PHOTO: JON CORNICK | It’s been just about a year since the former Black Crowes singer brought his latest ensemble to New Orleans. The Chris Robinson Brotherhood is embarking on another phase of their seemingly endless tour. This segment began last night in Pensacola and after tonight’s show at the Joy Theater, the band will criss cross the south before heading to points east and midwest before the tour concludes in mid November.
The group is ostensibly touring in support of their latest, critically acclaimed studio album, Barefoot in the Head. But this is a band that continually records and releases concert recordings.
Earlier this year, The CRB released Raven’s Reels, Vol. 1, an exclusive limited edition, 6-LP box set, for Record Store Day. It features a complete concert recording from their September 24, 2017 show at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville, TN. That show was just over a week after their last performance in New Orleans.
Besides their extensive touring schedule, the band has already commenced work on their next studio album at Brotherhood Arts Laboratory in Unicorn, CA. “Venus In Chrome” and “The Chauffeur’s Daughter”—recent staples of CRB live sets—are among songs expected to be featured on the collection. A release date for the album has yet to be determined.
“The music that we make, the concerts that we play, it’s this world we’ve created for ourselves and our people,” explains Robinson. “The idea of it being a commercial enterprise or about popularity or about anything superficial is so far removed from what makes it go for us. We don’t have the weight of responsibility or nostalgia, which means we’re in the very psychedelic situation of getting to be totally honest and create everything in the moment. That’s freedom.”
It’s rare to hear a musician explaining their conception of their own music in a succinct quotation. But that about sums of the feeling one experiences when the band is on stage. They are a rock band, but they go about creating music as timeless as jazz.
Showtime is 9PM
