not trying to make his life miserable by turning my guitar up or telling him I want to play this song,” he said. “He’s not trying to make my life miserable by saying, ‘Could you turn it down a little bit?’ That became the sort of epic symbols of these struggles. It wasn’t about the volume; it was more about wanting to be heard.”

The extensive conversation was the brothers’ first joint interview in many years and focused on how the brothers reconnected after the tense disbandment of The Black Crowes in 2015. Rich described how he discovered the pair would be willing to work past the conflict after the Long Island Medium contacted them both: “I told a third party, ‘man, it would just be cool to be able to play songs with my brother’ and he said, ‘y’know, Chris said the same thing to me.’”

“I don’t mean to be morbid, but we’re lucky we’re still here. We’ve said goodbye to a lot of people, and [dying] would have been a real shame,” added Chris. “If I can make up for all the shit and be his brother as we move along and any way lessen the load for him and be there for the good times and the bad times, that’s more important.”

The band very recently announced a 2020 reunion tour marking the 30th birthday of Shake Your Money Maker. The 46-date run kicks off in June next year, and alongside Chris and Rich Robinson feature will feature an all-new lineup.

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