BBR Artist Spotlight: Bruce Robison

​Nestled in the mountains of central Idaho, the picturesque town of Challis bustles every August when it plays host to the Braun Brothers Reunion Festival. Regarded as one of the state’s premier musical gatherings by both attendees and artists alike, the BBR is a family-friendly event that draws thousands of visitors from across the globe, bringing artists and fans together in an unparalleled setting for three unforgettable days. 

This year, the BBR will be held from August 9th-11th and will feature fifteen plus Americana, Texas, and Red Dirt artists including singer-songwriter-producer Bruce Robison, whose most recent album, Bruce Robison & the Back Porch Band, was released in 2017. Ahead of the BBR, Robison kindly took some time to speak about the Reunion, The Next Waltz, and more.

Right now, you’re in the midst of a tour with John Baumann, but in August, you’ll be headed to the Braun Brothers Reunion, have you been out before?
This will be my second trip out. The previous time, we took the kids and made a big ole family vacation out of it, but this time, I’m coming out myself. I’m looking forward to it.

On stage, you’ll be backed by the BBR All-Stars, which will be fun. How will your set come together? Do you talk ahead of time about which songs you’re going to play?
​This is what I think is so cool about this event, the Brauns are such connectors on the scene that the BBR is like a big family getting together to make music. I’ve played with all these guys forever so they know a few of my songs and then we’ll pick some other ones that’ll be fun to do. They’re very generous to agree to play with me and I’m excited to play with them and try some different things.

It’ll be exciting for everyone in attendance to see as well. Being you’ve played everywhere from halls to theaters and more, how do you adapt playing a festival stage?
My stuff lends itself more to a listening room. I play a lot of ballads, which don’t tend to be too rockin’, so it’s a bigger stretch for me to adapt to a larger stage, but this’ll be fun to do. 

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As someone whose job it is to be on stage, do you enjoy catching other artist’s sets?
Oh yeah, sure. I don’t get to play festivals much, except for maybe Steamboat, and the BBR reminds me of that one where everyone is there and it’s really like a reunion with friends and family. It has such a different vibe. It’s something special for sure.
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You work a lot with your friends on The Next Waltz which you began a couple years ago. What initially spurred that?
My love of songs and songwriting, which is an extension of what I’ve been doing for the past 30 years. You know, putting out records and promoting them can be a difficult thing, so with The Next Waltz, we’re taking the opportunity to do singles and in doing so, we're putting the focus on great songs.
We’re doing it the old school way where it’s all about trying to find that magic song - and we go about it in different ways. For example, with Randy [Rogers] we decided to pick a song we both liked and record it ["Misery and Gin"]. Other times, we choose from a list of songs I have or sometimes someone will bring in a song, like Evan [Felker, Turnpike Troubadours], did when he came with “Come As You Are” which he wrote with Rhett [Miller, Old 97’s].
We have a few new ones coming up including Randy’s performance of “Old Hat”, Reckless singing a Guy Clark song, and a duet with Holly Williams and Wade Bowen.

We'll definitely keep our eyes out for those.
In addition to working on the Next Waltz, you recently got together with your brother Charlie and Jack Ingram for a few shows to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Unleashed Live. What was that like?
It was such a special thing to go out there and play on each other’s songs. You know, you look up and suddenly you’ve been friends with someone for 25 years, and Jack really is like another brother to me. 

In this day and age, no one stays with the same job for five years, much less 25. It must be an incredible feeling to be able to do what you love for so long.
It really is. Before The Next Waltz I didn’t realize I’d been doing this for 20 years, and I didn’t know what I wanted to do next, so even I’m a little surprised I ended up in this job because it wasn’t something I saw as my path. I felt more like I was in a band rather than running everything, but The Next Waltz really energized me and at this point, I don’t care whether I’m producing or writing or in a band because it’s just fun being a part of music.

You've carved out many paths in music and in doing so made an impact on other artists.
It’s such a really great thing about the scene. When I was a kid, I listened to Jerry Jeff Walker a lot, and now I call him a friend. Then there were the recent shows with Charlie and Jack which made me think back to when we were all younger, and now to be a part of the BBR where there will be people who are so much younger than me. It’s neat to be a part of that and realize we might have been influences on these guys. It’s an amazing scene to be a part of.

Finally, is there anyone new that has your ear and you recommend people should take a listen to?
Nikki Lane is my new favorite. In this day and age with digital recording, everyone sounds the same, so it strikes me when someone has a new sound which I think she does. She has a great voice and cool songs, she’s really unique.
 
To keep up with the Bruce Robison:
Website/Facebook/Twitter

To keep up with The Next Waltz: 
Website/Facebook/Twitter

2018 Braun Brothers Reunion
Challis, Idaho
August 9-11th
​Purchase: 3 Day Pass $124.30
Purchase: 2 Day Pass Friday and Saturday ONLY

The BBR is held rain or shine.
Tickets purchased online will be picked up at will call at the venue.
Tickets are Non-refundable.
Kids age 5 and under are free.
Kids age 6-12 are $15 a day and can ONLY be purchased at the front gate even if its sold out.
Kids age 13 and up pay full adult price.

​Website/Facebook/Twitter

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