Ruben Block has been Belgium-based rock band Triggerfinger’s front man since 1998, writing the bulk of the band’s five album’s worth of material, singing lead, and playing guitar.

With their own brand of dark, heavy and somewhat rootsy rock, Triggerfinger manages to conquer an impressive slab of international territory, and the band turn into virtual rock stars in Belgium and the Netherlands. When recording Triggerfinger’s fifth album “Colossus” in L.A. with Mitchell Froom, Block and Froom hit it off and start talking about something that had been on Block’s mind for a while.

Even during his band’s pretty intense touring/recording schedule, the idea “solo record” had come up before. Mitchell Froom had been a hero to Block ever since he produced “Kiko” for Los Lobos, being part of the “Latin Playboys” project, and for other work he’d done on acts like Elvis Costello and Suzanne Vega. 

Froom expressing interest in a project was all the coaxing Block needed, and from the first talks of a Ruben Block solo project in 2017, numerous trips to L.A. in between touring in 2018 and 2019 and many man hours with both Block and Froom writing, producing ànd performing later, “Lights” is the first sound you’re hearing from this venture.

Block working with Froom as a duo has kept them from staying in the safe environment of making a band/rock album, and that has worked out beautifully. Ruben Block is loose, and he’s having fun.

Picture: Charlie De Keersmaecker