Rich Robinson keeps it real with The Magpie Salute
More than three decades into his career as a musician, Rich Robinson’s focus remains as steady as it’s always been. Want proof? Ask him if he wanted the first release from his band, The Magpie Salute, to be a double album instead of a pair of High Water records issued in 2018 and 2019.
“I wanted to put out a double album and the label didn’t, so I capitulated because I didn’t want to argue,” Robinson laughs, knowing that maybe the younger version of himself would have battled it out with the powers that be to get his way.
But an older, wiser Robinson is like a crafty, veteran prizefighter these days, picking his shots and knowing when to push and when to pull back. And luckily for fans of good music, the High Water albums are a 1–2 punch to the status quo in a business that’s a lot different than it was when Robinson first arrived on the scene with The Black Crowes.
“Sometimes it’s a struggle really just to get out there and get your name,” he said. “It’s a different world now, so the way that people break bands is different, the way that people consume music is different, the way that all these things happen is totally different, so ultimately, I’m learning as I go, too.
“There wasn’t social media back then, there wasn’t this sort of weird malaise that people get because they’re…
