WILMA Spotlights The Black Crowes from the Crowesnest: http://qfg.tierranet.com/crowesnest.html The Black Crowes are at home both on the road and in the studio. Their style evolves with the times and their music continues to appeal to audiences of all types. They have taken to the road in December playing songs from all four albums, as well as some special favorites. Love, hate & beautiful music: The Black Crowes story "You can't touch us": WILMA's interview with Johnny Colt Links regarding The Black Crowes Hear a sample of "Blackberry" off the album Three Snakes and One Charm Love, Hate & Beautiful Music "This life, this life aches And this life moans This life, this life is great And it's better when you're Not alone" --"Better When You're Not Alone," from Three Snakes and One Charm Throughout Three Snakes and One Charm, their most powerful work yet, The Black Crowes create a sound and sensibility that could only come from them -- a mix of tradition and decadence, a place where blues, country, soul, bluegrass, gospel and psychedelia are boldly sculpted by the band into something that is urgent and modern in both musical presentation and attitude. The diverse yet seamless 12-song album -- built on the solid songwriting partnership of CHRIS and RICH ROBINSON -- crystallizes elements of the band's three previous records, while creating a new sound that is fresh and adventurous. The rock that rolls The Black Crowes is timeless, timely and infused with an unshakable spirit and imbued with individuality and experimentation. As Rolling Stone noted of their previous album, Amorica: "Their swagger intact and their musical inventiveness progressing, The Black Crowes are evolving like the great bands they respect." "Amorica was definitely an intense record," relates singer/lyricist CHRIS ROBINSON of his group's million-selling and critically acclaimed 1994 American Recordings release. "Three Snakes and One Charm isn't complacent, just more warm, focused and positive. Probably for the first time since Shake Your Money Maker (1990), the band really came together. I think when it got to a point when we really thought about life and being in the band and making a commitment, we decided the band is just bigger than us as individuals." Digging deeper, CHRIS reveals: "We were going to break the band up. Last year we did six weeks on tour in Europe and then three months in the States before we went back to Europe and did H.O.R.D.E. (For) that three months in the States, RICH got his own bus...Me and RICH -- we've always loved each other, we just didn't like each other for a while. "It was just sort of like, 'OK, somebody better just inventory all our gear and sell it all, because we're fuckin' outta here.' I think it took that to get to this. You're learning, as the Louvin Brothers said." A renewed sense of community and family was enhanced by the recording process, which took place with Jack Joseph Puig, at the Chateau de la Crowe in Atlanta, a rented home-turned-studio. "It's a totally different vibe doing it in a house, much more conducive to being creative," says guitarist RICH ROBINSON, who stretches out vocally on Three Snakes and One Charm, singing lead for the first time on parts of "How Much For Your Wings" and harmonizing on choruses to nine of the dozen tunes on which CHRIS sings lead. Along the way, they achieve that special yin/yang harmony only siblings can intuitively reach. The results are undeniable, thanks to The Black Crowes' "positive head space," as drummer STEVE GORMAN puts it, "a renewal of vows." This emerged, in part, because of the band's triumphant headlining spot on the H.O.R.D.E. tour (which was the most successful H.O.R.D.E. trek in its four-year existence and one that outsold Lollapalooza in many cities). You can hear the resultant freshness in songs like the album's kick-off, "Under A Mountain," a striking tune replete with RICH ROBINSON's rich, open-tuned chords, and it's clear he's continuing to creatively evolve as a songwriter. The track "(Only) Halfway to Everywhere" reflects CHRIS ROBINSON's fondness for Sly & The Family Stone-style and features vocalist Gary "Mudbone" Cooper and Gary Shider of the P-Funk All Stars "We put the song together," says CHRIS, "in that sorta Temptations-style, the three different voices, a totally Sly thing." Other guests on the album include the Dirty Dozen (formerly the Dirty Dozen Brass Band), singer Erica Stewart of Ziggy Marley And The Melody Makers, singer Barbara Mitchell, who guested on the band's second album, The Southern Harmony And Musical Companion, ex-American Music Club's Bruce Kaphan on pedal steel and banjo player Rick Taylor. Guitarist MARC FORD, who joined The Black Crowes six days prior to the recording of the band's 1992 Southern Harmony And Musical Companion, finds all options open within the band. "That's why it all melds so well," he explains. "Everyone's coming from a different part of the country, traditionally and musically. You can do anything you want and it always keeps it exciting and fresh." As for his interplay with RICH, it's ever-expanding. "It just keeps flowering. RICH used to insist he was a rhythm player, and I told him to stick his toe as a lead player in the water a little bit, and now we're playing with each other, listening to each other. You can do all that sound-weaving." The rich layering in the songs on Three Snakes and One Charm is evident in both The Black Crowes' music and CHRIS' probing lyrics. As a romance falls apart in "Under A Mountain," ROBINSON sings "So I'm under a mountain/Stuck to this mattress/Perfume and valium." Elsewhere, in the purposely misspelled "Nebekanezer" (he was the King of Babylon), the specter of heroin sparked the lyrics ("All of his friends complain/ That they got the flu/They ain't sick in the head/They look like the living dead"). "It's sort of the two-thumbs-up feel good junkie song of the summer," quips the singer, whose instantly recognizable voice also brings fire to tunes like "Blackberry," and segues easily into a moving -- and caustic -- ballad about a fractured romance, "Good Friday." "One Mirror Too Many," "How Much For Your Wings" and "Evil Eye" are perhaps among the band's most musically adventurous songs to date, with their wild, psychedelicized stylings. "Evil Eye," the closing cut on Three Snakes and One Charm, has especially potent lyrics: "Jesus can't save you/Though it's nice to think he'd try," sings CHRIS -- a dig at the cheap commercialization of religion. Another line in the song could perhaps be interpreted as a bit of The Black Crowes' credo: "This is not to scare you/This is to make sense of our time." Onstage, The Black Crowes are known to stretch out musically, rearranging songs and changing set lists all the time. When they headlined five sold-out nights at New York's Beacon Theatre in 1995, it was a different set every night. Elaborates CHRIS: "It's like looking at a map when you want to get to a certain place. How many roads can you take to get to that place? When we show up for a gig, it's like we're on a road map just trying to get to the same place. It's worth taking off and exploring other musical avenues just to find that magic place every night." That willingness to improv and explore is a natural function within the band, as JOHNNY COLT explains. "I feel different every day, and every show is different. You gotta align with the universe, man. If you want to be creative, you can't try and funnel the show. The quality control argument is null and void." Following the release of Amorica, the sextet were honored with stints playing with the Rolling Stones (eight overseas shows including three at Wembley Stadium in London), Page/Plant and the Grateful Dead. "Amorica allowed us to be the band we weren't allowed to be," believes RICH of the way-too-narrow pigeonholing the band sometimes received. "It pushed us past the retro thing, and affirmed us more as players, musicians and songwriters than the perception that the band was only made up of bell-bottom wearers and pot-smokers." There's probably another reason The Black Crowes were honored with these coveted gigs; these bands are attracted to The Black Crowes' love for the rock's gritty, dirty, sexy blues roots and an appreciation for eloquence and decadence in art, music, and literature. While The Black Crowes never preach, they most definitely and often defiantly stand behind what they believe in, often times eschewing any benefits they might reap. As the New York Post noted: "They tour without corporate sponsors, play fan-friendly theaters rather than arenas and make music to please themselves rather than the critics." And on their 1995 "Amorica or Bust Tour" the band invited fans to tape-record The Black Crowes' live shows. The Black Crowes believe their fans should be able to take a piece of the group home as a souvenir. "You Can't Touch Us" Which songs off of the new album Three Snakes and One Charm do you most enjoy playing live? Johnny Colt: There is nothing on there that I dread. I dig everything, but "Evil Eye" and "Better When You're Not Alone" are my two favorites right now. "Evil Eye" was weird at first for me. It just didn't come together for me. When it did, it became really fun; prior, it was work. Now I really enjoy playing it. Are The Black Crowes playing every song off Three Snakes and One Charm live? Johnny Colt: Yes, not in the same show, obviously. They're are all alive and kicking. What do you do about the horns on "Let Me Share the Ride?" Johnny Colt: Unfortunately we are not in the position to carry a horn section with us -- it would drive the ticket prices up. We don't have the horns. It sounds fine. Eddie (Harsch) picks his parts up a bit, and everyone plays a little more improvisation. "Let Me Share the Ride" halfway through the tour is completely different from the record. Then, at the end of the tour, it will be completely different from the song it was halfway into the tour. The people who collect the tapes know exactly what I'm talking about: the songs evolve. We don't play them the same [way] every day. When The Black Crowes first began to receive commercial success, you were not known to be an improv band. When did the transformation take place? Johnny Colt: You know, what's funny about that is, we were not necessarily known for being an improv band, but we were actually doing it before the general public realized we were doing it. When Shake Your Money Maker came out, we were already playing the new material that would turn out to be the next Crowes album in our early club dates before we even were opening up for Aerosmith. On the first day we opened for Aerosmith, we played two brand-new songs in our 45-minute set. The very first arena show we ever did, we were up there playing new material. Believe me, that new material was a lot more like a jam than it was a song. As a matter of fact, that upset a lot of people -- i.e., Aerosmith. They actually had a problem with that. Are there any cities or venues that you or the band prefer to play? Johnny Colt: There are certain venues that have a sound quality: the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, the Fox in Detroit. In general, the answer is no. We are here to make music and anywhere we go, people make their way to the shows, and that's what it's all about. The fans are great in New York, Detroit and Boston, but I am genuinely thankful every time people come to hear the music and want to share. That's what we are here to do. Looking back at the music scene in Atlanta in 1990, how did it aid in the band's growth? Johnny Colt: I think that the only way the Atlanta music scene of 1990 helped us was in the amount of animosity that was generated towards us as a group. We were able to turn that animosity into just pure energy to try and get our asses out of there. Instead of pushing your brethren musicians, instead of being supportive and saying, 'man, grab it by the balls.' Realizing that it will open things up for yourself. Bands get bent out of shape that it is not them. There is a lot of compassion down there, too. Would you mind sharing with WILMA some of your personal influences? Johnny Colt: There is everyone of your standards from Donald "Duck" Dunn and Larry Graham [Sly and the Family Stone]. It's not just bass players who influence bass players. It's just music in general that is an influence. As time goes on, many things can be an influence. As you get to understand the art form, many things -- not only music -- become an influence; everything else in your day can become an influence. You can hear music in everything, from the cantor of a person's voice to everyday sounds. There is all kinds of harmony that surrounds you on a sonic level. Astor Piazzolla -- he's Argentinean, he is the master of the tango -- I've been listening to his records and they have been stunning. I recommend History of the Tango, Volume I. Are there any other artists or albums that you would give your seal of approval? Johnny Colt: Let's see, there are so many. Fresh or Life from Sly & the Family Stone, the Beatles' The White Album, Led Zeppelin's Physical Graffiti, every Bob Dylan record. If I had to choose, let's go with Desire. The Band's Music for the Big Pink and The Basement Tapes. You can't forget John Coltrane's The Blue Train and Giant Steps. Then there's Charles Mingus's Pithycanthropus Erectus. In terms of artists, there is Willie Dixon, Robert Johnson, Bessie Smith, Janis Joplin... I could go on forever. Wait -- top of the album list, you have to put George Harrison's All Things Must Pass. You know, what is so groundbreaking about that record to me is that the whole record is done with Krishna consciousness. They are all devotional songs, and they come in the form of love songs, and he is singing to Krishna in almost every tune. If you listen, specifically to "All Things Must Pass," it is set up in mantra style. The songs on the album are simple, beautiful songs. I think that the "All Things Must Pass" album is truly magical. The Black Crowes have some great albums of their own. The last two were recorded at Chateau de la Crowe in Atlanta, Georgia. How has that environment added to the albums? Johnny Colt: The Chateau de la Crowe adds in the magic. You are in there creating. You spend the whole day getting the best out of yourself. Do you have a personal preference between the recording studio and the live gig? Johnny Colt: I wouldn't say a preference, but I got into music to play music live. First and foremost, that's what I came to do. Certainly, I wanted to make records, and I enjoy making records, and it is two different art forms. I don't like one better than the other. I think you need both. I wouldn't want to be just a live musician, or just a recording musician. I like being in a band because we do both. The Black Crowes seem to have a hard edge or a mystique. Where does it come from? Johnny Colt: Expect no less than the best out of yourself at any moment. That's what being a part of The Black Crowes is all about. At the end of the day, the one thing I am proud of the Crowes for, the reason why I am proud to be with these kind of people, is because what we've done is put our money where our mouth is. Plenty of people can say we talk shit one way or the other, and all kinds of people talk shit, but when we walk onto that stage or into the studio, you can't touch us. We are great at what we do because we work hard at it. We stay on tour and we stay playing music. Johnny, thanks a lot for taking the time to talk with WILMA. Johnny Colt: I'm going to go do some sound checks. All this talk about music is making me anxious to play! from the Crowesnest: http://qfg.tierranet.com/crowesnest.html