Robert Jon Burrison

Date: 18/05/22
Venue: Oran Mor, Glasgow

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Robert Jon and The Wreck were touring the UK when I met up with Robert Jon Burrison at Oran Mor in Glasgow. The band have been going from strength to strength and even a Global Pandemic did not halt their yearly album release. We talked about music, life and whisky and the brotherhood that that band has become…

Kirk: The recently released single is “Waiting for Your Man” single and the new Album is “Shine a Light On Me Brother.” You guys recorded that in one day and new ideas were being added throughout the recording.  Did the pressure make the process simpler or more difficult and in what way?

Robert Jon: I think we work well under pressure. We had the outline of what we wanted to do and we knew that we had one day. We actually recorded two tracks on that day. When you know you need to get it done you make decisions quicker and you don’t dwell on things, or over-think things too much, you just go with your gut.

Kirk: You have been together now as a band for 11 years, is that correct? 

Robert Jon: Yes, Andrew and Steve and myself started the band in 2011 and Henry and Warren joined 5 years ago.

Kirk: You’ve been releasing albums at a rate of roughly one a year since 2011 and even through a pandemic you still managed to release an album in 2020 and 2021, what did you have to do to make that happen?

Robert Jon: Our album “Last Night On The Highway“ was ready to go for release in 2020. We were scheduled to come out here on a tour to push that album but then of course Covid happened to everybody. We were weighing up the situation and wondering if we should just release the album or wait for the tour. Nobody really knew what the hell was going to happen early on in the pandemic. We were thinking, “Yeah, 2 or 3 weeks and we’ll be back out on the road!” So in the end we released it and tried to get as much traction as we could without being on the road which was really difficult. Since we couldn’t go out touring we kinda just went naturally into writing mode. We stayed pretty tight as a band.

Kirk: Over the last 11 years there must have been some significant life changes in the band for you all but you are still working together and still out on the road. How are you managing that?

Robert Jon: Yeah, we are all moving forward in our lives in different directions. I just got married, I just had my first kid. Warren just got married. Andrew’s getting married when we get back home. Steve joined Toto. The thing is we all know each other well enough to understand where everyone is coming from. We have been doing this for so long and living in a van with 5 dudes, we have to know each other very well and understand that there can’t be any added stress. We are like a family, like brothers.

Kirk: You have supported some major artists throughout the years…Joe Bonamassa, Buddy Guy etc. How important has that been with regards to your development as musicians, as a band and as a business?

Robert Jon: One of the earliest opportunities we had to open was we were on the road with the Rival Sons and Blackstone Cherry. We were learning every single night. We were in a tiny little van and they were both in tour buses. We were learning what it means to be on a tour. We had done our own thing for many years but there is a different level that you have to get to. You can’t f**k up. You can’t make the excuse that “We didn’t know…” You HAVE to know how to do it before you get there. And you have to watch and you have to learn.

And musically it was like taking a course in school watching these bands every night. When we played with Joe (Bonamassa) we were soaking it all up and learning how to be better musicians and a more entertaining act. Yeah, we are always learning just be being around these guys. We are there to learn and work.

Kirk: For any young bands out there what would be your advice on how to get to that support slot?

Robert Jon: You just gotta keep playing, keep grinding. There is no easy way to open up for anybody. You gotta keep playing shows, no matter what. Always keep moving forward. You don’t need to go fast but you do need to keep moving.

Kirk: Is there one place on your gigging bucket list that you would love to play?

Robert Jon: (Thinks long and hard) ….. You know, every night we cross something off the bucket list. We’re here in Glasgow for the first time, we’re playing in an old church for the first time. Every night is a new adventure. There are some venues I would like to play, like Red Rocks in Colorado and I’m pretty sure we will one day, but I tend to just think about the small future, not the big future. When you’re on the road you have to appreciate every day, and if you don’t, well that’s when your mind starts to go. So yeah, every day is on my bucket list. Just to be playing music with some of the best friends I’ve ever had and to be able to provide for a new family is all I can ask for. Everything else is just the cherry on the top.

Kirk: Thanks for your time man, We can call it at that.

Robert Jon: Oh, one thing. Is there any drink that is synonymous with Glasgow? You know, one thing that you can only get here and nowhere else?

Kirk: Mmmm, I guess one of the longest standing drinks in Glasgow has to be the Tennents brewery. It’s a beer that has been around almost as long as this church.

Robert Jon: Ok so I should try that?

Kirk: Well… it’s not the best lager in the world and it’s not the strongest but if you want to taste something historical from a beer perspective that’s probably the one to go for. There are many others that have sprung up over recent years but Tennents certainly does have some provenance within this city.

However, I know you are a whisky drinker so I can recommend something on that front.

Robert Jon: Cool, we have a bottle of Jack in the back but keen to try something local.

At that point I go to the bar and get a 10 year old Glenmorangie Single Malt with a single ice cube in it. Robert Jon takes a sip and his eyes widen. “Wow…that’s smooth!! Where can I buy this!!”