By Shawn Perry
Musical trends may come and go, but the blues will live on as long as guys like Robin Trower are around. The British guitarist has been swinging his ax since the 60s, and at his current pace, there looks to be no end in sight. The salad days — first as guitarist with Procol Harum, then later as the leader of an arena power trio throughout the 70s — may be behind him, but Trower figures as long as he can come up with “fresh” ideas and still play his Stratocaster, then he’ll keep making records and touring.
Seven Moons, his new album with Jack Bruce, is a powerful and potent collection with both musicians in sync and at the top of their game. While Trower waits to set up live dates to promote the record, he’s on the road with own band, playing music that once held a distinguished place on the FM dial. A week after speaking with the guitarist, I went to see him at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, California. We pulled in and the place was packed with lots of bald and silver heads, a few misguided youths, and your general mix of rock and rollers. Robin Trower walked on stage and gave a truly mesmerizing performance. The chops were dead-on, the band hit all the right notes, and I was transported back to 1976.
The following interview took place as Trower and his band were rolling through Las Vegas. We talked about the new album and the current tour. We also got into his colorful past, and touched on the state of the music industry today. Soft-spoken, yet undeniably focused, Robin Trower’s story continues to unfold and evolve into new areas of the blues and beyond.
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