Exclusive Interview: Ron Keel on Turning a Difficult Season in His Life Into a Musical Treasure with 'Fight Like a Band'

The Ron Keel Band- Official Photo

Since Covid-19 has brought gigs to a screeching halt we are flashing back to some of the best of the best content here at DailyBOOM.

ICYMI

When I say "metal cowboy" the first name that springs to mind for veteran rock fans is singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Ron Keel.  Not only has he been a constant on the rock scene with bands like Steeler, Alcatrazz and of course, Keel, but he has sold millions of records and had two albums produced by Gene Simmons. While his resume is impressive it's not complete yet. 

The Ron Keel Band released their first album, "Fight Like a Band" back in February to rave reviews. The eclectic mix of metal, southern rock and a bit of country may make the music tricky to categorize but the quality of the music will keep you listening on loop for quite a while. I had a chance to catch up with Ron earlier this week and his stories behind the making of "Fight Like A Band" make its success that much sweeter. Check it out below.

Ron Keel Promo Shot

Ron Keel on his current band: 

"The Ron Keel Band formed four years ago when we were all hired to be the house band for a major midwest entertainment complex. It was a $70 million dollar business with a pawn shop, a radio station, and a concert venue. As the house band, we would travel around the country representing that brand and we would back up major acts like Paul Stanley and Jack Blades from Night Ranger. The money was fantastic and I was able to put together my dream team. We had one hell of a ride for about a year with the tour bus, the crew, even the pyro (laughing). Then it imploded and we were left with nothing. They pulled the rug out from under us, pulled the plug and we were left with nothing but each other. 

The band was so strong and the chemistry was so great that we decided to stick together and rebrand it as The Ron Keel Band and just keep going. Within weeks of that decision, my wife was diagnosed with stage 3 breast cancer. Most peoples' lives have been touched by cancer and so everyone knows that it's a life changer, you're going to war and you've got to be ready to fight. So I had to be there with her through chemotherapy, radiation and seven surgeries. Everyone always asks how she's doing and Renee is great, we had a happy ending to this story but it was hard. The band was my support group and they stuck with me even though we were looking at a year of not many gigs." 

Ron on digging in and creating new music:

"We decided since we couldn't tour that we would get together and write. The songs on "Fight Like a Band" are what came out of that time of hanging tough and hanging together. We were able to create songs that I believe are my best work. I know that I'm supposed to say that with every album you know it's the, 'my kid is the most good looking kid' thing (laughing). In this case, though, it's really true (still laughing), it's my baby and I'm so proud of the end result. I still listen to it every day in my truck because I make music for myself so that I can listen to it and enjoy it. I put it all in perspective a long time ago. I've sold 3 million records and so if you love music as much as I do then come along for the ride.

We spent a long time on the arrangements and how the guitars work together and a bunch of other things that you do to prepare for a session, but I had never sung the vocals on that lead track before with the band. The whole first verse is about fighting like a girl and it was all about my wife getting that diagnosis and deciding to fight and so there I was in the studio just losing it, an emotional wreck while trying to sing that verse. Once I got through that then the rest was fine but it was really an emotional experience singing that song for the first time in the studio. The second verse goes on to tell the story of my life back in the 80's so it's all very autobiographical and personal.

"Good Songs Bad Times" was the first song that we wrote and I don't know how you'd classify it (laughing). It's not country and it's not southern rock, it's just good. These days you kind of have to label stuff so that people know what they're getting but with this new record, I can't tell you exactly what it is other than hard rocking, hard-partying good old rock and roll. I grew up in a time when the term rock-and-roll encompassed everything. I listened to Black Sabbath and The Eagles and both were the same, they were rock-and-roll."

Ron Keel Promo Shot

Ron on how his audience has grown:

"I love that we've got 25-year-olds in the audience just eating it up and loving what the new band is doing without knowing my history or what I did before they were even born. They get to go back and visit where I've been and then they can go along for the ride to wherever we're headed. The old fans have been very tolerant as well. Those people that have followed me since the '80s, that have been around for all the twists and turns that my career has taken and that are still there, just enjoying the music, I'm so grateful for them. 

This record really resonates in the heart of all kinds of people. Rock fans, southern rock fans, and even country fans will enjoy it. It's hard and heavy arena rock, but it is also cowboy rock with screaming vocals, screaming guitars and those thunderous drums. It has a little bit of the wild, wild midwest in there too. We had absolutely no preconceived notions of what the album would be or what it would sound like or the direction that the songs would take. We just got together and wrote the best songs that we possibly could. Some of the songs are very reminiscent of the commercial rock that I was known for in the '80s.

There are always predominant themes in my lyrics and one is the struggle to survive and the right to be who you are and to express yourself. "Fight Like A Band" is really about the struggle to survive and then the struggle to succeed. We're all in the same boat. We all want to be happy and there are so many songs on this record that embody that." 

Ron on his extensive love of music:

"When I first heard the term heavy metal, as it pertains to music, I thought it sounded cool and I wanted to do that. It sounded so exciting and wild to me. The music that I was listening to at the time was Van Halen, Led Zepplin, Sabbath and the other first generation of metal bands. They really struck a note with me and I wanted to hear the music louder, faster and stronger. I love the excitement and electricity of metal and arena rock in general. 

As I matured I needed to explore different musical landscapes. I grew up playing the blues, jazz and even classical music. I was classically trained and listening to all of those British bands like the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. I just love music. I'm never going to write a jazz album or a classical piece, that's not me (laughing), I'm a regular guy. I'm making music for the common man and the common woman. Songs that mean something and make you feel something, and also entertain you. This is entertainment and it's supposed to be fun. You want to make them feel something but you also need to take them away from the daily grind. Music can be an escape and for a lot of us, it's a sanctuary." 

Ron on what keeps him making music after all of these years:

"The same burning desire that I had when I was 2 years old, or when I was 17 years old, I'm the same guy. I'm a little more mature, a little smarter and I've got a lot more experience, but that drive to succeed has always been there. It's what I'm all about. The business has changed completely, it's not the 80's and we're not selling millions of records anymore. It's much more difficult to sell music because people think that it's free. They wouldn't even consider spending a dollar on a song so it's a really tough business to make a living in.  What drives me is the desire to succeed, not the desire to sing and play because I can always do that, I can go right downstairs and grab my guitars and sing and play. I always will do that, but success is the thing. Success for me right now is having a record like this one out, being able to touch the media and the fans, and then still travel the world. I still believe, even at this age, that the best is yet to come. I've got to believe that. I know that father time wins every day and one of these days he's going to catch my ass, but not today.  I know that there is more time behind me than there is in front of me at this stage of the game, but I'm happy, healthy, I've got a great band and we've got great opportunities in front of us."

Check out Ron's official site for updates on everything he's doing, plus info on upcoming gigs. Also, keep an eye on The Ron Keel Band's official site for updates on new music & tour dates.

Exclusive Interview: John Schneider's 'Odyssey' is a Healing Inspiration for Everyone it Reaches

(John Schneider Promo Shot- Official Facebook)

When I mention the name John Schneider I'm going to bet that the first image that comes to mind is a flash of the 70's breakout television hit, The Dukes of Hazzard, right? If you're a little younger than me then maybe you're brain races to that dad you wished you had on Smallville. Schneider has made a name for himself by breathing life into characters that are uniquely embedded in our own personal history. He is also a well-established country music veteran that has spent this entire year piecing together a labor of love called, The Odyssey.

The concept is simple enough, one new song is released each week and it is intended to touch on topics that we all feel- death, illness, love and all of the other complications that weave in and out of a life well lived. Actually recording this kind of extensive catalog is not as simple as the concept and Schneider has brought in the big guns to help. Fifty-two songs have been recorded with the help of esteemed songwriters like Paul Overstreet, Chuck Cannon, Keith Stegall, Jenee Fleenor, Mac Davis, Kyle Jacobs and Bill Anderson, to name just a few.

 The Odyssey has unfolded in ways that even Schneider couldn't have anticipated, making this fantastic project a personal awakening even for him. I was able to spend a few minutes with him this week and it was an absolute pleasure to be able to share his excitement while appreciating his depth and keen sense of the things that matter most of all. 

Check out the conversation below!

(John Schneider Promo Shot- Official Facebook)

Cate Meighan: How are you doing? 

John Schneider: I'm doing really well and in many regards, my life has just never been better. I've never felt more creative or like I was making more of a difference than I am now and it's all about this music. I wish I could tell you that this is what I thought that it would be about when I first started The Odyssey, but I'm not that smart (laughing). I'm just ecstatic with where it's all at now and the direction that it's going in.

CM: How long did it take for you to realize that The Odyssey was going to become a transformative project for you?

JS: When Alicia Allain (The Odyssey producer) and I went back to Nashville with this project people that we talked to like musicians, songwriters, and producers, all said it's about damn time because they missed the way that I tell a story. That is just the biggest compliment that I can possibly get. There are a lot of singers out there and a lot of people can sing a song well but not a lot of people can really feel the story of a song. I'm a dad that cried at Finding Nemo (laughing), I mean I weep when I think about the movie Up, the first 45 minutes of that movie just tear me apart (laughing). I feel things and so when I tell a story, I'm really feeling it. We knew we were heading in the right direction pretty quickly.

CM: I've noticed that your audiences are equally receptive to your storytelling.

JS: It's just great, not only to see an audience singing along with the fun songs but to be wiping their eyes to something a bit more serious. We did a song called "I Want to Hear It Again" which is basically a very one-sided conversation between a man and his father who is losing his hearing. It's about how he would give anything to hear tires on the gravel road or his moms' windchimes again and it is wonderful to know that there are other people out there like me, who have not been totally hardened by whatever has gone on in their life up until this point.

CM: I think that the details in your lyrics trigger their own memories and personal nostalgia.

JS: I guess that's probably a big part of why it seems to work and it's just so wonderful. This also goes back to Smallville and Dukes of Hazzard for me. When people talk to me about those shows it's part of their own personal history. You know, they spent Friday nights at their grandparents and it was their grandfather's favorite show. It's the same thing with Smallville, many people have shared that their own relationship with their father wasn't great, but that my character gave them hope, What an awesome position to be in where so many people connect me to some of their fondest nostalgic memories and what an honor that really is. I also feel a tremendous responsibility to try, in some way, to reflect the person that they think I am. This music does that, and it has a sense of humor in songs like "I Hate Cancer" or "My Wife Ran Away With My Best Friend, I'm Sure Gonna Miss Him" (laughing).

CM: Life is hard though and you have to have a sense of humor. to get through everything. What has the actual process of creating these songs been like for you?

JS: I'm really excited about the process because it has enabled me to work with some of the most sought-after musicians on the planet and the best songwriters in the business, not just currently but over the last 40 or 50 years. Music, at its' best, is an amazing tool to bring people together. What else in the world can make you feel like you're in high school again? You know it's THAT song, the one you heard on THAT trip with your buddies when you went to wherever it was and were doing whatever you shouldn't have been doing (laughing).

What makes this music exceptional is that everybody who either wrote it or played on it is that guy or girl, so it means something to them or they wouldn't have been attracted to it. People of this caliber don't do something because it's a job, they do something because they want to do it and because it means something to them.

CM: Was there a kind of personal enlightenment for you that happened as this project started to unfold?

JS: Oh yes definitely and I'm realizing it as I'm talking about it to other people, more so than when I've actually been recording it. We just finished the final 18 songs last week, so they're still hot off the presses, and I'm realizing that I'm not putting out something that I need to find a way to sound excited about. I'm not trying to figure out a way to somehow give the impression that this music has changed my life, because it just has! I'm crazy about this stuff, I just love it and I think people can feel that.

CM: I think that comes through in the music, the feelings involved are obvious and I think your audience catches on quickly.

JS: I think that they can just feel it and so many odd things happened along the way. Jim Martin has quite a few cuts now and is one of the guys who wrote: "Wherever She is I Hope She Stays There".  He has worked at the Opryland Hotel as the nighttime janitor for 28 years and anyone else, once they started recording their music would have probably stopped being the janitor of the hotel. Jim is still there and he still does that, because it's his job.

Alicia and I decided to do a video for the song "Phantom of the Grand  Ole Opry" and we knew that Jim, who is 6 foot 4 and has had some pretty serious health issues, had to be in it. He's just a sweetheart with an infectious laugh. So we called him up and told him that we want him to do this video and that's when he tells us that the man who wrote this song, wrote it about him! The songwriter, who I never had a chance to meet, was very close to Jim and eventually passed away because of cancer and Jim in turn then wrote "I Hate Cancer" with this friend in mind. So in a really unique way, a lot of these songs are interconnected on a very emotional level.

We also want to make the audience part of The Odyssey so for "I Hate Cancer" I asked people on Facebook to send me photos of their loved ones who have been affected or afflicted by this horrible illness. I have about 200 photos that were submitted and looking at them one at a time to the words of the video is just pretty heavy. We wanted to include these precious people in this video, not only as a tribute to them but as a way to help these families support one another. They aren't alone, we have all been touched by cancer.

CM: There's often a real comfort in actually seeing that you aren't alone in your pain.

JS: Yes and it seems as if this music is not only healing to me and important to the people who play on it, but it has some tremendous healing properties for those who wrote it and those who are living it as well. I'm not a believer in just hanging out and waiting to see what happens. We're working our asses off and this music really touches nerves. It's life-changing for those who are involved and I believe that it can be the same for those who listen and hear it.

I am honored to be a part of this project and the further down the road Alicia and I go with it, the more we realize that this was not our idea, we just so happened to be open to doing it and so it became ours. Somebody else would have done this. Somebody would have put these songs together and I'm just so thankful that it was us. We could have stopped at 34 songs easily, but if we had stopped then we would have been missing some really fantastic and important material.

CM: Based on the way that things have been unfolding for you in the last year or so, do you feel like you can even guess what will come next in your career?

JS: It seems to always end up better than I thought, especially now. This time next year I believe we'll take this music from The Odyssey and we'll be playing it everywhere, from large venues to little clubs, radio stations, hospital wards- you name it. This is the kind of music that will work just as well in a large venue as it will for just a few people because it means something and it has real emotional value. I'll always have my guitar in the back of the car and ready to play, I'll never stop being that guy when this music takes off. Our lives are short and we're here for such a brief amount of time but while we're here, we should smile. I'm excited to be able to help people to smile.

Check out John Schneider's official site for music, show dates and everything else that he has going on. Also, join him on Facebook and become part of his interactive community!

Did Blake Shelton Catch Miranda Lambert Cheating?

Blake Shelton has always been the subject of so many rumors. If you listen to the media then he has probably been cheating on now ex-wife, Miranda Lambert, from the moment they met. It doesn't help that he actually likes the bad boy image that he has and there have always been photos of him looking inappropriate with various women. But what about Lambert? Would she have cheated too? Well, that's what several sources are claiming.

Supposedly, Shelton got suspicious because Lambert's behavior had changed and so he hired a private investigator that caught her cheating with an employee. Shelton confronted her after catching her literally in the arms of another man and then he filed for divorce shortly thereafter. Apparently, it's one thing to hook up with a string of young blondes but when your wife strays, well that might be a problem.

Shelton and Lambert's divorce became final the day that it was announced to the public and she seems to be struggling more than he is. Is it because she feels terribly guilty about cheating? Or is Lambert sad because she was really hoping that the kinks in their marriage would be able to be fixed and to realize the opposite has just gutted her? Are you surprised that these two have split? Tell me your thoughts in the comments below!