Interviewing Rob Baird: A Blues Man On The Right Side Of The River

Rob Baird’s album Wrong Side of The River came out last week to rave reviews, including my own. The country-blues star has made an album that is an openhearted letter to every human being trying to discover the point of their life. Of course, the acoustic backdrop is soothing and nourishing like rain, but it is the poignant lyrics that will make your soul feel fulfilled.

Diandra: When I heard your album it felt so vulnerable. How did it feel to make this record where you were openly lost about your life and its meaning?
Rob: It’s definitely a feeling that, as I get older, I am trying to figure out all the time. We don’t have it all figured out. No one really does, and it’s okay to admit that. You hope that things slowly get better, and that all the good people you surround yourself with and all the good things that can happen start to come. You just try to keep a positive outlook.

Diandra: What about music brings out that vulnerability in you?
Rob: I think music has always been a comforting feeling for me. So, it’s always been a really special thing even if I am just a listener. As I became a songwriter, I started noticing that I would write things that maybe I was not able to say to someone directly. Music has always been my safe place and is the most important thing to me.

Diandra: So what is the importance or meaning of this record to you?
Rob: I think it is a summation of the past four years. I was on the road trying to figure out who I wanted to be and who I didn’t want to be. Really, the biggest question is who you don’t want to be and what you don’t want from this world. It was a record that I wanted to make and I got to have my input in all the decisions. It really helped me to get free of everything that I did not want in my life, which was a huge step. I had to trust my gut.

Diandra: What gave you the confidence to trust solely your gut?
Rob: Well, I had worked with this label for a few years and they were really good to me, but I felt it was time to shake things up. I think it is important to make art that makes you happy, especially as a songwriter. You can’t chase anything. You just have to tell your story, and get as close to the truth as
possible.

Diandra: Did you find it humbling that for having such musical momentum, like being a part of a label and having two critically acclaimed albums, you still felt lost?
Rob: Definitely! Definitely. I wanted to push myself forward, which the process is really scary. But, I knew that if I never did it, I would not be closer to happiness. So, I kind of had to try. It was definitely the harder road, but it has paid off to do it in my terms. Although no one is guaranteed happiness because no business is rainbows and butterflies, this record made me happy and grounded. I have nothing to prove because it is all there.

Diandra: One thing that I noticed from people that have loved the album is how connected they were to your feeling of dissatisfaction and wanting to rediscover yourself, which you discuss. Has that surprised you?
Rob: That’s interesting. No one has asked me that before. Um…yeah. It’s funny when I meet people my age, late twenties, whom get out of college and do what they are told, they start waking up and saying, “Maybe, this isn’t the life I wanted.” It takes a lot of work to find happiness, but for me to recognize that and tell that story has helped me a lot as a person. I wake up everyday and tell myself to take my time even when it’s a hard day. I feel really blessed to be here and do what I am doing. Everybody deserves the chance to figure out what they want to do with their life to be a happier person.

Diandra: Well, the album made happiness seem like an open-ended journey.
Rob: Yeah, it definitely is. I don’t have all the answers, but time gives you perspective. I’m working on the next album, which is about relationships, and no relationship can be put in a box. So for me, knowing that everything is open-ended, gives me some peace in approaching it.

Diandra: You mention the album and your journey towards recording it was about what you don’t want to do with your life, but I feel it is more about what you want to discover about yourself. So what do you want to discover about yourself in the future?
Rob: I am always looking for what is the purpose of all this life. For me, it has never been about money or fame, but about making good records. I see people all the time forget that and their life gets more complicated, and I am hoping to discover that in the future I still keep things uncomplicated and simple. I hope that I am still about playing good music and good shows because that is all that matters. People can tell when you are not focused on that, and focus is something that I have learned is so important.

Diandra: Was it hard for you to write such a vulnerable, even lonely, album and leave those emotions at the song?
Rob: There were times where I felt the weight of sadness in a lot of things. I wanted to make an album that was art-centric and about me that would, hopefully, be a commercial success, but not be worried about that while making it. Things have gotten better and I make sure to surround my myself with people I love, but, yeah, the album is definitely about loneliness, which is an interesting emotion.
         Nobody wants to be lonely, and to avoid that, you can do crazy things like drugs or enter bad relationships. It’s difficult because it changes who you are and, sometimes, for the worse, which is not worth it. The world is not easy, but there are great things about it. Coming home and unplugging helps me stay sane through it all. I spend a lot of time exercising and with family, and I kind of found my little place in the world at my home in Austin.

Diandra: To end this wise, deep interview on the lightest note. What is the silliest joke you have ever heard?
 Rob: What do you call a bear with no teeth?

…………A Gummy Bear!

Cool, sweetly silly, wise, and extremely talented are some of the things I have discovered about the rightfully acclaimed Rob Baird. His album Wrong Side of The River is one for anyone who wants to feel less lonely and lost by realizing you are not alone in feeling that way. It came out May 13, 2016, and I really hope you check it out and buy it. Not many artist realize that being human is the key to good music, because music is the key to being human. Thanks, Rob!

For more information about Rob Baird and his music, click here.