Robert Jon and the Wreck's Southern Rock Journey with "Red Moon Rising"

Robert Jon Burrison, lead singer of Robert Jon and the Wreck, constantly finds himself correcting the common misconception that the band is from the South. The group is actually made up of native Californians and has roots at the Wayfarer in Costa Mesa, but leaned into a Southern rock sound that can be found across all of its songs, especially on its latest album. Each of the 12 tracks on the record feature Burrison’s soulful voice along with twangy acoustic guitar, harmonica, funky bass lines, and slide guitar.

What was the process of developing “Red Moon Rising” like?

It was an interesting album because we were writing on the road. In the past, we usually set out some time (to write at home). We were writing on the road and at sound checks. I remember being in Paris and coming up with one of the riff ideas, and I don’t know if that would happen like that if we were just at our rehearsal spot in Costa Mesa, because your surroundings are affecting everything you do. I think the sonic landscape of what the album is, is just comfort—us being comfortable with trying stuff out or with taking an extra five minutes to dial something in.

Tell us about some of your favorite songs on the album.

“Red Moon Rising” is probably the most diverse-sounding song that we’ve come out with lately. It just started as a simple jam. The lyrics for that song specifically were a fun project for me, because it’s all about the legends, and the myths, and what people believed about what the red moon represented throughout all the cultures across the globe. “Worried Mind” is one of my favorite tracks on the record. It’s a very simple acoustic track. It’s just about how sometimes the best thing is just talking it out with someone, no matter what’s going on in your brain, because dwelling on it too long is never the way to do it.

How would you describe the Robert Jon and the Wreck sound?

We all have pretty vast influences going, from funk to prog rock to psychedelic, even stoner rock. We all listen to that stuff. Growing up in Southern California, which everyone in the band has, there was a lot of ska and punk. We’ve written songs that we enjoy, that we want to play, and that we love. Tom Petty was from Florida, and he moved to California, and then that’s when all the hits started. So many artists that were inspiring to us that I feel like are the California sound. We just use a little bit more slide guitar and pump up some organ, and then it turns into a Southern rock song.

What do you hope listeners take from this new album?

Really, it’s just feeling something. Whatever track on there that may help someone, may make someone feel something— whether it’s sadness, happiness, joy, whatever you feel. We hope that people enjoy it and that it makes a difference in their day. And then after that, we hope you come to a show and see it live because it’s so much different live than it is on a recorded platform.