Robert Bradley can hear the footsteps of the crowd shuffling in. He can hear the clicking of lighters as the smell of smoke begins to overwhelm his nose. He can feel the energy of the audience and taste the stale air that always lingers in a club before a new crowd can create its own stagnancy. He takes the stage to welcoming cheers and begins to wail away into the microphone and on his guitar.”I just need the people to come out and hear them yell and scream and shit, that’s what I’m looking for,” Bradley says. “That’s what turns me on.” For our phone interview, the singer-songwriter and soon-to-be producer sits backstage preparing to go on with the rest of his entourage, the Blackwater Surprise. At this point in his career, Bradley is a widely acclaimed rhythm and blues rock musician. But he started singing on the streets — just to be heard. And he has such a love for his music and the people who made it before him that he has taken it upon himself to keep the music alive — that’s what is unique about Robert Bradley.Oh yeah, and he’s blind.”I just want to [make music] ’til I die,” Bradley says. “I don’t want to do nothing else. I don’t want to be president, I don’t want to be governor, mayor, none of that shit. I just want to be plain ol’ all-American R&B rock star.”That statement sums up anything and everything that is Bradley. His passion for music drives him each and every day. The biggest mystery in his life is how he can make money by doing something he loves so much. “I was happy when I was playing on the corner,” Bradley explains. “As long as I can buy some bologna and bread and eat that shit when I want it, I’m happy. My main thing is I’m just trying to keep something going on that made me feel so good when I was a kid.” Bradley’s brand of R&B, rock and self-described “down to earth” music is something he has been doing for as long as he can remember. He was going solo on the streets of Detroit until 1994 when two passersbys heard him singing.Michael and Andrew Nehra invited him to record with them. Six years and two RCA-released albums later, Robert Bradley’s Blackwater Surprise is a force to be reckoned with in the world of R&B and rock.But 2001 has brought new things for the group, including a label change and lineup makeover.The Nehra brothers are no longer around, and former keyboardist Tim Diaz is at home with a new baby. Bradley and drummer Jeff Fowlkes are now teaming up with bassist Tom Wilber, guitarist Matt Ruffino and Randy Sly on the keys.”They basically was the producers on the records and stuff and they never really liked touring that much,” Bradley says of the Nehra brothers. “But I like to tour so I told them, ‘Hey, go back and do your own thing,’ what they was doing before we met. It’s just the fact that I like to get out and be with the people so I said, ‘Hey, it’s all good.'”Bradley says he is working with his new boys and that they are doing well. But he does find it a little hard trying to keep the old chemistry with different people.”Right now we trying to keep the element of surprise in it, but it’s kind of hard to do when you keep interchanging people,” Bradley says. “These guys can play and all that kind of stuff, I just have to keep a focused head on to keep them from going to being like the String Cheese Incident — we’re not the Grateful Dead.”Bradley admits that style of jam-band music is fun to play because it feels good, but he finds himself trying to hold them down a little at times.”You get in them grooves and you just wanna go, go, go,” Bradley says. “But you got to watch what your doing.”Also new for RBBS is negotiations with Vanguard records and the departure from RCA records — a label Bradley says just wasn’t promoting him.”I think they into right now more of a look than the music,” Bradley says. “I think that’s why I got caught in the mix. And all the people that brought me to RCA ain’t there no more so I knew that was the end of the road.”Looking back at his time with RCA and thinking about what Bradley wants to do with his music career, it’s hard to believe he was ever on such a big label to begin with.”I just want to keep the real focus of the music alive because I feel that what’s going on today, all music is getting to where it’s all manufactured,” Bradley says.Bradley and company have plans to head into the studio in May, with a new album, which Bradley describes as “Robert Bradley uncovered,” hitting stores around September.The ‘uncovered’ part comes from the fact that Bradley will be producing for the first time, now that he knows how things work from that side of recording.”The last two records, they were my songs, but I wanted to see how the producing process goes before I try my hand in it,” Bradley says. “This new record will be totally way beyond anything I do now.”While sticking with the same genre of music, Bradley has plans to make the album innovative and groundbreaking. “It will be just like Nirvana with them guys living in Seattle, and Kurt Cobain and all that, and it was so new to the rock scene,” Bradley says. “When I do this record, it’s gonna be so new to the R&B and rock mix.”As Bradley continues to talk about the record, the excitement builds in his voice. He knows he is going to have the opportunity to totally be himself.”I’ve been with other people, and other people had the ideas and I went along with it, because I try to be a nice guy,” Bradley says. “But this new record is gonna be me all the way. It’s gonna be the real shit.”Since playing live is where it’s at for Bradley, this is the most excited he’s been for recording — it will be more of a pleasure than a burden.”Recording is kind of like going to spring football practice, it’s one of them type thangs,” Bradley says. “You get to the point when you finally get out on the field, get on the stage, hopefully all that work you put back in the studio, you can find a way to get it out. The live thang, that’s what music is all about.”With Bradley producing, there may be a chance that Kid Rock, also a Detroit native who popped up on RBBS’ 2000 release, “Time To Discover,” and who had Bradley appear on his 1998 release “Devil Without a Cause,” may show up on the next project.Bradley met Rock through the Nehra brothers when they wanted him on the album to help get the word out. But Bradley has since become friends with Rock and has a deep admiration for him.”He’s a good guy and I value his friendship,” Bradley says. “I call him once in a while, he calls me, it’s all good. He might show up on the next record. Who knows?”For the present tour, which at one point is going from Feb. 23 to March 11 with only two days of rest, Bradley is focusing on his health and the music.”I got a little cold, I hope it will be gone by the time we get over there,” Bradley says about his performance at the M-Shop on Friday. “Otherwise the voice is a little shaky but the energy and the vibe is there, so hopefully it won’t matter.”With the music industry focusing more on look than music according to Bradley, his mission is to keep the young people in touch with the music in every scene he plays.”That’s my whole focus man, it’s just for the young people that I’m trying to keep it going,” Bradley says. “It makes me feel good, I just want to share it with other people. You get new fans and the old ones are still there.”But Bradley has strong confidence in his mission, because he knows who the real driving force is behind everything.”God is looking down, you know, he sits high but looks low,” he says. “He’s keeping me going.”It’s all good.