Otis Taylor Band (USA)

Line-up :

Otis Taylor – vocal, banjo, guitar
Shawn Stachurski – guitar
Todd Edmunds – bass
Larry Thompson – drums

Bezwerend en hypnotiserend: nu al staat vast dat Duvel Blues met Otis Taylor een top of the bill programmeert die niemand onberoerd zal laten. De blues, zoals deze imposante reus uit Chicago ze brengt, is met niets te vergelijken. Trance Blues, zo noemt de man zijn mix van psychedelica en diepgewortelde rootsmuziek. De gespecialiseerde pers bestempelt hem al eens als de onwettige zoon van John Lee Hooker.
Otis Taylor, onlangs nog te gast op het North Sea Jazz Festival, heeft al een Best Blues Entertainer Award en een Grammy nominatie op zak, en werd door het gezaghebbende Guitar Magazine omschreven als ‘vermoedelijk de meest relevante bluesmuzikant van het moment’. Wat dat betekent, kan u zelf vaststellen op Duvel Blues. Een buitenkans.
http://www.otistaylor.com/

Michael Jerome Browne (CA)

Line-up :

- Michael Jerome Browne: Guitar & vocals

In Canada is Michael Jerome Browne al een begrip en werd hij meervoudig gelauwerd als toonaangevend rootsartiest. Het zou ons niet verbazen als na zijn passage in Puurs de Belgische bluesliefhebbers MJB als dé ontdekking van de festivaleditie 2013 zouden bestempelen. De man brengt een pure, ruwe, doorleefde dwarsdoorsnede van alle vormen van Amerikaanse rootsmuziek - Chicago blues over cajun tot folk.
Duvelblues brengt Michael Jerome Browne rechtstreeks over uit Montreal, voor een exclusief concert in de Tiendenschuur. Niet verbaasd staan kijken, mocht Browne’s maatje Eric Bibb tijdens de set enkele nummers komen meespelen.
http://www.michaeljeromebrowne.com/

The Guitar Collection (B)

Line-up :

Chris Peeters : Gitaar & zang
Bill Roseman : Gitaar & zang
Marty Townsend : Gitaar & zang
Bert Embrechts : Bass & zang
Ivo Opdebeeck : Drums

Trouw aan het principe om blues van eigen bodem te steunen, maakt Duvelblues ook dit jaar op de affiche plaats voor een groep die de Belgische driekleur rond de twaalfmatenblues drapeert. Dit keer brengt het festival een nieuwe naam, The Guitar Collection, voor het voetlicht… al zijn de leden ervan allerminst beginners te noemen.
Elke steunpilaar uit deze vijfkoppige band kan stevige geloofsbrieven voorleggen, met cv’s waarin ronkende namen als The Medford Slim Band, Blue Blot, de Laatste Show Band en Big Bill opduiken.
The Guitar Collection belooft Duvelblues 2013 te verrassen met eigenzinnige interpretaties van bluesklassiekers en vergeten pareltjes.

Eric “Guitar’” Davis & Luca Giordano Blues Band

line-up :

- Eric Guitar Davis: Guitar & vocals
- Luca Giordano : Guitar
- Fabrizio Ginoble : Keys
- Fabio Colella : Drums
- Walter Cerasani : Bass

Van vader op zoon, de muziek met de paplepel ingegeven: dat is het verhaal van Eric ‘Guitar’ Davis. Met een vader als Bobby ‘Top Hat’ Davis, die drumde bij giganten als Otis Rush, Muddy Waters en Ray Charles, zat zoon Eric gebeiteld voor een carrière in de blues. Eric omgorde echter al snel de gitaar.
Inmiddels is de man dertig en een gevestigde naam in het bluescircuit. Voor wie aan purisme een broertje dood heeft en zijn blues graag doorspekt ziet met beenharde funk en zwartgeblakerde soul, belooft dit een concert te worden om van te smullen.
In Puurs wordt Davis begeleidt door diens favoriete Europese sidekick, Luca Giordano, en diens Bluesband. Blues uit Chicago én uit de Italiaanse Abruzzen – samen in Klein-Brabant. Oh ja: Davis durft al eens een cover van Stevie Wonder, Jimi Hendrix of James Brown in de set te smokkelen.
Benieuwd wat hij op Duvel Blues uit zijn gitaar zal schudden.

Eric Davis was born to Dorothy Walker and world renowned drummer Bobby Davis. At the age of five, Eric began to follow in his Dad’s footsteps as a drummer. By the age of ten young Eric Davis could be found playing drums in Chicago’s hottest blues clubs, such as The Legendary Checkerboard Lounge and Theresa’s lounge behind Legendary greats such as ,The late Jr. Wells, Lefty Dizz, Buddy Guy, BB King,B.B. Odom,Tyrone Davis and many more. One day when Eric “da Drummer” Davis was hanging out at the legendary Checkerboard lounge on 43rd street after school he asked a local blues bass man, “Flash” to teach him how to play bass. Buddy Guy, overhearing the conversation from behind the bar told Eric that “in order to get all the girls” you have to play this, and handed Eric his old beat up Fender guitar,and showed Eric his first chord…..Fast foward almost 30 years later and you have Eric Guitar Davis! Who has become a powerful and important part of the blues with the great potentials of becoming part of  history before his time…..Eric is a very emotional  performer that has the natural ability to command attention from his audience,with every soulful note he cleverly sings accompanied by  very intense guitar notes thats definietly let’s you know that this guy is the”Real Deal” …In 2007 Eric debuts with his first C.D  titled:”Here Comes Trouble”!Which has sold over 15,000 copies world wide…Since Eric’s debut in 2007 Eric has Toured Europe 3 times with The Luca Giordono Band in cities such as Italy,Rome,Milan,Pescara.Naples….just to name a few…Eric has also been to Countries such as Lithuania,Lativa,…..In which Eric has now become a International Demand.Eric can be found in Chicago playing the Hottest Blues clubs such as Buddy Guys Legends,Blues On Halsted,The Kingston Mines and The House Of Blues,when he’s not on the road touring where he frequently plays Indiana.Ohio,Tennessee,Minnessota,Missouri,Michigan,,,to name a few…Eric’s much anticipated new C.D’The Days Of My Life”will be out Spring of 2011.Eric has also shared the stage with Greats such as Buddy Guy,B.B King,Tyrone Davis,CoCo Taylor,Billy Branch,Ronnie Baker Brooks,Big James and The Chicago Playboys,Little Ed and the Blues Imperials,Booker T and The MGs,Lefty Dizz,Chico Banks,Lurrie Bell,Nick Moss and many many more.Eric truly deserves the right to be considered one of the remaining roots from the tree…A Show Not To Miss!

Born in Teramo, Italy, 1980, Luca Giordano started to play his guitar when he was 20 years old, improving year by year his style with a deep passion for the Blues.
After a period in Italy playing with his first band "Jumpin Eye Blues Quintet", he moves to Chicago where he starts many collaborations with several blues Artists. He plays with Les Getrex Band, guitar player for Fats Domino, with fantastic singer Sharon Lewis and her Texas Fire Band, with the legendary JW Williams for more than one month as substitution for his regular exceptional guitar player Shun Kikuta, who was touring with Koko Taylor.
In the same period he performs in many italian festivals and clubs toghether with Sax Gordon, Nellie Tiger Travis, and with some of the best italian musician, the drummer Mr Vince Vallicelli and incredible Hammond player Pippo Guarnera.
In 2008 he meets in Chicago  Eric Guitar Davis, and they start a very good collaboration and friendship. They play toghether all over Italy and Lithuania with Luca's band and all over United States with Eric's band, The TroubleMakers.  In few years Eric Davis is becoming one of the most exciting new generation performer,  and they start to tour in many clubs in Illinois, Ohio, Missouri and Indiana and recently they played twice at the Chicago Blues Festival 2011 on the Crossroadstage and Windy City Blues Stage.
During this last period he performs in the best clubs and festivals in United States and Europe with his band and also as sideman for Chicago Blues Legends like Bob Stroger, Willie Big Eyes Smith, Jimmy Burns and JW Williams.
He also pays tribute to old school Chicago Blues toghether with his friend Quique Gomez playing in Europe and United States. Both focused on their first love, the old school traditional blues, they recorded two cds, one in Italy and one in Chicago with special guests Billy Branch, Eddie C Campbell, Jimmy Burns, Bob Stroger and they also performed for Chicago Blues Fest AfterParty at Rosa's Lounge Club backed up by Harlan Terson (Otis Rush, Lonnie Brooks) and Willie Big Eyes Smith (legendary Muddy Waters drummer).
He's also releasing his first solo album titled "My Kind Of Blues" featuring Chris Cain, Sax Gordon, Bob Stroger, Linda and fantastic italian hammond and piano player Pippo Guarnera.
In Italy Luca Giordano regularly performs with his full band , with Fabrizio Ginoble (keys),  one of the most respected young talent in his region , fantastic and wellknown drummer Fabio Colella and Walter Cerasani (bass for Neil Zaza Band ). He also performs with his  Deep Blues Trio when they like to get down with some jazzy blues.
He performed at Chicago Blues Festival 2008 (USA) with James Wheeler and 2011 with Eric Guitar Davis, at the legendary Virginia Beach Blues Fest (USA) with Willie Big Eyes Smith and Bob Stroger, Bejar Blues Festival (SPAIN) and Trasimeno Blues Festival (ITA) with Jimmy Burns, Casa del Jazz and Villa Celimontana (ITA) with JW Williams and many more.
http://ericguitardavis.com/
http://www.lucagiordanoband.com/

Twelve Bar Blues Band

line-up :

- Jan J. Scherpenzeel: Vocals & Harmonica
- Kees Dusink : Lead & Slide Guitar
- Randy Pears : Rhythm Guitar
- Patrick “Sideburn” Obrist : Bass
- "Wild" Marcel Bakker : Drums

Soms zegt een naam alles. Proef de naam van de groep: the Twelve Bar Blues Band, en je weet meteen wat je op je bord zal krijgen. Oerdegelijke, aan de achterbuurten van Chicago onttrokken twaalfmatenblues. Met dit verschil: 12BBB komt uit Amsterdam. Onder leiding van Jan J. Scherpenzeel alias JJ Sharp – een uit het juiste hout gesneden bluesman pur sang – serveert 12BBB strakke, stomende blues.
Duvelblues ontvangt met veel plezier een van de strafste bluesbands uit Nederland; een band die met 4 cd’s in de achterzak en een onwrikbare live-reputatie ook Puurs zal omverblazen.
Niet te missen!

De Twelve Bar Blues Band, of kortweg 12BBB, draait alweer een tijdje mee in de bluesscene en is een graag geziene gast op grote en kleine podia in Nederland, Belgie, Duitsland en Luxemburg.  De band speelt voornamelijk eigen werk en haalt daarbij haar inspiratie uit de Chicagoblues. Ieder optreden opnieuw weten de mannen met onuitputtelijke energie en enthousiasme een ultieme bluessfeer neer te zetten zoals je die alleen in een kroeg in Chicago of New Orleans zou verwachten.
Dit alles onder bezielende leiding van de twee oprichters en frontmannen van de band Jan J. Scherpenzeel, alias J.J.Sharp (vocals & harp) en Kees Dusink (Lead & Slide Gitaar). Op het podium weten zij elkaar blindelings te vinden en de muziek tot grote hoogten te stuwen. Als componisten duo staan ze aan de basis van bijna het gehele 12BBB repertoire.
De band heeft verder een ritmesectie die op zich al de moeite waard is om eens goed voor te gaan zitten. Bassist Patrick "Sideburn" Obrist, drummer “Wild” Marcel Bakker en gitarist Randy Pears vormen samen de hechte basis. Dit drietal weet iedere groove tot een waar kunststuk te verheffen. Alle traditionele bluesstijlen hebben zij volledig in de vingers op een manier waarvan je kan smullen. Dit is dan ook precies waar de liefhebber voor komt, zo'n groove waar je volledig in op kan gaan en waar je niet meer uit wilt.
Sinds haar oprichting in 2005 is het de Twelve Bar Blues Band behoorlijk voor de wind gegaan. In de begin periode werden de mannen steevast gezien als DE verassing aan het Nederlandse bluesfront. Inmiddels, een paar honderd optredens en 4 CD's later, kan daar natuurlijk geen sprake meer van zijn. In april 2011 werd de band zelfs winnaar van de Dutch Blues Foundation award voor Beste Nederlandse Blues Band van 2010, een titel om trots op te zijn. Een jaar later won lead & slide gitarist Kees Dusink de award voor Beste Nederlandse Blues Gitarist.
Ook in het buitenland is de band niet onopgemerkt gebleven, op bluesradiostations in USA, Engeland, en Duitsland is de muziek van 12BBB regelmatig te horen.
12BBB heeft sinds 2005 vier CD's geproduceerd. CD nummer een, The Blues Has Got Me en CD nummer twee, Email From Heaven werden beiden uitgeroepen tot blues CD van het jaar door respectievelijk Rootsville.be en Bluesforum.nl. CD nummer drie, Key To Your Heart,  kreeg deze titel niet, maar was binnen de kortste keren uitverkocht en er moest snel een 2e oplage komen. CD nummer vier, Life Is Hard, is zojuist uitgekomen en wordt zeer goed ontvangen bij publiek en recensenten. Op deze CD is goed te horen hoe de band zich ontwikkeld heeft. Life Is Hard is een zeer gevarieerde CD, vol met traditionele herkenbare bluesritmes, uitgevoerd in de typische 12BBB stijl zoals die ook live wordt neergezet.
http://www.twelvebarbluesband.nl/

Eric Bibb

line-up :

- Eric Bibb: Guitar & vocals

Grote namen die de blues puur en onverdund serveren, en toch ook het gewone rock- en poppubliek weten in te pakken: Duvel Blues durft er elk jaar wel eentje op de affiche te plaatsen. Voor kenners behoeft Eric Bibb nauwelijks een introductie, maar ook de folkwereld weet zijn akoestische bluesnummers te waarderen. Zelfs liefhebbers van wereldmuziek omarmden Bibb in 2012, dankzij zijn warme samenwerking met Malinees bluesgitarist Habib Koité. Voor geen gat te vangen, deze man, dat moge duidelijk zijn.
Hij krijgt dit jaar de eer om op Duvel Blues een soloconcert te geven in de Tiendenschuur. Een locatie die – zo zal iedereen die er bij voorbije edities al was, beamen – garant staat voor Memorabele Momenten. Wedden (voor een Duvel?) dat Bibb de verwachtingen moeiteloos zal inlossen?

Eric was born In New York into a musical family. Eric's father, Leon Bibb, is a trained singer who sang in musical theatre and made a name for himself as part of the 1960's New York folk scene. His uncle was the world famous jazz pianist and composer John Lewis, of the Modern Jazz Quartet. Family friends included Pete Seeger, Odetta and actor/singer/activist Paul Robeson, Eric's godfather.
Eric was given his first steel-string guitar aged seven. By Junior High School, Eric was consumed by music. "I would cut school and claim I was sick" said Bibb. "When everyone would leave the house I would whip out all the records and do my own personal DJ thing all day long, playing Odetta, Joan Baez, The New Lost City Ramblers, Josh White."
At 16 years old, Eric's father invited him to play guitar in the house band for his TV talent show "Someone New". Eric's early musical heroes were from his father's band, and included Bill Lee, (father of director Spike) who appeared on Eric's album Me To You, years later.
In 1969, Bibb played guitar for the Negro Ensemble Company at St. Mark's place in New York and went on to study Psychology and Russian at Colombia University. "After a while it just didn't make much sense at all. I didn't understand why I was at this Ivy League School with all these kids who didn't know anything about what I knew about." Aged 19, Eric left for Paris, where a meeting with guitarist Mickey Baker focused his interest in blues guitar.
When he later moved to Sweden, Bibb found a creative environment which took him back to Greenwich Village during the heyday of the folk revival. Settling in Stockholm, Bibb immersed himself in pre-war blues and continued to write and perform. "I began meeting and playing with local musicians as well as newcomers from all over the world. There was a budding world Music scene going on before it became a market concept."
The album Good Stuff was released in 1997 on Opus 3 and American label Earthbeat! and led to Eric signing to the British based Code Blue label. Eric's only release on Code Blue was Me to You, featuring appearances from some of Bibb's personal heroes in Pops and Mavis Staples, and Taj Mahal (who also worked with Bibb on the Grammy-nominated children's record, Shakin' A Tailfeather). The album furthered Bibb's international reputation and was followed by tours of the UK, USA, Canada, France, Sweden and Germany.
In the late 90’s Eric joined forces with his then manager Alan Robinson, to form Manhaton Records, in Britain. The albums Home to Me (1999), Roadworks (2000) and Painting Signs (2001) followed, as did another Opus 3 release, Just Like Love. 
A Family Affair - The first ever album recorded together by father and son - Leon & Eric Bibb. Natural Light followed then Friends - 15 tracks featuring Eric duetting with friends and musicians he has met on his travels such as Taj Mahal, Odetta, Charlie Musselwhite, Guy Davis, Mamadou Diabate and Djelimady Toukara
Eric has appeared on major TV and radio shows including Later with Jools Holland and The Late Late Show. Eric and his band have played at most of the world’s major festivals including Glastonbury (4 times this year) and the Cambridge Folk Festival in the UK. He joined Robert Cray on two U.S. tour stints in 2001 and 2002 and opened for Ray Charles in the summer of 2002.
Eric's talent for both performing and songwriting has been recognised with a Grammy Nomination (for Shakin' a Tailfeather) and 4 W.C.Handy nominations (for the albums Spirit and the Blues, Home To Me and A Ship Called Love; for 'Kokomo' as Best Acoustic Blues Song of the Year, and for Best Acoustic Blues Artist of the Year). His songs have featured on TV shows such as BBC TV's 'Eastenders' and ‘Casualty’, and 'The District' in the USA. Eric's version of "I Heard the Angels Singin'" was included in the feature film "The Burial Society" and Eric appears on Jools Holland's double platinum-selling album Small World, Big Band, singing his own composition "All That You Are".
In recent years, the international troubadour has definitely not been travelling on the ‘Slow Train’. In 2005 Eric released A Ship Called Love and toured the world as ever, including a major US tour with John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers and Robben Ford. A Ship Called Love was nominated for Acoustic Album of the Year in the 2006 Blues Music Awards.
Diamond Days was released in 2006 and has become the biggest selling album of the Eric’s lengthy career, receiving universal critical acclaim. The album entered both Australian (National) and US charts (Blues). Eric has been nominated for Acoustic Artist of the Year in the 2008 Blues Music Awards.
Since the release of Diamond Days there have been appearances on national TV in Australia (including a one hour live concert broadcast), France, Finland, Sweden and the UK (including Later with Jools Holland). The track "Shine On" garnered strong airplay in the US on Triple A format stations. "Shine On" has also been used as the opening theme for the BBC drama series Sea Of Souls. BBC Radio 2, the UK’s largest radio station, supported Eric with several prime-time interviews and extensive airplay.
In this same 12-month period Eric performed over 130 shows across 3 continents. Some of the highlights included show-stopping performances at legendary venues/festivals such as Glastonbury Festival (UK); BB Kings, New York (USA); The Bluebird Café, Nashville (USA); Port Fairy Folk Festival (Australia); Nice Jazz Festival (France); Edmonton Folk Festival (Canada) and, Sommarscen, Malmo (Sweden).
2008 saw the release of Eric’s latest album, Get Onboard. Eric and producer, Glen Scott, produced an album which, those who have heard it feel, is his finest set of recordings to date. The album was recorded in Nashville and completed in Stockholm. Bonnie Raitt and Ruthie Foster are featured guest performers.
The album features a stellar line-up of musicians - the Nashville band included producer Glen Scott on keyboards and backing vocals, Tommy Sims (Bruce Springsteen, Kelly Clarkson, Eric Clapton) on guitar, bass and backing vocals, Lemar Carter on drums (Carrie Underwood, Joss Stone, India.Arie) and other Nashville musical luminaries. Producer Glen Scott then took the tracks back to Stockholm to complete with his own ‘house’ musicians – many of whom appeared on Diamond Days.
Eric describes his latest creation as follows “My new album Get Onboard is, without a doubt one of the most exciting projects of my career. It’s a further exploration into the place where blues meets gospel and soul.”

A performance by Eric Bibb is an enriching experience – both musically and spiritually. Purveying a beautifully realised and deftly accomplished, soulful and gospel infused, folk- blues, Eric has no problem melding a traditional rootsy American style with a subtle contemporary sensibility. As one critic wrote “ Eric’s singing and versatile guitar playing fuses a variety of genres to become a New World Blues”.

"Eric is one of the new, young singers that has appeared on the scene that, much to my delight, has a great voice, is an excellent performer and has a great knowledge about the roots of this music"
Taj Mahal
http://www.ericbibb.com/

Trampled Under Foot

line-up :

- Danielle Schnebelen: Bass & vocals
- Nick Schnebelen: Guitar & vocals
- Kris Schnebelen: Drums

Vernoemd naar een klassieker van Led Zeppelin, en dat zal Puurs geweten hebben. Deze driekoppige familieband uit Kansas serveert een stomende kruising tussen de moderne bluesrock en de meer traditionele variant.
Trampled Under Foot werkt al acht jaar lang gestaag verder aan de opmars en lijkt nu definitief klaar voor de grote doorbraak. Met drie Blues Music Awards nominaties in de achterzak, komen ze Duvel Blues omverblazen.
Wees voorbereid.

Siblings Danielle, Kris and Nick Schnebelen grew up with the Blues. Their parents, Bob and Lisa, were active in the thriving Kansas City Blues scene, playing in local bands and competing in the Kansas City Blues Challenge. Bob and Lisa’s band didn’t make it to the International Blues Challenge in Memphis — but their kids did. When TUF arrived in Memphis for the 2008 IBC they were followed by huge, wildly enthusiastic throngs of hometown supporters, eager to cheer for their favorite musical family. And when TUF took First Place in the competition and Nick won the Albert King award for best guitarist, it was a sweet victory for the Schnebelen family and for Kansas City itself. TUF has been on a roll ever since, becoming popular repeat headliners at clubs, festivals and cruises around the world and releasing CDs and a DVD on their own label.
In the future, when people speak of the great Blues dynasties, musical families who breathed the same musical air and produced the highest form of the art, chances are they’ll refer to the Allmans, the Dickinsons, the Burnsides, the Brookses, the Neals… and the Schnebelens.
http://www.tufkc.com/

_Rich Robinson's talents are already familiar to the millions of fans who've embraced his work as guitarist/songwriter/co-founder of the Black Crowes.  But his debut solo effort Paper is a potent musical statement that's likely to come as a pleasant surprise to even his most ardent admirers.

The self-produced album—on the artist's own Key Hole label—finds Robinson singing lead and playing most of the instruments on 14 original compositions that reveal the young veteran to be both a distinctive, eloquent lyricist and an engaging, expressive singer.  While rockers like "Know Me," "Enemy" and "Remain" embody the ballsy, rootsy crunch that put Robinson's former band on the map, Paper also encompasses a more thoughtful, introspective side, as well as an unmistakably adventurous sonic vision that manifests itself in the acoustic, orchestral and psychedelic textures of such tunes as "Veil," "When You Will," "Falling Away" and "Forgiven Song."

Paper is the product of a lengthy period of personal and musical self-discovery that began when the Black Crowes—the band Robinson formed with his vocalist brother Chris while both were in their teens—went on indefinite hiatus early in 2002.  During their 13-year, seven-album recording career, the group almost singlehandedly restored raunchy, no-frills rock 'n' roll swagger to commercial prominence, while earning a near-mythical reputation for its combustible internal chemistry.

"After the Crowes broke up," Robinson explains, "I sat around for a few months and spent time with my family, and then I started trying to figure out what I wanted to do.  It was a struggle for awhile, because at the time there were a lot of family deaths and various weirdness that happened all at once, and I'd never really had to deal with that kind of stuff before.  And I'd been in the Crowes for my whole adult life, so when it stopped, it was like, 'Well, what the hell am I supposed to do now?'"

Robinson built a recording studio in his Connecticut home, did some writing and producing with other artists, and made his first venture into film soundtrack work by writing and performing the score for the 2002 feature  Highway.  He also developed his longstanding interest in painting into a fulfilling creative sideline.  Meanwhile, he continued to write songs.

As an outlet for the new compositions he'd been accumulating, Robinson formed a four-piece band, Hookah Brown, which hit the road in early 2003 for an extended club tour that won enthusiastic notices from fans and critics alike.  But, having spent his entire musical career as a team player, he eventually realized that he was in no rush to return to the politics of band life, choosing instead to shoulder the burden of a solo career.

"Eventually I just said 'Screw it, I'll just do it myself,'" he recalls of his decision to become a frontman.  "I'd never really sung lead, so I started taking singing lessons, and the first lesson showed me what I'd been doing wrong, and I immediately became a stronger singer.  I started thinking about writing lyrics that worked for my voice.  And I tried playing some shows and singing, which was fun, and that built up my confidence about singing."

Robinson recorded Paper largely on his own, cutting tracks in old-school analog style and playing most of the instruments except drums, which were provided by Joe Magistro.  The album also features guest appearances by ex-Black Crowes keyboardist Eddie Hawrsch and BR549's Donnie Herron on fiddle and pedal steel.

"It was a little weird," Robinson admits, "because I'd never made a record without my brother before and I was used to having a bunch of people in the studio.  But it was also cool, because I was learning new things and because I felt like I felt like I was able to create something new, without the baggage of my musical history." 

Robinson took Paper's iconoclastic focus a step further by deciding to build his solo career from the ground up, bypassing the music industry's unwieldy machinery.  "At some point I realized that I just didn't want to deal with record companies anymore," he states.  "I don't want to deal with anyone telling me to change my songs or what producer to use.  I don't want to spend six million dollars making a record and then worry about having to sell six million records to pay for it.  So I decided to try doing it myself.  The music business is kind of like Rome burning right now, and I don't think the traditional record-company methods work anymore.  I think that music's going back to the underground way of doing things, and I'm excited about being a part of that."

Rather than coasting on his formidable past successes, Rich Robinson is clearly thrilled to be conquering new creative territory.  "This whole project," he asserts, "has been a completely positive situation from the start.  There's no stress, no bullshit, and I'm really excited about the whole thing.  I'm really happy with this record, which was my only goal.  And now I'm looking forward to getting it out there and playing these songs on tour, and seeing what happens."

Tickets • Rich Robinson