Two albums into their ongoing reunion which first began in 2019, the Black Crowes continue to explore a new groove. They’re finding new fans of surprising eras of their past work as well.
That’s one thing that Rich Robinson saw when the band hit the road with Whiskey Myers for the Southern Hospitality tour, which played outdoor venues this past summer. They’d released A Pound of Feathers, their newest studio record, in March and everything felt really good.
“Playing outside and getting to do our thing, [playing] that new record, I mean, we were really happy with it,” the guitarist tells UCR. “You know, it’s interesting when you write a new record, how it plays and how it mixes with your catalog. The thing is, [these new songs] work seamlessly. It’s amazing,”
Watch the Black Crowes’ ‘Profane Prophecy’ Video
A New Day For the ‘Lions’ Album
The Crowes dug deep this summer with the set lists they played during the summer run — and they also welcomed a number of special guests to the stage. One particularly exciting pick showed up a couple of times, including during their San Diego concert where they opened for Guns N’ Roses.
“Midnight From the Inside Out” has been played very sporadically over the past 25 years since it was originally released as part of the band’s 2001 Don Was-produced album, Lions.
Though the record received mixed reviews at the time it was released, Robinson has seen the tide turn in a more positive direction in recent years.
“It’s a heavy song and It’s a cool song,” he says, regarding “Midnight” and how it ended up back in the set. “It was funny because Isaac [Carpenter], the new drummer for Guns, is a huge Lions fan. More people come up to us saying they love Lions lately. It’s been amazing. Isaac was one of them.”
“He just came up to Chris and I, and we met him. He was such a sweetheart,” Robinson recalls. “He’s like, ‘Hey, you know, can I tell you something?’ We’re like, ‘What?’ He’s like, ‘I love Lions.’ We were like, ‘Really?’ And he’s like, ‘Yeah, it’s amazing.’ Chris met [Corey Taylor] from Slipknot, and he said the same thing to him.”
“He was like, ‘Man, Lions is my favorite record.’ I’m like, ‘That’s amazing,’ So it’s always cool [to hear things like that] and I I really love that record,” he shares. “I know some hardcore fans had a hard time at first. It was just it was different for us.”
“But you know, I I had just scored that movie [Highway, which was released in 2002] and we had just worked with Jimmy [Page] and I just kind of brought all that to writing that record,” he explains. “I thought it was great and there’s some really good songs on there so I’m always happy to [go back to] that record [and plays songs from it].”
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‘We Were Going Down a Different Road’
The band has also brought songs from 1999’s By Your Side back into their live set, another album which has become a fan favorite in the years since it originally came out.
“We were going down a different road. You know, we made Shake Your Money Maker and Southern Harmony,” he begins. “Then, Amorica. It was a hard left turn [and that was followed by] Three Snakes [and One Charm]. Those are great records and I love them.”
“But you know, for By Your Side, we [thought], ‘Let’s make a straight-ahead rock and roll record,” he explains. “That’s kind of where I was writing at that time. I had [songs] like “Horsehead” and “By Your Side,” and those kinds of things. I don’t interfere with the writing process. I just kind of let what comes, come [out], you know. When that happens, the record kind of follows where the sound of those songs are coming [from].”
The ‘Southern Hospitality’ Tour: ‘We Got to Go a Little Bit Deeper’
For everywhere they’ve gone with their collective catalog, Robinson is happy with where they’ve landed with 2023’s Happiness Bastards and particularly, A Pound of Feathers.
“You know, this last one in particular was so live. I mean, Chris and I basically just did it with our drummer Cully [Symington],” he says. “We went in and we didn’t really have a lot of songs. We took eight days and we made the whole record. It was a lot of fun. It’s cool to work that way.”
“One of my favorites that I loved playing was ‘Pharmacy Chronicles,’ which was great. You know, it really worked well,” he adds. “Chris and I [also] did ‘Queen of the B-Sides,’ which was really cool. ‘High & Lonesome‘ was a lot of fun this summer. We got to go a little bit deeper and we really enjoyed it.’
Listen to the Black Crowes’ ‘Pharmacy Chronicles’
What’s Next for the Black Crowes in 2027?
After a busy year, Robinson was happy to report that next year’s plans are still coming together. “The future is open,” he says. “I suppose we’re trying to figure that out right now.”
At minimum, they’re finishing 2026 off with a big bang. Later this month, Chris and Rich will participate in a tribute to the late Gram Parsons at the Troubadour, who is being inducted into the Rock Hall several days later on Nov. 14. They top a bill that also features Emmylou Harris, Elvis Costello, Margo Price, Grahame Lesh and others. The concert quickly sold out in minutes when it was announced on Oct. 20.
In the past week, they were also part of the California, Dream On all-star Aerosmith concerts, turning in a strong five-song set each night that pulled out some fun gems from the legendary Boston band’s catalog.
Their Recent Reunion With Aerosmith
The Crowes, originally set to open Aerosmith’s entire Peace Out farewell tour that was canceled after Steven Tyler’s vocal injury, were a natural fit for this year’s bill at the Hollywood Bowl, a chance to somewhat finish what had never really gotten started with the ill-fated run.
As the guitarist told us in 2024, being asked to be part of the Peace Out tour was a huge honor. “[Playing with Aerosmith] was our first time in arenas, ever. They were great. Brad Whitford used to wear the Black Crowes t-shirt on stage. I remember Joe [Perry] would play ‘Twice as Hard’ in a jam he was doing every night. Like, he would really play that riff, because he loved that song.
“They were so supportive and so cool. We were like, ‘Man, this is amazing.’ Because we’d grown up listening to AC/DC, Aerosmith, Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, all of these bands, on top of all of the punk rock and alternative bands that we grew up with as well,” he explained then. “We were just fans of music. So it was one of those things. When they announced this was the last tour and it came our way, we were like, “F–k, man, what a cool thing to be able to do.” You know what I mean? Just to see this thing out. It is a full circle moment.”
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