CHRIS AND RICH ROBINSON: Brothers of a Feather

Brothers Of A Feather notes

The first thing you notice is the coat rack. It's the centerpiece of the traveling sitting room set of the 13-show Brothers Of A Feather tour.  They say home is where you hang your hat, so a rack on stage must mean these folks are right where they should be.

Chris & Rich Robinson picked up some bohemian accessories and invited us to lean in. Tickets for this opportunity to hear The Black Crowes' brain trust – two of most engaging, fascinating rock musicians in the past 20 years – in this intimate setting sold out instantly.  Stripped to their skivvies, metaphorically speaking, something special happened.  Removed from the Crowes' aural juggernaut, what audiences lucky enough to snag a seat heard was emotionally deep, endlessly soulful music that's equal parts Elmore James, Nick Drake and Robbie Robertson – rough & tender poetry given fresh meter & rhyme.

Starting in Brooklyn and swinging through Austin on the way to the California Coast, the brothers explored their vast catalog, discovering new facets in well-worn grooves like "Jealous Again," which laid bare had a Sun Studios chunkiness.  "Jealous" and more obscure gems like "Darling of the Underground Press" and "Horsehead" speak volumes about the Robinsons' influence on contemporary artists like the Drive-By Truckers and Kings of Leon, to name just a few.  The pair's unique variations on classic folk & blues motifs seep into music's pores. Their knack for simultaneously honoring & subverting tradition has never been clearer than at these shows.

A duo is a conversation we get to eavesdrop on.  Whether the players intend it or not, we pick up on tells and silent signals.  This DVD gives us a cozy spot at their feet, a virtual porch jam where their spontaneity and craftsmanship dance.  Not every performer bears up under such scrutiny but Chris & Rich are remarkably unguarded.  Chris' off the cuff quips and Rich's begrudging commentaries expose things the full band setting simply doesn't allow.  Shorn of amplifiers and light shows, there's just two voices, two guitars and the tunes.  Even the occasional helping hand of friends here doesn't detract from this brotherly communion.

At the final three-night run at The Roxy one picks up on their curiously winning mixture of ballsy confidence and sweet humility.  They're genuinely moved by the support they receive but they're also well past being journeymen.  These are musician's musicians, and the sureness & brilliance of their playing is something to behold.  These gigs should forever put to rest any doubts about the inspired magic in Rich's hands.  And even seated, Chris is a force of nature.  There's not many singers of any era who can touch his range or emotional oomph.

In addition to their own work, the brothers enthusiastically delved into other's worlds.  They've always had a superb nose for great, appropriate covers, and the selections here by Bob Dylan, Lowell George, Gene Clark, John Martyn and Tom Rush feel like we're getting a peek at their root pleasures.  In each instance, be it the melancholy reading of Rush's "Driving Wheel" or the sprightly walk through Martyn's "Over The Hill," they inhabit these songs as if they were their own.  It's like seeing layers of skin pulled away to show you the cellular evolution inside.

This tour played cool ballrooms and theatres (SF's Swedish American Hall, Austin's Cactus Club, NYC's Rose Theater), indicators of the class act they've grown into and a chance to play without the usual barroom hubbub.  In this way, both the musicians and crowd are allowed greater access to the music.  While the Crowes are a devastating rock show it was enlightening, and not a little nourishing, to idle up to these cuts in a quieter way.

This is also the first official release of new originals in more than six years.  "Magic Rooster Blues" and "Someday Past The Sunset" show they've lost none of their compositional mojo but it's "Cold Boy Smile" where the true heart of Brothers tour lies.  On the bridge, the siblings fall together in the warmest way, singing, "When we are in harmony." For all the turmoil that's clung to them over the years, there is the truth of their collaboration together, an intertwined artistic union that ranks with the best that's been.  It is us, the listeners, who are most blessed by their continued harmony.

-Dennis Cook
JamBase Associate Editor