There’s something refreshingly no-nonsense about Gregg Rolie. Maybe it’s the decades of industry tenure, maybe it’s the repeated exposure to both Santana and Journey’s spiritual upheaval and arena bloat, or maybe it’s just the Zen of spending years on the road with Ringo Starr. Either way, Rolie doesn’t mince words—he just makes albums, even if they take 18 years to finish.
“I don’t go back and look,” Rolie says bluntly when asked if he ever retools old songs. “You could do that forever.” Which explains why Sonic Ranch, his first solo full-length since 2001, sounds more like a straight shot from the heart than a fussed-over legacy statement. Tracked over a decade ago and left half-finished due to touring with Ringo and a brief Santana reunion, the record is more of a time capsule than a comeback. “You just do it and that’s it. Make it good the first time.”
Still, there’s a sense of coming full circle. Sonic Ranch features “Look Into the Future,” a deep Journey cut from 1976 that Rolie decided to revisit simply because, well, “I liked it.” He co-wrote it, never stopped believing in it (sorry), and tightened it up with fewer solos and a new vocal ending. “Journey hasn’t played it in 40 years, so it’s almost like a new song to a lot of people.”
The real update, though, is Sonic Ranch’s first single, “What About Love,” a three-minute burst of peace-and-love power-pop that Rolie says was sparked during a Ringo soundcheck. “He’s been saying ‘peace and love’ for like 50 years, so I figured I’d take it a step further,” Rolie explains, noting that the short runtime is a Beatles-inspired flex. “It’s the only song I think I’ve ever written that’s under three minutes.”
Even the track titles get accidentally philosophical: in the middle of the record, “Us” is followed by “You.” It wasn’t intentional. “The song ‘You’ was done, and my son and the engineer started dragging in synths,” he laughs. “Next thing I know, I’ve got 12 synthesizers in the control room and a new intro.”
Speaking of his son: Sonic Ranch was co-produced by Rolie’s kid, Sean Didonato, making the album as much a family affair as it is a solo venture. “Working with your offspring is awesome,” Rolie beams. “I’m learning things from him now. He used to say, ‘You taught me,’ and I go, ‘Well, now you’re teaching me.’”
But don’t get the wrong idea—this isn’t Rolie mellowing with age. Songs like “Then the World Changed” are sharp-edged reflections on a world gone sideways. “There’s some really nutty things going on out there that people are calling truth,” he says, unflinching. “I find it appalling.”
Still, Rolie remains an optimist at heart—albeit one with callouses. “The game for me is writing something that can pass through time and still mean something,” he says. Whether it’s with Santana, Journey, Ringo, or his son, Gregg Rolie doesn’t look back. But he’s always looking to the future.
Listen to the interview above and then check out "What About Love" below.
