Rich Robinson Ponders Life After The Crowes
Monday April 21, 2003 @ 04:30 PM
By: ChartAttack.com Staff

from: http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2003/04/2107.cfm


Former Black Crowes lead guitarist Rich Robinson didn't see the demise of his 
old band last year as a sign to pack it in and quit the music business full-
time. Rather than sit on the sidelines and watch his older brother enjoy his 
solo career and his movie star wife, the younger Robinson wrangled himself a new 
band, dubbed Hookah Brown, and sees his decision to continue on as an obvious 
and natural choice.

"This is what I do. What else am I gonna do? Get a job?" ask Robinson. "I've 
known this my whole life. Since I was 15, I was playing in bands. When I was 19 
I signed a record deal. When I was 20 I sold seven million albums. And then from 
the time I was 20 until I was 32 or 33, whatever it is, I was in this really 
successful band that really took up a lot of my time and that's what I did. I 
love writing songs, I love playing music and that's what I live for. Be it in 
clubs or arenas that's what I do. Why NOT do it?"

Hookah Brown is made up of Robinson as head honcho guitarist, British band 
Moke's frontman John Hogg, Fionn O'Lochlainn on bass and one-time Heather Eatman 
drummer Bill Dobrow. Described as having a sound reminiscent of the Crowes with 
a Brit twist, Hookah will be heading into the studio in May to start recording 
their debut with record labels eager to sign one-half of the pair that wrote 
hits like "She Talks To Angels," "Remedy" and "Wiser Time." In the meantime, 
they're stopping off at small clubs here and there (including tomorrow night, 
April 22, at Toronto's Club 279) to wet their feet. But there's been little more 
than a whisper as far as buzz for Hookah is concerned. When it comes to the 
former members of a once successful band splitting off and starting their own 
outfits, there's always the chance of the "So fucking what?" attitude rearing 
its ugly head.

"You know what, [people have] already shied away from our band," laughs Robinson 
nervously. "It's not like we're really selling thousands of tickets. Like, the 
few people that come out are really into it and I think are surprised and offer 
help. To be honest, Chris [Robinson, brother and ex-frontman for BC] just had 
more people interested in what he was doing than this. And that could be because 
he's the frontman and people just assumed that he was the sound of the Crowes, 
but I think people are listening to his record now and realizing he's NOT the 
sound of the Crowes. He was the voice of the Crowes, but he wasn't the sound of 
it - there's a big difference. I feel that I was in a band that people generally 
cared about and to have that once in a lifetime is more than most people on this 
earth will ever have, you know what I mean? I'm really thankful for that. If 
this band does well I'd be fuckin' triple thankful for that."

After the break-up of the band and Rich's lonely role as producer of the Crowes' 
last record, Black Crowes Live, he wrote the beginnings of what would become the 
songs for his new band, reflecting on what mistakes happened and what to learn 
from them.

"The only problem came when people tried to pick [the Crowes'] singles for us 
and all this bullshit and it was always geared towards what sounded the most 
like 'Hard To Handle,'" explains Robinson. "And they never used our strongest 
asset, which I thought was that we always changed. People that were writing that 
we sounded like The Stones on Three Snakes or Amorica, they were fuckin' idiots. 
And they proved their ignorance and idiocy for stating that because they never 
listened to our records. Our records grew leaps and bounds every time we made 
'em. And I'm not talking about commercial viability, but musically and 
songwriting-wise and all these things. Playing together as a band - that grew."

He adds: "I'd love to sell millions of records [with Hookah Brown], that'd be 
great. But if it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, it doesn't. I'm not going 
to do anything to try and make it happen. I'm not going to write songs with 
Dianne Warren or pair up with Kid Rock because it's hip for the time."

-Debbie Bento