Interview With Musician Ron Pope

Interview With Musician Ron Pope

I got the opportunity to interview my favorite music artist, Ron Pope. He's about to kick off his newest world tour "Dancing Days World tour" Which kicks off in New York Tonight.

Here's what he had to say about his upcoming world tour.

How did you get started in the music industry?

RP: I always wanted to be in the music, I sort of ended up in "music business by accident. I was making music and the digital revolution happened. Before that, you made music and tried to get the attention of the industry so they could help you get your stuff out there. After the social media explosion and the advent of inexpensive means of global digital distribution (like Tunecore) and digital recording, you can do so much more. At that point, I found myself building a brand and becoming an entrepreneur, rather than just being a musician. 

You used to play baseball, do you miss it?

RP: Of course, but that was a long time ago.

What has been your favorite album to write and why?

RP: I always like my newest album best. I figure, If you don't think your new record is your best yet, you should probably quit. Up until now, I've always felt like I'm improving; that's the goal. If I make an album that I don't think is better than my last one. That's when I'm going to stop.

You recently released a new album "Work" In August what makes this album different to the others?

RP: We worked to tape for the first time on this album; in the past, we've always recorded digitally. By limiting ourselves to 24 tracks, we were forced to make choices. You hear us doing things that are imperfect. There's humanity in this album. When working digitally, you can cut the trumpet 100 times and pick and choose little phrases from each take. This record we cut live and what you hear is what people played. I think it feels more real and honest than anything I've done in the past as a result. 

(Manchester tour January 2016)

What had been your favorite world tour that you've done so far?

RP: Every night on every tour is different. I've had great nights just about everywhere. That's one of my favorite things about the tour; you never know what you're going to get on any given night.

I've had the opportunity to meet you and see you live 3 times and this year will be the 4th, every tour you do gets better and better, what can we expect from this one compared to the last 3?

RP: My new band is the best I've ever assembled. There are a bunch of multi-instrumentalists going from saxophone to pedal steel, fiddle to organ, trumpet to accordion....lots of instrument switching, and great big harmonies. Expect Fireworks.

(Ron Pope & Myself, Leeds tour January 2013)

"Drop in the ocean" is your biggest hit, did you ever expect it to be such a worldwide success?

RP: You never know if a song is going to be a hit. At least I don't. Maybe Quincy Jones knows a song is a hit when you're recording it. Not me, though.

You've got your own Independent label, was that hard to set up?

RP: "Setting up" Brooklyn Basement Records has been kind of a life long project for me that continues every day. I used to work on my music and all of its promotional requirements alone. Over the years, my wife Blair went from occasionally offering advice or assistance to managing me full time and then also running the label. She and I have gradually expanded the business over the years; now we have three full-time employees and we outsource all sorts of things to outside experts (booking, PR, etc) We keep on growing and building; we're always moving forward inch by inch.

What preparation do you take when writing your songs?

RP: I don't know that there's really any preparation. I don't really have a specific process. Sometimes the songs come from lyrical ideas, sometimes It's a riff or some chords.  Maybe I start on the piano and maybe It's the guitar. Just depends on the day.

You can catch Ron Pope on this world tour now! Check the website below to see if he is playing in a city near you!

http://ronpopemusic.com/

Thanks for reading!

I would like to personally thank Ron for taking the time to do this interview with me, I've been a fan for so many years and I can't wait to see you back on the road soon.