Why the Black Crowes Don’t Want to Record a New Album Yet
The Black Crowes are taking their recent reunion one small step at a time. Wary of reigniting old arguments, siblings Rich and Chris Robinson decided against bringing in fellow ex-bandmates for a previously announced tour. They're not even willing to discuss making a new album.
"I have a bunch of stuff, but we want to make sure we do this properly," Rich told Louder Sound. "We want to make sure we can do this before we get into a studio and make a record. That would be cool, but right now this is what we're focused on."
Chris echoed those thoughts: "I don't think we can do that until we see how this goes."
Their measured approach began with the Black Crowes' new lineup, which was rebuilt exclusively around the newly reconciled brothers.
"It was the first thing on the table," Chris said. "Rich and I agreed on it. We just want to start with a clean slate. I'm not putting the blame on anyone else; I'm responsible for my own negative interactions with the rest of the band. But we didn't want to trigger anything. One little thing, and you're back to fighting on the bus in 2006, you know what I mean?"
Co-founder Steve Gorman was replaced by drummer Raj Ojha, who joined the Black Crowes with fellow Once & Future Band member Joel Robinow on keyboards. The reunion band is rounded out by Earthless guitarist Isaiah Mitchell and bassist Tim Lefebvre, who played on David Bowie's Blackstar album.
The planned 2020 tour, set to begin on June 17 in Austin, will feature the Black Crowes' debut album Shake Your Money Maker in its entirety – unless the novel coronavirus pandemic postpones things. They're set for 45 shows in the U.S. before heading to the U.K. in October.
Along the way, there'll be plenty of rock, and plenty of introspection.
"I have to look at what triggers me, and I have to look at my reaction," Rich noted. "And I can't go down that road of being triggered – because that's all there is. So, what I'm going to do is just try and stay as disciplined as I can, and try not to be reactionary and fall into the same old patterns. And that's all I can do."