SIBLING REVELRY

Black Crowes co-founder Rich Robinson explains why he and his brother Chris – a pair of siblings whose relationship went way beyond bickering – are on the creative streak of a lifetime

- AMIT SHARMA

THE BLACK CROWES are making up for lost time. Thanks to disagreements over ownership, which led to a public feud, there was a mighty 15-year gap between 2009's Before the Frost...Until the Freeze and their next album of new material, 2024's Happiness Bastards. Now, not even a full two years later, the Crowes have returned with A Pound of Feathers. Founding singer Chris Robinson and his guitarist brother, Rich, are obviously choosing to strike while the iron is hot, having lost precious time in the heat of bickering so fervent that even Oasis’s formerly feuding Gallagher brothers once deemed it “intense.”

Despite not having a huge amount in common musically — the Black Crowes best known as Southern rock revivalists and Oasis embodying the essence of Britrock — the two bands famously hit the road together in 2001. With the disputes now firmly put to bed in both camps, one could say the era of sibling rivalry is over and it's goodwill from here on out.

“It's the season of brotherly love,” Rich Robinson says with a smile while on a video call with Guitar World from his home studio. “That co-headline run with Oasis was great and actually ended up being one of my favorite tours. Those guys are amazing. Noel comes down to our shows sometimes when we play. Chris went to see them on this reunion tour in New York not long ago and said they sounded great. All of the guys in the band are really cool, from Noel and Liam to Gem Archer and Andy Bell. They're good people.”

While there's been no word of new music from Oasis just yet, the Black Crowes have been careful in making sure their creative reunion looks to the future as much as it reflects on their storied past. The overwhelmingly warm reaction to Happiness Bastards certainly put wind in their sails, with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Grammy recognition helping the brothers realize they were always going to be stronger together.