The Black Crowes’ last show was nearly six years ago, with the official breakup announcement coming 13 months later, reports Jason Newman of Rolling Stone.

But in May of this year, a mutual friend of Chris and Rich’s called the Robinsons to try and make amends. “I told [our friend], ‘Man, it would just be cool to be able to play songs with my brother,’” Rich says. “And he said, ‘Y’know, Chris said the same thing to me.’”

Four months after that phone call, the duo found themselves in Nashville, TN, auditioning band members for a 46-date reunion tour commemorating the 30th anniversary of Shake Your Money Maker, set to kick off June 17th in Austin, TX.

But the tour begs a question: When is a reunion not a reunion? The duo enlisted all-new members that include guitarist Isiah Mitchell of psych-rock band Earthless; Tim Lefebvre, a veteran session bassist who appeared on David Bowie’s Blackstar; and keyboardist Joel Robinow and drummer Ojha of prog/psych-pop group Once And Future Band. “That was the first thing Rich and I agreed on,” Chris says. “We don’t want anyone from the solo groups. We don’t want anyone from the past.”

An excerpt from the Robinson brothers' first joint interview in decades reads as follows:

There always seemed to be a tension in the band between embracing nostalgia and carving new ground. It came out both in your catalog and the fights you’d get into over what to perform each night.

Chris: "We talked about it. This [tour] is fuckin’ genius because if Rich didn’t want to play fuckin’ “Greasy Grass River” [off 2001’s Lions], we don’t have to worry about that. We know what we’re focused on. I want to play some fuckin’ rock & roll before it’s too late. I got into this for my love of rock & roll and then I’ve drifted off into all of these folky, jazz, trippy things. I’m still all over the shop, but I’m ready to fuckin’ play some rock & roll and Shake Your Money Maker is our biggest commercial success. It changed our lives. It was the rocket ship … Don’t you want your rock & roll band to tell someone to fuck off occasionally instead of just do whatever they’re told? All my heroes didn’t give a fuck."

Did you seek any Some Kind of Monster–esque professional counseling?

Rich: "No, you just have to be an observant person. And you always have to look at yourself. And you always have to put yourself in whatever’s going on around you. How could I have done this differently? Changing the context with Chris and I and all new people is a much healthier place for us to be because everyone brings baggage."

Have you thought about recording any new music?

Chris: "We haven’t discussed it, you know?"

Rich: "I think we’re trying to focus our energy on this… for once. Instead of being all over the place; coming back full circle to this."

Chris: "In my mind, this is the most punk-rock shit we’ve done; to do something, in a way, in the box."

To read the complete interview, visit this location.

Tour dates:

June
17 - Austin, TX - Austin360 Amphitheater
19 - Dallas, TX - Dos Equis Pavilion
20 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion Presented by Huntsman
23 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
24 - Rogers, AR - Walmart AMP
26 - Birmingham, AL - Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
27 - Atlanta, GA - Cellairis Amphitheatre at Lakewood
30 - West Palm Beach, FL - Coral Sky Amphitheatre at the S. Florida Fairgrounds

July
1 - Tampa, FL - MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre at the FL State Fairgrounds
3 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
4 - Raleigh, NC - Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek
7 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheatre
8 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheatre
10 - Virginia Beach, VA - Veteran United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach
11 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
14 - Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion
15 - Bethel, NY - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
17 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
18 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater
21 - Gilford, NH - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
22 - Mansfield, MA - Xfinity Center
24 - Hartford, CT - XFINITY Theatre
25 - Saratoga Springs, NY - Saratoga Performing Arts Center
28 - Toronto, ON - Budweiser Stage
29 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
31 - Buffalo, NY - Darien Lake Amphitheater

August
1 - Pittsburgh, PA - KeyBank Pavilion
13 - Saint Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
15 - Chicago, IL - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
16 - Indianapolis, IN - Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
18 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
20 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
22 - Milwaukee, WI - American Family Insurance Amphitheater
23 - Maryland Heights, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
26 - Bonner Springs, KS - Providence Medical Center Amphitheater
28 - Omaha, NE - CHI Health Center Omaha
30 - Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre

September
1 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Amphitheatre
4 - Seattle, WA - White River Amphitheatre
5 - Ridgefield, WA - Sunlight Supply Amphitheater
8 - Concord, CA - Concord Pavilion
9 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheatre
11 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
12 - Phoenix, AZ - Ak-Chin Pavilion
18 - San Diego, CA - North Island Credit Union Amphitheatre
19 - Los Angeles, CA – The Forum

(Photo - Josh Cheuse)