Page 12 - ION Indie Magazine JulyAugust 2020

RL: I was always told he was my great, great, great grandfather as my great
grandfather, Charles E. Lochner, married Wilhelmina Schumann. They had my
grandfather, Charles Schumann, then my dad, Junior, and Charlie is the 3rd.
Recently, I have been working with a friend to trace it back and we can't make the
direct connection, so I am now having my doubts. I may be related to Robert
Schumann's brother. We're still working on the mystery. Besides Charlie, my brothers
Michael and Tommy played briefly. My grandfather was a piano player and had his
own radio show back in the 1930s and 40s. My mom used to sing on his shows when
she was very young.

MH: You are currently a member of Jack Russell's Great White. When I see you
perform with Jack, it's like you both have been playing together forever. What
is that like? I think you guys started out as an acoustic act before becoming a
full band?

RL: It has always been a full band. The first year I was with Jack, he started receiving
offers to do acoustic duo shows. We usually do a handful of acoustic shows every
year since, but the main focus is always the full band. There is a chemistry between
us on stage and in the studio that is special. There are magical moments together
that will always stay with me. One moment that comes to mind was actually after a
show. We were asked to perform acoustically for a woman in hospice care. We were
both really tired and had an early flight the next morning, but we were determined to
do it. It turned out to be an indescribable experience. We left there feeling grateful we
did it. She passed away 2 days later.

MH: What is your creative process like in JRGW? Did you have musical freedom
to help write the last JRGW album ‘He Saw It Comin?’ Great album, by the way.

RL: Thank you! Our writing developed over time. I did co-write on every track with
Jack. There became a strong trust that if one of us thought something wasn't right,
we would explore other ideas. It worked out every time. Jack wasn't sure about the
song ‘He Saw it Comin’ when I brought the idea to him. He was sold on it pretty quickly
melody-wise after I got him in front of the studio monitors. We then wrote some lyrics
that I thought were cool (they weren't) and he said, ‘We gotta can those lyrics.’ I
trusted him and we ended up with better lyrics that became the title track. Jack
showed me the concept for ‘She Moves Me’ when we were on the road. I told him,
‘I'm not sure on this one.’ I took it home and developed his ideas. I realized he was
right and that it was really good! Every single time when one of us felt something
wasn't right, we came up with something we knew was supposed to be. It's all about
the trusting each other's judgement.

MH: Let's talk a little about Robby Lochner and Billy Stokes' Summer Concert
Series. I was fortunate to work on one of your concerts for ION Indie Magazine
with Sweet last summer. How did the Summer Concert Series come about and
will you still continue do it after this pandemic calms down?

RL: It's possible we do another show here and there, but I think I'm done with
promoting. I like the playing, writing, producing, and creating side of things.