VH1 1 on 1 Interview

THE BLACK CROWES ANSWER YOU...

You asked what you wanted to know, and now, Rich
Robinson has answered you! Check out what he has to
say. 

 
Rich Robinson 
Q: With so many lineup changes, how do you guys
achieve band unity and such great live interaction?
     - James from Greenwood Village, Colo.

Rich Robinson: We try out a lot of people and choose
people we feel are accomplished musicians. We hope
they bring something to the table. Luckily, everyone
we've chosen has.

Q: What is your take on contemporary rock?
     - Andrew from Columbus, Ohio

Rich Robinson: Popular music seems to be mainly
motivated by fame and money. There are great bands out
there, it's just hard for them to have an outlet to
reach a lot of people.

Q: I have heard some of your acoustic shows. They
sound really good and a little different. Will you be
doing an acoustic set, or a few acoustic songs, on
upcoming tours?
     - Jay from Santa Barbara, Calif.

Rich Robinson: We've played full acoustic shows in the
past and it's something that we love to do. More than
likely we'll do it again in the future.

 
Chris Robinson 
Q: I think your music was at its most intense when the
Robinsons were fighting, circa Amorica. How is the new
"brotherly love" vibe affecting the music nowadays?
     - Jonah from New York

Rich Robinson: Chris and I got along really well for
this album. And so far, this is my favorite record. So
I feel that fighting or not, we still can be very
creative and different for every album.

Q: It seems you guys revolve your set lists and
include different songs and rarities. Will this
continue? Will we see different songs on the set list
each night?
     - Ryan from Downers Grove, Ill.

Rich Robinson: We have a lot more records and always
hope to add new songs - unreleased, old songs, cover
tunes, etc. Playing different sets keeps our shows
fresh and helps us love what we do.

Q: You toured with Jimmy Page. How much of an
influence did it have on the writing and recording of
Lions?
     - Ian from Williamsport, Pa.

Rich Robinson: Playing with Jimmy was, to me, more
inspiring than influential. It was great to play with
someone as obviously talented and passionate as Jimmy.
We've always been huge fans of his music and
understood what he brought to music in general. Being
onstage with him was an amazing experience.

Q: What's the best part about performing in front of a
live audience?
     - Stephanie from Redondo Beach, Calif.

Rich Robinson: When you actually see people get
something out of what you do. We have always wanted
people to get out of our music what we got out of our
favorite bands and albums.

 
Q: What do you guys like better, recording or being on
the road?
     - Kevin from Hollywood

Rich Robinson: Recording and being on the road are
both amazing elements of what we do as a band. One
isn't better than the other - they're both great for
different reasons.

Q: I saw you guys a few months ago, and I was
wondering why you don't play "Hard to Handle" in
concert. Are you just sick of the song or is it
something else?
     - Rob from Milford, Conn.

Rich Robinson: We've played "Hard to Handle" a lot on
this tour. We still love the song, we're huge Otis
fans, and in the past, sometimes we wanted to make
space for our newer songs. But we realize people want
to hear it and we have been playing it.

Q: How do you feel about your latest album being
called Beatles influenced?
     - Melissa from Atlanta

Rich Robinson: I haven't heard that comparison - but
you can never go wrong with any comparison to the
Beatles.

Q: Rich and Chris, how often do you use a piano to
write songs and how does that compare with your method
of writing earlier in your career?
     - John from Valhalla, N.Y.

Rich Robinson: I can't speak for Chris, but I've
written several songs on the piano, [including] "Lay
It All on Me" on the new record, and another song that
didn't make the record called "Sleepyheads." It's
different because it's a completely different
instrument and it forces you to approach music
differently.