Owensboro’s healthy cultural scene spans the whole year. Think about it: during the summer there’s a set schedule of really well produced shows in at least two different downtown venues every week. That’s something the much larger Evansville can’t claim. And the ‘Boro manages to snag shows – big name shows – that the ‘Ville doesn’t get during each season. Sure, Evansville hosts plenty of gigs from national bands and artists, but in terms of a music scene for adults (the all-ages scene in Evansville was, is and will endure), it’s safe to say that pound for pound, Owensboro has an edge.

            Now, the matter at hand: The Black Crowes are coming to the Sportscenter in Owensboro on March 8. The band who exploded onto a bleak popular music landscape in the early 90s, channeling rock heroes such as the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and The Faces, is back with a new record, a new label of their own, a new lineup and a readiness to blow the doors off the otherwise quiet venue on Parrish Avenue.

            First off, the new lineup: still at the helm of the Black Crowes is the iconic, picture-perfect model of a rock frontman, Chris Robinson. Brother Rich is still there with the solidly soulful guitars, and the spine – the rhythm section – looms large with band in the shape of Steve Gorman on drums and bassist Sven Pipien.

            New to the band are guitarist Luther Dickerson – late of North Mississippi Allstars – and Adam MacDougall on keys. And with the new album, Warpaint, the Black Crowes embark on a new path with their own label, Silver Arrow Records, plus a limited tour of the United States, Australia and Europe.

            Warpaint kicks off with the invitation to “Come join the jubilee,” a phrase that speaks to and about the Crowes’ belief that good, real rock & roll can – and will, if you allow – set you free.

            “Warpaint is a declaration of our soulful independence,” says Chris Robinson. “The thing about the last three years has been, ‘How do we continue to be independent? How do we begin to exercise control and freedom over our own trip?’ That's what the title is all about.”

            “Every record was a great experience to get us to where we are today,” says Rich Robinson. “This is what we love to do, and we want to do it the best we can. That’s what’s in this record and I think that shows.”
            “If someone hears Warpaint and they like rock n’ roll music, it’s going to mean something to them,” says Chris. “People have wondered if it’s a political record or if these are protest songs. I say no, my politics are the politics of beauty. And if that’s something you’re into then you have to understand the myriad of shades we have in something beautiful–from joy to pain to sorrow, from tenderness to ugliness. All those things are in there.”

            Says Rich: “You listen to Dylan, you listen to Bob Marley, you listen to anything, from blues to up until now, and really the things that last and mean something are beautiful songs about universal themes that mean something about the integrity of human beings, about love, about passion – all the great virtues we sort of lost through technology and TV and self-absorption.”

 
            To think that it’s been 18 years since the enormous Shake Your Money Maker is a bit staggering. The now-classic album responsible for “Hard To Handle,” “Twice As Hard,” and  “She Talks To Angels” came out at a time when self-absorption in the music scene had become not only accepted but a rule. Hair metal littered the rock airwaves, and soulful, organic rock music was consigned to “classic rock” status. But the Black Crowes managed to pull a coup: Shake Your Money Maker sold six million copies, and reeducated the public about what real, honest-to-goodness rock and roll was. And it was a breath of fresh air.

            Of course the various revolutions in music during those years is well documented. The Seattle sound went mainstream, hair bands struggled with their sudden insignificance and the Black Crowes went about their business – making kickass music you could groove to, dance to, make love to, and sing along with – all the while keeping their integrity and independence.

            “We looked different,” says Chris, “we sounded different, and we set up our culture a little different,” he adds. “Everybody who wanted to bag us because they thought they knew what we were missed out on a lot of good music, good concerts and a band that, even at our weirdest, had something to say.”

            The Black Crowes continue to have something to say, and we here in the area have the chance to hear it firsthand…

March 8 – The Owensboro Sportscenter

Tickets: $58/$48/$38 – 800-626-1936