Interview: Robby Krieger

Robby Krieger is best known for being the co-founder and guitarist for the legendary band The Doors, and his eclectic playing and songwriting were key components of the band’s sound.

The first Doors album, which turned 50 years old earlier this year, is a landmark in rock music, and contains such classics as “Break On Through (To the Other Side)”, “Soul Kitchen”, “The Crystal Ship”, “The End”, and “Light My Fire”, the latter of which was written by Krieger.

The Doors went on to record five more acclaimed studio albums before singer Jim Morrison died, including the songs “When the Music’s Over”, “Hello, I Love You”, “L.A. Woman”, “Riders on the Storm”, and others with particularly significant Krieger songwriting contributions like “People Are Strange”, “Peace Frog”, “Touch Me”, “Love Her Madly”, and “Love Me Two Times”.

After The Doors’ demise, Krieger and Doors drummer John Densmore founded The Butts Band, which released two mid-Seventies albums. Krieger has also released several solo recordings, including the 1977’s underrated Robbie Krieger & Friends.

This interview was for a preview article for noozhawk.com for Krieger’s concert on 4/8/17 at the Libbey Bowl in Ojai California. It was done by phone on 3/29/17. (L. Paul Mann photo)

Interview: Chris Robinson

Singer Chris Robinson and The Black Crowes seemed a bit of an anachronism when they burst onto the music scene nearly twenty-five years ago, when hair bands were on the verge of being swallowed up by grunge, and the Crowes being in neither camp. Their sound instead was reminiscent of the Faces, or Exile on Main Street-era Rolling Stones, but with a dose of soulful Southern attitude. Their first album Shake Your Money Maker featured songs such as “Jealous Again”, “She Talks To Angels”, “Twice as Hard”, and a smoking cover of Otis Redding’s “Hard to Handle”. They went on to release other well-regarded albums over the next two decades, and built a reputation as a solid live act.

When the Chris Robinson Brotherhood (CRB) came along in 2011 during a Black Crowes hiatus – here’s a review of one of the first CRB shows – it wasn’t clear what the future held. Fast-forwarding to the present, it’s safe to say that the CRB is where Robinson’s heart and soul is at. The band now has three albums out, most recently this year’s Phosphorescent Harvest, and they’re still doing what they arguably do best – playing live shows full of cool original and cover tunes.

This interview was for a preview article for the CRB’s concert at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara on 11/29/14. It was done by phone on 11/14/14. (L. Paul Mann photo)