Robert Jon & The Wreck

RIDE INTO THE LIGHT

ROBERT JON & THE WRECK

Southern California’s Robert Jon & The Wreck recently released their seventh studio album, Ride Into The Light, via Joe Bonamassa’s Journeyman Records.

For their latest offering, the group teamed up with legendary producers such as Don Was, Kevin Shirley and Dave Cobb, along with guitar legends Joe Bonamassa and Josh Smith.

The band has been touring relentlessly, including several European tours since lockdown restrictions were lifted. The band recently completed a run of UK dates in September, which followed off the back of an appearance at Maid of Stone festival during the summer and an earlier headline tour in February. The UK has almost become a home away from home for the group.

With their UK dates in their rear-view mirror, when we spoke with the band’s frontman, Robert Jon Burrison, he was getting used to life at home. “I think beforehand, when maybe we didn’t have kids and families and you kind of get home, you were like, Whoa, what do I do now?” said Robert. “But for me, with the kid and everything, it’s really easy for me to get home and then get back into it. So, it’s great to be home. It’s always great to be home. And then a few weeks later, we’ll be itching to get on the road again - it’s a double-edged sword.”

Whilst Robert Jon and the Wreck have spent a large amount of the year on the road, they’ve not been keeping count of the number of shows they’ve performed. “If I counted, it would be overwhelming to think about it too much,” said Robert. “We did a lot of short runs this year.” He adds: “We’re home now for a little bit, and then we get back on the road in November.”

On the band’s recent UK tour, they played some of their biggest headline shows on this side of the pond to date. “It gets more and more incredible every time we do it. So, it always feels good to step into a new room and then see that room with a good chunk of people in it. Every time you step into that new bigger place, you get worried that it won’t feel good or look good. And it’s worked this time. So, we’re excited to be back,” explains Robert. The group’s new keyboard player, Jake Aber-

nathie has been settling into the band line-up. “It’s been great,” confirms Robert. “There was a time where we were playing with different subs and stuff like that. So, we couldn’t really hone in a set. Or, we had to hone in on exactly what the set was. And we couldn’t really veer off into different branches of randomness. And it’s been great to have Jake as a main player in the band and fill in shoes that needed to be filled. So

that’s been great, too. And writing all this new material with them too has been great. So, it’s been quite a pleasure and we are excited for the future.”

One of the group’s many releases this year was their concert album Live from Ancienne Belgique. “There’s an energy that the band gives off that you don’t hear on the studio recording. And I think that energy is what we feel when we’re playing live,” explains Robert. “It’s not the exact thing because you weren’t in that room, but it’s a little taste of what that room feels like, to us, at least.”

Of course, when you are recording a live album, you’ve only got one shot at getting it right. “We did it in one night. And I think there might have been two or three minimal overdubs, just parts that didn’t get captured for some reason. Nothing crazy. Nothing that’ll make people say, oh, it’s not really live like that, but, yeah, we had one night,” said Robert. “We also had a video team there, because we captured it on film as well.”

Recording a live album gives a different kind of pressure to recording in the studio. “There’s a lot of pressure because you can’t do it twice,” he said. “We did it in the middle of a tour. So, we already played thirty or more shows before that to get everything locked and loaded. But yeah, there’s definitely more pressure. But usually, if we feed off the pressure, it’s nerve-racking until you get there, and then you feed off that adrenaline and that pressure that you’ve created for yourself.”

Robert Jon and the Wreck recently released a new single called Hold On. “It’s about being on the road and being an artist. And at some points, you’re like, how long can this go for before you or the other person can’t hold on

any longer? There’s a lot of work that goes into that. And just the overall pressure of being on the road and then doing what we do is really what it’s about. And, yeah, it came out great,” explains Robert. “We were stoked to record it with Kevin Shirley. And we’ve got more songs coming out soon, too. So, we’re really excited for this year.”

Home and life on the road have been a reoccurring theme in some of the band’s recent compositions. “Half of our life is on the road; it’s a constant thing in our brain. So, it seems natural for it to come out in song at some point eventually,” explains Robert.

Robert Jon and the Wreck will perform shows alongside the Mavericks and Blackberry Smoke in the US before the end of the year. This is something which the group are very much looking forward to. “Being able to open up for anyone that you respect, and that you look up to is for us, we’re just learning every night. We’re watching and taking it all in. And it’s a lot of fun, especially

to get up to play an opening set and then being able to get to hang out and watch the band. And they’re a lot of fun. We’re really excited. And we are looking forward to playing with the Mavericks and meeting those guys. I think Andrew and Henry have seen them and met them a while back. But I’m excited to see it and do a little run with them. It’ll be fun.”

Heading into the New Year, the band are taking things in their stride. “It’s pretty mapped out already. We have some available times just in case things pop up because we try to plan almost two years in advance. We found that things come very quickly without us having anything to do with it; we just get a phone call. And we’re like, well, okay. So, we do our best to plan it out,” explains Robert. “The schedule isn’t as intense next year. Right now, but who knows? We are going to keep on trucking like we do.”

Robert Jon & The Wreck’s “Ride Into The Light” and “Live At The Ancienne Belgique” albums are available from https://ktbarecords.com