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 We at GlamMetal.com are very happy to announce that we have vocalist/musician/songwriter/entertainer, Mr. Ron Keel checking in with us! That's right folk's, Ron Keel is here, and he has something to say, and we're stoked that he's here to talk with GlamMetal.com today! Ron Keel really needs no introduction, the man has been everywhere, and done about everything, but for our younger GlamMetal readers, I'll give you a quick rundown on his incredible career so far.
Ron Keel's bio is very impressive indeed, and would take a week and a day to type, so I'll sum it up for those who aren't familiar with Ron's history. Ron Keel's assault on the hard rock/metal scene began way back in 1980 with his first hard rock band called Lust, before hooking up with guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen a couple of years later, when they formed Steeler. Most hard core Ron Keel fans certainly remember, and can appreciate great metal songs from Steeler, such as "Cold Day In Hell," and "No Way Out," just to name a couple of their great metal songs. Unfortunately, Steeler disbanded just as fast as they appeared, but Ron Keel was just getting started, and wasn't about to pack it in, and formed KEEL!
Ron Keel is most likely best known for his band KEEL from back in the day, which he formed shortly after disbanding from Steeler. The band's debut album titled, "Lay Down The Law," was released in 1984 on Shrapnel Records, and was just the beginning of a promising career for Ron and his band KEEL. KEEL went on to record some great albums throughout the 80's and 90's, such as their second and third albums titled, "The Right To Rock," (1985) and "The Final Frontier," (1986) which were produced by the legendary Gene Simmons himself, and in my opinion KEEL'S two best albums to date.
KEEL were certainly on top of the world back in those day's, they were on the radio, were featured frequently on MTV, and were all over metal magazines everywhere. Keel were living the life, and toured with huge bands such as Van Halen, Bon Jovi, and Aerosmith, as well as many other great bands throughout the KEEL years. Ron Keel has fronted other metal bands such as Fair Game, and Saber Tiger, as well as a band called IronHorse, which is considered Hard Rockin' Southern Country Metal, and also went totally country with the Ronnie Lee Keel band, and a band called The Rat'lers, which Ron formed as well. So, whether it's the Metal Ron, or the Country Ron that you like best, there is no denying the great music that this great artist has written and recorded over the years.
Ron Keel is currently out on a solo tour in support of his latest release, "Alone At Last," which is an all acoustic album, and he just may end up in a city near you, so keep your eye's and ear's open for that. So, with all that being said, I bring you this exclusive interview with the legendary Ron Keel himself. This is certainly one of my favorite interviews so far, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Enjoy!
Ron Keel, welcome to GlamMetal.com! How are you man?
I’m doing great! Thanks.
You've had quite a career in music so far! Let's start with your new solo acoustic cd which is titled "Alone At Last," which is currently out. Please tell us a little bit about this record, and what inspired you to do an acoustic record.
I’ve always been at home with an acoustic guitar in my hand – in a hotel room, on a tour bus, around a campfire, sitting at a bar after closing time…many songs are written that way, and when you bring them back to their original form they seem to recapture the feelings that inspired them in the first place.
I started doing my rock material acoustically several years back, when I began making the rounds at the KISS Expos as a special guest – I was called upon to perform, but there wasn’t enough budget to bring my band. So out of necessity, I created the format that I am now using for my solo acoustic shows: take the audience on a journey throughout my career, in somewhat chronological order, and include key songs from KEEL, Steeler, IronHorse, Fair Game, a couple of covers, even a little Black Sabbath moment.
We recently released a couple of Steeler Anthology CD’s, and for these we wanted to include a bonus track…the Steeler song “Serenade” was always a tune that I considered one of my best ever, a great song that has really stood the test of time – but for the original recording I employed this hideous falsetto voice that is now impossible for me to listen to. So I wanted to record a new acoustic version and sing it like a man this time; this became the bonus track for the Steeler Anthology, and I was so pleased with the results that I just kept going, recording acoustic versions of some of my favorite songs that I had written and recorded through the years.
You're currently out touring in support of "Alone At Last." How's the tour going so far, and what's the response to your new record been like?
This year, I’ve taken the “Alone At Last” solo acoustic show from Vegas to Colorado, Chicago, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania is next – headlining clubs, and also getting the opportunity to open up for bands like Y&T & Quiet Riot. The response, from the fans and the media, has been great. Those who can get past the fact that it’s an all-acoustic disc will find out that it really screams, and I think it’s some of the best vocal work of my career.
You're scheduled to perform two nights at the Rhythm House Cafe in Bridgeville, PA on September 2nd and 3rd. This is going to be a huge event, with not only yourself, but with Quiet Riot, Jackyl, Daniel MacMaster, and our good friend Phil Varone, who is hosting this big bash. How stoked are you about this event Ron, and what can people expect from your set?
I am absolutely fired up about these dates – I want to thank GlamSlam Productions at www.glamslamproductions.com for bringing me to Pittsburgh for two wild nights of rock and roll. Kevin and Frankie from Quiet Riot are old friends of mine – we toured together extensively back in the day and have stayed in touch through the years, so I’m excited to be on the bill with them again and see their new lineup. I think BulletBoys are also on the Jackyl show, so it will be cool to hang with those guys again.
It may seem a little weird for me to be doing a solo acoustic show on such a heavy bill – and for me, it does feel kinda like singing the National Anthem at the Super Bowl bare ass naked – but it always seems to work for me. As I said, I take the audience on a musical journey throughout my career, throw in all the KEEL hits, have a good time with it…I enjoy the challenge of entertaining a room full of rockers with just my voice, my songs, and my guitar.
As I mentioned, you have done so much in your career so far, with bands like Steeler, Keel, Iron Horse, and a ton of other various albums and projects. Looking back on everything you have done, what are you most proud of accomplishing so far?
Tough question – but a good one. Of course I’m proud of selling a few million albums, touring the world, having all those dreams come true – but I’m also proud to be still in the game and delivering the goods at this point in my career. As far as recordings, I’m most proud of KEEL’s “The Final Frontier,” and “KEEL” albums; the “Saber Tiger: Project One” album (the heaviest metal of my career); “The Country Years” compilation, and of course my new CD “Alone At Last”. As far as touring goes, I was very proud to be a part of Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet” tour, and the stints opening for Van Halen, Aerosmith, Queensryche, and Dio were all amazing – but the crowning achievement was probably KEEL’s sold out headline tour of Japan.
I absolutely loved what you and Yngwie Malmsteen did with Steeler back in 1983! It's one of my favorite records of all-time. Aside from Yngwie being a guitar virtuoso, we've all heard the rumors that he can be difficult to work with, is that true?
Yngwie was very young at the time – 18. And I was difficult to work with then also. Looking back, if we had both been able to put our egos aside and combine our visions, we probably could have been a musician/entertainer team that may have rivaled Edward Van Halen & David Lee Roth. But we both had our own paths to follow so we went our separate ways after the Steeler album was recorded.
Many people didn't realize that there were actually two Steeler's out there back in the day. How many times did people confuse your Steeler with Axel Rudi Pell's Steeler?
It never happened. You didn’t hear much about them in the States, and we had the US trademark on the name.
I'm curious, and this question is no disrespect to your country music at all, but being the rocker that you are, and fronting your band Keel, which was a kickass metal band back in the day, what made you decide to make the drastic switch from fist pumping metal, to country music?
No offense taken – this is a question I get in every interview, and I’m glad to answer it. You gotta realize that my signature song, the anthem “The Right To Rock”, is all about freedom of expression, and the right to say and do what you want to do. And for me, recording and performing Country music is just another form of expression. Another side of my personality, and another canvas to paint on with some different colors. I grew up in the South and my family has deep roots in Country Music – my father Roy Keel played country guitar, and my band Steeler was formed in Nashville after I moved there at 17.
My brand of Country Music and Rock Music have a lot of common elements – it’s all good time music, entertainment, songs about women and drinking. Country Music employs a lot of big drums and screaming guitars nowadays, and the sweat and leather haven’t changed from one genre to the next.
A lot of rockers started listening to country radio in the early 90’s, because rock radio turned to shit, and there was no where else to go for good time music where you could understand the lyrics, and the music wasn’t a bunch of noise. This contributed greatly to Country Music’s rise in popularity at the time. And a lot of rockers have ‘gone country’ in recent years, Bret Michaels and many others…Bon Jovi had a Number 1 country song this year, and I’ve seen James Hetfield on CMT singing a Waylon Jennings song. I just caught a lot of shit for it because I did it first.
Did you take a lot of heat from your metal fans, and how well were you received in the country music world?
I took an unbelievable amount of heat for it, thanks to the VH1 “Where Are They Now” special. The misconception was that I had turned my back on metal and sold out, which was absolutely false – I have always been extremely proud of the music I’ve made, and never stopped listening to Priest, Scorpions, AC/DC, Van Halen, and other metal and melodic rock. I just wanted to climb a different mountain, and that’s what I did.
I was and still am very well received in Country Music – the Ronnie Lee Keel band was one of the best and most successful acts in the Southwest throughout the mid-90’s, my band The Rat’lers did a great CD and a few tours of Europe, my Country songs have appeared in countless TV shows and films – I do a lot of the background music for CMT also. I still do Country shows as Ronnie Lee Keel – just finished up a week in Vegas, and after the Quiet Riot/Jackyl gigs in Pittsburgh, I have a week in Phoenix as Ronnie Lee Keel.
For me it’s like playing a different role – both Rock and Country are parts of my personality, and I’m comfortable in both, but at home in neither.
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Do you still write country music at all?
All the time. As I said, I do a lot of Country Music for TV and films…this past year we’ve had songs on “Desperate Housewives”, “King Of The Hill”, and all over CMT.
Of all the tours you have been on over the years, what was one of your absolute favorites?
Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet” tour. They were so huge at the time, selling out 3 and 4 nights in every arena – we did three nights at Madison Square Garden, and I loved every minute of that tour. Bon Jovi had been out for like a year and a half, and they were beat up, but dug deep and gave it all they had every night, and that was very inspiring. Plus every arena was full of hot young girls.
One of my favorite stories from that tour was the final night, at The Meadowlands – the triumphant homecoming to Jersey and the finale of the marathon tour – and after their gig, Jon and Ritchie came to our dressing room and got just the five guys in KEEL and took us into their dressing room, no roadies, no media, no girls – just the guys in both bands, hugging and high fiving and drinking. It was a very special moment and I felt so honored to be a part of that.
Do you have any crazy or wild stories from the road you care to share with GlamMetal?
Just the usual sex, drugs, and debauchery. Nothing you’d be interested in. What goes on on the road stays on the road.
Gene Simmons produced two Keel records, which did quite well, "The Final Frontier," and "The Right To Rock." What was it like working with Gene?
It was incredible. Gene was at the top of the list of producers I wanted to work with, and he taught me so much about songs, music, melody, the business…having him on our team was obviously a huge benefit in so many ways, and I’m very proud to have had that relationship with one of Rock’s all time biggest icons. Plus, he was always surrounded by beautiful women.
You have a great voice Ron, and can certainly scream with the best of them. Back in your Keel days when you were touring non-stop, you were putting your voice through a major workout, as many vocalists do on tour. What did you do to maintain that great voice of yours, and did you ever have to cancel any shows due to voice problems?
What a lot of people don’t realize is that the lead singer of a rock band is using his voice way more than just during the show – the radio interviews are usually early in the morning, like 7 am drive time (while the rest of the band is sleeping), then the magazine interviews, in-store meet-and-greets in the afternoon, then soundcheck, then more interviews, then screaming your guts out on the stage, then more meet-and-greets and interviews, then talking to women late into the night, then back on the radio the next morning. It can really take its toll on the pipes, but the combination of adrenalin and Jack Daniel’s is powerful medicine. Plus, I’m a smoker. I did have some vocal training early on which was an immense help in maintaining my endurance, but I’m a firm believer that the Voice comes from the heart, and the throat will follow wherever the heart leads. And HELL NO, I would never cancel a show because of vocal problems.
What's a couple of your favorite Keel tracks to play live?
“Tears Of Fire” always takes me back, and feels like I’m back at Madison Square Garden. “Because The Night”. One song that wasn’t a single, but is still a lot of fun live for me is “Evil Wicked Mean & Nasty”.
What are the chances of ever seeing another Steeler or Keel record someday?
I would like to do a KEEL Reunion tour if we can ever put all the right pieces together, but the chances of any new recordings from either act are slim.
Do you have any other projects you are working on currently Ron?
I guess I’ve become accustomed to the role of being a musical nomad, wandering the landscape searching for new challenges…or maybe a better analogy is that of a lone sailor going wherever the wind takes me. I am really glad that I’ve reached a point in my life where I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, and damn the consequences.
I have a great band based in Las Vegas that is backing me up for both my Rock and Country gigs, there are the acoustic gigs, and my role in the show “Country Music USA” as Ronnie Dunn from Brooks & Dunn. We are currently putting the finishing touches on KEEL’s “Lay Down The Law” CD release, with bonus vintage live video clips from ‘back in the day’. I am preparing to release “Ron Keel: 20/20, which is 20 Videos from 20 Years” with all my videos included, with interviews and live stuff, it will be a comprehensive video history of my career. We’re also working on a long-awaited live CD Anthology of my music. I’d like to record another metal album, if the right situation, songs, and musicians were to present themselves. I’d like to do a sequel to “Alone At Last” next year that would feature material that didn’t get included on this disc.
On the business front, we’ve got an exciting new merchandising/licensing deal with Balzout/Bioworld – they are releasing killer classic concert merchandise from KEEL, Winger, Stephen Pearcy, Angel, Pat Travers, Dokken, Sweet, Montrose, and many others – this stuff is absolutely awesome and I’m really stoked to be a part of this program which is called ‘Rockstaglia’.
I’m also sorely tempted to finish writing the autobiography I’ve been threatening to write all these years.
Is there any new music that gets your attention these days, and what are your thoughts on the music today, compared to the 80's and 90's?
I am not extremely in tune with modern music. As far as Rock goes, I think bands like Nickelback, Coldplay, and 3 Doors Down are the cream of the crop. As far as Country Music goes, I really like Brooks & Dunn obviously, And if you’re talking Metal, put on the latest albums from Judas Priest and Scorpions and I’ll be just fine. For the record, I also have been digging Queensryche’s “Mindcrime II” these past few months and that’s my most listened to CD of 2006.
As far as comparing musical eras, I believe that each cultural progression has to stand on its own and time will tell. Good music, whether it’s Jazz, Blues, Metal, Country, whatever – transcends time and fashion, and will live forever.
What's a couple of your favorite Glam-Metal bands from back in the day?
I don’t know how loosely we can apply the ‘Glam’ term, but two acts that I’ve always enjoyed and that are still viable today are Motley Crue and Poison. And even though these bands might be known for image or theatrics, what it really comes down to is great songs that have stood the test of time, and are not only a part of our memories, but a part of our lives still today. As far as all-time, KISS rules, and I’m not just sucking up – their place in history should be obvious.
What do you like to do for fun when you're not working or touring Ron?
Interviews for web sites like GlamMetal.com, changing guitar strings, updating web sites, answering e-mails, laundry, spending countless hours on my cell phone dealing with booking agents and promoters, itemizing my expenses, and dividing the receipts into separate piles, and making excuses to my friends why I don’t have time for a social life.
What I’d LIKE to be doing is watching kick ass action movies and sports, playing chess, going camping, writing songs, and spending time with loved ones that I never get to see.
Since you've been around the block so to speak, what advice would you give to musicians trying to get into this business today?
I’ve been in quite a few bands, with quite a few musicians, and most of them never listened to me anyway, so why bother giving advice. They’re going to do what they want to do, and more power to them for that – as my good friend Marc Ferrari always says: Follow your dreams, and someday your dreams will follow you.
My usual suggestions to aspiring musicians are to learn their craft thoroughly, from the basics – don’t skip any rungs on the ladder, or you’ll pay for it later. Learn the names of the strings, the names of the notes, all the chords, learn to play in tune and in time. Learn about the business, and most of all just have fun with it – there are no guarantees, and if you do it right, Music will be its own reward.
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In closing, is there anything you'd like to say to all of your fans and friends out there Ron?
This is where I always like to thank those of you who have made my music a part of your life, and given me the strength, the reason, and the ability to continue doing what I love to do. Thanks to my sponsors, especially Dean Guitars, to my staff, friends, family, and fans for coming along for the ride.
Thanks so much for talking with GlamMetal.com Ron! Good luck with the new record and the tour. I can't wait to see you in Pittsburgh!
Thanks for letting me rattle on, you guys rock! Live it up!
Wow! I've just got to say, that was an awesome interview right there! Ron Keel is the man! Ron will be performing with Quiet Riot (Sept 2nd) and Jackyl (Sept 3rd) at the Rhythm House Cafe in Bridgeville, PA with special guests, the BulletBoys and Daniel MacMaster, as well as special guest host, Phil Varone, who will also be performing some stand-up on September 1st! If you don't have tickets, you'd better hurry, because they are going fast. You can get tickets at www.ticketalternative.com or charge by phone at 877-725-8849 We'd also like to thank our buddy Sweet Lou Hetzer at Glam Slam Productions www.glamslamproductions.com for making this event happen, and for having GlamMetal.com as a special guest as well. Sweet Lou ROCKS!
Anyone interested in more info on Ron Keel, can go to www.ronkeel.com AND www.myspace.com/ronkeel
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