Robert Jon & The Wreck‘s rescheduled tour this coming September, looks to be a must-buy ticket – The band’s concerts at The 100 Club in London on Thursday 23rd September and the Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh on Friday 24th September, are both sold out.
The tour coincides with a new album out, from which they’ll no doubt be playing songs live. Shine A Light On Me Brother is the album title. It was written and recorded during this confounded pandemic, and was self-produced by Robert Jon & The Wreck and they’ve just released their latest single from it called ‘Everyday’.
“Everyday’ is an all-out good-time jam track that was born out of frustration due to lack of freedoms that we had grown used to pre-pandemic and were subsequently denied during lockdown,” said The Wreck’s frontman, Robert Jon Burrison.
“It speaks about the desire to get together with friends, play music, have some beers, and just spend time with each other in person again. This track is one to be listened to on repeat and sung along to.”
You can watch the video to the single right here at RAMzine, and as you’ll note it fits the feelgood vibe we need as this inconsistent summer begins to bid us farewell. Reminiscent of former Traffic guitarist’s Dave Mason’s much-covered ‘Feelin’ Alright’ with a rockier bottom end, and some roaring guitars to give the whole affair an upbeat closure.
Earlier this year, they released the title track ‘Shine A Light On Me Brother’, as a single alongside an official video that you can also check out right here at RAMzine.
Be in for a surprise – The first few bars have you prepared for a sturdy guitar-built hard Southern rock number but no sooner do they lift the piano lid up than they begin whooping and a hollering like some righteous Stax-injected whiskey-drenched gospel big band. The added horns and female backing vocalists felt aurally, and adding to the video’s humour.
Robert Jon’s lead vocals are loud and clear in the rock sermon, the piano rocks like Jerry Lee and there’s some slick slide guitar work – The overall effect like Edgar Winter’s White Trash just sat in on a jam with The Allman Brothers. Jon’s “Goddamn” at the end of the song was just what I was thinking. This bodes well for the rest of the album, and indeed live dates in a couple of months’ time.
Robert Jon Burrison (lead vocals, guitar), Andrew Espantman (drums, backing vocals), Steve Maggiora(keyboards, backing vocals), Henry James (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Warren Murrel (bass, backing vocals), collectively known as Robert Jon & The Wreck have been writing songs and releasing albums since the band’s conception in 2011.
During this time, the quintet of “follicular proficient gentlemen” have been busy fine-tuning their sound playing to packed houses across Europe and the United States, while being nominated and winning awards, and supporting the likes of Joe Bonamassa, Buddy Guy, Eric Gales, Living Colour, Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Walter Trout, Rival Sons, Robert Randolph & The Family Band, Lukas Nelson & Promise of The Real, The Cadillac Three, Black Stone Cherry, Devon Allman Band, Billy Sheehan, Sturgill Simpson, and many more.
Tracks featured on the new album are ‘Shine A Light On Me Brother’, ‘Everyday’, ‘Ain’t No Young Love Song’, ‘Chicago’, ‘Hurricane’, ‘Desert Sun’, ‘Movin’’, ‘Anna Maria’, ‘Brother’ and ‘Radio’.
The release date is set for Friday 3rd September. It will be available on CD, vinyl, limited deluxe vinyl (coloured) and in limited edition bundles. You can pre-order the album from here and the band’s website here.
For more about Robert Jon & The Wreck’s UK tour, with Troy Refern as special guest, check out RAMzine by clicking here.
