Ricky Warwick has released the poignant new single ‘Rise & Grind’, which features Blackberry Smoke’s Charlie Starr on lead guitar. The track is a pounding yet reflective anthem, which comments on the severity of the homeless crisis in LA and how people’s frustration and anger in their daily lives is misdirected.
Ricky says, “Driving in the car in downtown LA a few years ago with my youngest daughter (who was very little at the time), we drove past some homeless people on the street. I remarked that it was sad to see so many homeless folk. My daughter replied that we shouldn’t call them ‘homeless’ but ‘homeworthy’. I thought that was a very astute thing for an eight year old to say and a far better name for the homeless community, because everyone deserves a home. It inspired the first line of the song, ‘Homeworthy prophets on the street.’
“I don’t think we are doing enough to help people in need in our own communities.
I feel, as a society, we are getting angry at the wrong people, turning our ire on each other instead of the uber rich and people in power.”
About the collaboration on the new single, Starr adds “I couldn’t be more honoured to be a part of this song. Ricky is a legend for a reason, and songs like this are why… great big nasty guitar riffs married to lyrics and melody that hit you in the chest and stick to your ribs.”
The track is the last instalment to be released ahead of the upcoming release of his new solo album Blood Ties, which will be out on 14th March via Earache Records. You can pre-order the album here.
‘Rise & Grind’ follows the release of the bittersweet track, ‘The Crickets Stayed In Clovis’, which is about cherishing the moment and not taking life for granted as you never know what’s round the corner. The accompanying video was also filmed at George Best’s family home in Belfast, which adds to the already nostalgic and life affirming vibe. You can watch a short documentary about the filming of the video here, where Ricky being a huge fan of Best, said it was “amazing and humbling to be filming in here today.”
Ricky dug deep for Blood Ties and by doing so has made this one of his most personal records yet. Big cathartic guitar sounds and life-affirming, often joyous assessments of where he is in life right now have made it a standout body of work in a career that has spanned over four decades at the coalface of rock’n’roll.
“I mined a deep seam to make this record, it’s in the darkest, most uncharted of places where the real energy is to be found.” Ricky notes. “There comes a time in everyone’s life when the game is afoot, and the decision is taken to face down and exorcise personal demons. The situation finally seemed right to deal with these and try to express my feelings, fears and anxieties in as uplifting a way as possible, turning negativity into positivity. To do that I had to make sure the guitars were turned up way beyond driven.”
NEW SOLO ALBUM
‘BLOOD TIES’
OUT 14TH MARCH 2025
FEAT. SPECIAL GUESTS BILLY DUFFY, LITA FORD & CHARLIE STARR
PRE-ORDER HERE