‘Anna Rose’ by Ric Robertson | New Album, ‘Carolina Child’
Exclusive video premiere of ‘Anna Rose’ by New Orleans-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ric Robertson.
As a songwriter, Robertson takes his inspiration from the fragility of our inner lives, but also from the small moments packed with meaning that surround us.
His new full-length record ‘Carolina Child’ is nothing short of an opus, taking his wealth of musical proclivities—from the mountain music of his home state of North Carolina, all the way to the jazz and funk of his current homebase in New Orleans—and fueling it into a gonzo vision of Americana that is equally innovative as it is simply beautiful to hear.
“In February of 2021 I was posted up in Eugene, Oregon with my longtime friend and collaborator Samson Grisman at the home and studio of legendary borosilicate glass artist Arik Krunk. The space is a psychedelic zen haven, the perfect place for us to work on music for hours on end while Arik blew glass and meticulously refined his work. It was here that I had the great fortune to cross paths with Clinton Roman. We met smoking cigarettes in the backyard and I felt immediately connected to Clinton’s soul and comforted by his presence. He seemed to simultaneously embody the honest integrity and vigilance of a samurai with the playful mischief of a merry prankster. Moreover, his fierce dedication to art, music, and true love for life was contagious, and I found myself drawn to being outside on that back patio for a smoke and chat with him every chance I could get. After a few days I showed Clinton the stop motion animation work I had done during quarantine for the ‘Strange World’ and ‘Thinkin’ About You’ videos . He expressed interest in combining blown glass with stop motion, “glassmation”, something he had apparently been wanting to do for a long time. After a few more weeks together we finally got the chance to dive into a 24 hour whirlwind of playing with glass, animating, scoring our own spontaneous live music jam soundtrack, and laughing our asses off. Arik Krunk, Samson Grisman, and our friend BMFT all joined in on the fun and contributed their love and art too. It was one of the most gratifying and enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had making anything, and the result was a minute long short called ‘Little Glass Man’. After leaving Eugene and reflecting on the experience, I reached out to Clinton with the idea to collaborate again on a music video for the song ‘Anna Rose’. I was thrilled when he said he was into the idea, and I came back to Eugene on two short trips to work on the video. And yet it was so much more than making a music video. Clinton got underneath and immersed in the song’s lyrics and vibration as deeply as anyone could, so much so that it brought me a refreshed and deeper perspective on one of the most intense and emotional songs I’d ever written. Just to watch him work, creating the custom glasswork for the video, leading and following with infinite grace and patience, is an incredible honor and privilege. Clinton can and will only approach making art as a transformative process of growth and healing. When I’m around him my heart slowly opens wider. I’ve learned as much about life and the artist’s way from Clinton Roman as I have from anyone or anything else in my journey thus far, and for that, I’m eternally grateful.” Ric Robertson
Ric Robertson’s always looking forward to the next trip, the next idea, the next album. This spring he’s been recreating the rambling Americana roadtrips of the Dead and Ken Kesey, holed up in Kesey’s hometown of Eugene, Oregon jamming with friends and riffing on Garcia and Grisman tunes. He’s already got his next album written, a key practice for his boundless creativity. “I like to have my records written and recorded before another one comes out.” Robertson’s an artist that thrives on juxtaposition, seeing no difference between creating a new style of jamgrass with friends in Eugene or reworking funk instrumentals from the ‘Carolina Child’ sessions into ‘Strange World’, his futuristic funk EP from 2020. “I’m pretty energetic in life, I stay super busy. I could break down the reasons why, but maybe better to have a therapist do it,” he laughs. “I just love making stuff. I love playing.”
Headline photo: Ric Robertson | Photo by Gina Leslie
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