Robert Jon & The Wreck

Meet the hard-working “funky rock’n’soul” collective with a cocktail of tunes and ideas.

“You can label us as Southern rock if you want to,” says Robert Jon Burrison, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Robert Jon & The Wreck. “I understand why you’d do that. People hear slide guitar and hear The Allman Brothers or Lynyrd Skynyrd, but we’re not from the south [of the United States]; we’re from Orange County, Southern California. We have vibes from the Eagles. People can call us whatever they want so long as they enjoy the music.”

Like Blackberry Smoke before them, The Wreck spent their first decade performing mainly on America’s bar and club circuit. The quintet have amassed a sizeable catalogue – four full-length albums, a pair of EPs and even a cassette tape. Last Light On The Highway, their fifth album, is an extraordinarily strong piece of work, crammed with memorable and stylistically varied songs – from the commercial ballad Oh Miss Carolina to its two-part swansong, a string-enhanced “cinematic piece” inspired by the likes of Radiohead, Pink Floyd and Steely Dan.

Mostly, though, The Wreck call their music “funky rock‘n’soul”, a claim authenticated by another of its standouts, Work It Out. Burrison and his band-mates were raised on Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett and Aretha Franklin. “Yeah, we have a strong soul element,” he agrees. “On its own, rock’n’roll can be too comfortable.”

The record’s prime tear-jerker is Gold, a plain-talking paean to letting a romantic partner go. Not that they’re opposed to straight-up, good-time rock. Tired Of Drinking Alone, which lists a selection of favourite tipples, suggests this is a band to invite to your next party. “That might be where we got the name the Wreck,” chuckles Burrison.

Even after years in the business, Robert Jon & The Wreck remain selfreleased artists. They handled the production of Last Light On The Highway themselves and generally manage their whole operation, though reaching the next level will most likely involve bringing in a partner from outside. “People have approached us and gone back on their promises, so we learned do everything ourselves,” explains Burrison. “If an offer came along that felt right then we’d consider accepting the help, but we won’t sit around and wait.”

After gigging across 31 of America’s states, RJ&TW have reached the conclusion that Europe holds the key to their future. Six years after their first trip to this side of the pond, the band are in a position [Covid-19 notwithstanding] to tour for months at a time across Europe. To date, however, they have managed one solitary, well received appearance on these shores, midway up the bill of the Outlaw Country stage at last year’s Ramblin’ Man Fair.

“Our experience in the UK was incredible, and we can’t wait to return as soon as the global situation allows us to do so.”

Last Light On The Highway is available now from www.robertjonandthewreck.com

“We have a strong soul element. On its own, rock’n’roll can be too comfortable.”