THUNDER BAY - Rich Robinson has been making music for more than 30 years and in that time he has seen how there is almost an unnatural push to move music forward. But when it comes to making music, just like life, it has to move forward at its own pace.
“I kind of feel like we are always open, but I think there has to be a natural pace of pushing music forward,” he said. “I think there is this sort of absurd fanaticism of pushing music forward by the use of technology.”
There has never been anything pushing Robinson’s music in any particular direction, other than his own musical tastes and experiences, which are being brought to life in his latest endeavor, The Magpie Salute, who will be performing at this year’s Blues Festival.
Robinson, formerly of the chart-topping band, The Black Crows, which he founded with brother Chris Robinson, formed The Magpie Salute in 2016 with other members of the Crows including Marc Ford and Sven Pipien. Joining them are drummer Matt Slocum and vocalist John Hogg.
The band will be releasing their debut album of original material, High Water 1, later this summer, which was born out of several live performances last year and sell out shows, which Robinson described as a celebration of music and influences.
“We kind of looked at all of these elements and throughout all of last year, we decided to become a band and go in and make a record and establish who we are and take that first step,” he said.
Having written the majority of music while he was with The Black Crows, Robinson said there is definitely a style to the way he plays, especially with fellow band mates Ford and Pipien, but there was no plan of writing a Black Crows record.
“For me, people are going to get what they get out of music,” he said. “I’m hoping there’s a lot of people who maybe aren’t Black Crows fans are really turned on to it and interested in it.”
“I don’t believe in changing what I do in an unnatural sense for the soul purpose of trying not to sound like something or trying to sound like something,” Robinson continued. “The way I write is the way I write.”
While many of his influences include iconic rock acts like Neil Young, The Rolling Stones, and Led Zepplin, Robinson said there are a lot of current artists making great music, including Grizzly Bear and The Heartless Bastards.
But putting those artists in a box and slapping labels on them only does a disservice to music, Robinson said, and the people who make it.
“I think it’s a problem when people start going down the road of labeling something,” he said. “It’s music. It’s music we made in 2018, music we made in the studio, by people.”
“We’re always experimenting for the purpose of bettering ourselves,” Robinson continued. “I don’t think anyone has reached their pinnacle. We are always trying and we are always growing.”
And it is through that growth, which has been ongoing for 34 years, that has helped inform Robinson’s music, reflected in the past, the present, and as he continues to push music forward.
“We are pushing music forward in our own way with our own experiences,” Robinson said. “The music we listen to, the films we watch, the books we read, the places we go, divorce, kids, love, loss.”
“If you look at what humanity is, there is a natural pace to it that I think we’re missing,” he added. “The kind of music I like has that pace.”
The Magpie Salute will be taking to the Blues Festival stage on Sunday July 8 at 7:15 p.m.
