Artist: Ric Robertson
Hometown: Greensboro, North Carolina
Latest album: Carolina Child
What’s your favorite memory from being on stage?
I attended second grade at Garden Ridge Elementary in Flower Mound, Texas. The twenty or so of us in my class put on a play about popcorn, some of us dressed as corn that had been popped, others of us were merely kernels. I was a kernel. My one line happened before the big final musical number, encouraging the other kernels, “WE CAN DO IT!” Then the song…
“Weeee can do it (POP! POP!) weeee can do it (POP! POP!) weeee can do it, if we try, try, try.”
What a thrill. Still waiting to pop.
What rituals do you have, either in the studio or before a show?
Ideally I spend the four days before a show without any sleep, alternating every hour between practicing didgeridoo circular breathwork techniques in the sauna and soaking in a bathtub filled with lukewarm matzah ball soup. Then I try to always miss soundcheck and arrive at the gig exactly 13 minutes before it starts. Finally, I look for all the emergency exit doors and fire alarms in the venue, and make sure to set them all off immediately before I walk on stage to create some excitement for the audience.
What was the first moment that you knew you wanted to be a musician?
I never wanted to be a musician, I just happen to be one. It’s working out alright, though I’m not sure I’d recommend it. The list of things I want to be grows bigger everyday, the last few additions being:
· kitesurfer
· card-carrying member of the Bohemian Grove
· cat
If you had to write a mission statement for your career, what would it be?
Break even.
Since food and music go so well together, what is your dream pairing of a meal and a musician?
Seven cheesy Gordita crunches from Taco Bell while watching a Justin Bieber livestream in bed. With napkins, of course. And a bowl of Fiona Apple Jacks for dessert.
Photo credit: Gina Leslie
