It’s been a decade since Ron Pope wrote ‘A Drop In The Ocean’, and four years since it was featured on hit US show 90210. He’s been one of our favourite artists since we first heard the track and luckily for us, Ron is continuing to write songs and make incredible music. His music has also been on shows like The Vampire Diaries, Nashville and Made In Chelsea which has helped get his music out there on a global scale.
“I really enjoy seeing the songs on TV and I had an absolute blast when I was on Nashville. It’s hard to tell what influences people to come out and see a show or buy an album, but I think those TV placements have to help.”
With an impressive 164,000 followers on Facebook and 51,000 followers on Twitter, it’s evident that Ron’s fan base is growing and he’s now able to use his social media platforms to interact with fans from all over the world. We asked if he thinks he’s mastered social media, and whether it’s helped in getting his music out there.
“I don’t know that I’ve “mastered” anything. We’re always just doing our best every day. Social media has been incredibly helpful in spreading my music. Less than a generation ago, sharing something you liked with all of your friends was challenging. You had to tell them all individually. Now, if someone finds one of my songs and they like it, they can tell everyone they know with one Facebook post. That’s pretty unbelievable.”
The new album “Ron Pope & The Nighthawks” comes out on January 8th and the world tour begins the following day. His label (with wife Blair Clark) will be launching the debut recordings for their artists Truett and Tim Olstad, so it’s going to be a busy year. His new single ‘Bad Intentions‘ was released a few days ago and the link can be found at the bottom of this interview. We talked to him about what we should expect from his next album, his new label and the first time his grandparents saw him play a sold out show. Enjoy!
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Taylor Magazine: Tell us a bit about how you got into music and how you started off.
Ron Pope: Well, I’ve always made music. As a kid, I was the obnoxious little one standing on top of the piano singing solos during the school assembly. I always loved guitar; it’s been one of the central components of my life for a very long time. In the end, it’s nice to have a trade. The music industry is a strange, challenging place but it’s nice to have something to go back to that feels like home; there’s always more to learn about the guitar or something you can improve, and that’s been something that’s fortified me.
Taylor Magazine: What’s been your favourite experience so far as an artist?
Ron Pope: There are so many crazy things that have happened to me over the years. Off the top of my head, one really awesome one was the last time we played at Irving Plaza in New York. My grandparents were in town for a family event so they were able to come and sit in the balcony. The last time they’d seen me play was for 12 people in a bad, bad part of Miami. This was 1,100 fans, sold out, New York City with everybody screaming their heads off. I called out my grandparents from the stage and the lighting guy threw a spotlight on them. Grandma stood up and waved like the Queen. That was a high point for me. The success is cool, but getting to share it with my family felt like magic. I caught my mom’s eye last year from stage and it was amazing to see how proud she was; even as a grown man, that means a lot to me.
Taylor Magazine: When you write a song, do you need to be in a certain mood or does it just flow?
Ron Pope: I can always write a song; it won’t always be good, but I can always write one. I don’t need to be sad to write a sad one or happy to write a happy one; I figure, all the feelings are in there, so when you want them, you should be able to access them (much like when you’re acting).
Taylor Magazine: What tips would you give to someone who is aspiring to be a musician?
Ron Pope: Do quality work or all the rest of it is irrelevant. Learn to write great songs, work on your singing, develop as a performer, just be willing to put in the time to develop into something awesome. Just because the recording and distribution process has become more democratic and you can record great sounding stuff at home doesn’t mean you should rush to release music. Take your time and make sure you’re doing something worth listening to from the beginning.
Taylor Magazine: You’ve got a backing band ‘The Nighthawks’ for your upcoming album. What kind of sounds or vibe are you trying to achieve that were different to you as a solo artist?
Ron Pope: I’ve always been a band guy. I grew up in bands and just feel more comfortable in that format. For anyone who’s seen me on tour before, I’m generally playing electric guitar and running around with a band of killer players around me. This new “Ron Pope & The Nighthawks” album and tour is all of that on steroids. These guys are the best players I’ve ever known; they’re all my first call guys in New York. Getting them all together has been a dream come true. Playing on stage with this many monsters (there are seven of us) makes us all elevate our game; when you look to your right and that guy is amazing, and then the guy behind you is amazing, and everywhere else on the stage the guys are killing it, you know you have to be on point. Our show has a ton of energy and I think you can see just how much fun we’re having from the audience. Whether we’re playing old songs or new songs, this group enhances everything they touch. I feel blessed to be a part of it!
Taylor Magazine: What influences your sound the most?
Ron Pope: In general, I’d say that just being open has influenced my sound the most over the years. I’m willing to be flexible. When I started writing this album, I knew that I’d want slide guitar on it, so both Alex Brumel and I began really shedding slide guitar and now it’s a central part of the sound. I was willing to chase the muse in that direction, even though there was no precedent for it (I’d used very little slide on my tunes in the past).
Taylor Magazine: You recently announced that you’re starting your own label with your wife, Blair. What made you want to do this together?
Ron Pope: My wife, Blair, is my manager. Over the years, we’ve worked tirelessly to figure out how to navigate the landscape in the ever-changing music industry while still doing things our own way. It felt like a natural progression to begin signing artists that we wanted to help accomplish those same ends in their own careers. Our first two signings, Truett and Tim Olstad are both amazing artists that we have known for a long time, so bringing them in first also felt like an obvious, natural thing to do.
Taylor Magazine: How do you both keep your work life separate from your home life?
Ron Pope: We have to be vigilant or that absolutely doesn’t happen. We try to stop talking about work when we shut it down for the day, otherwise, it’s non-stop work work work. When you’re passionate about what you do, it’s hard to shut it off, but we do our best!
Taylor Magazine: As an independent artist, have you faced much difficulty in getting your music out there?
Ron Pope: The single greatest challenge in being an independent artist is getting eyeballs on the project. Access to major media is still controlled by large, powerful companies, so obviously, artists that work with other large, powerful companies have an easier time accessing those opportunities. With that said, we’ve managed so far!
Taylor Magazine: You’re quite present on Twitter and Tumblr. How important is it for you to maintain contact with your fans?
Ron Pope: I like keeping in touch with the fans; my career has been driven by a strong grassroots movement, so I like to keep in mind just how important each and every one of those fans are in that process.
Taylor Magazine: What’s your favourite social media platform?
Ron Pope: Tough call. I feel like I’m on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram about equally these days.
Taylor Magazine: So, you’re going on tour in 2016! Is there anywhere you’ve never been before but would like to visit?
Ron Pope: I’d like to spend more time in Asia. We’ve visited a few places there, but it’s such a vast and varied patchwork of nations, so that’s high on my list.
Taylor Magazine: What are your favourite hobbies or pastime?
Ron Pope: I love to practice guitar; usually I play for at least a few hours each day. I’m blessed that many of my hobbies became a part of my job. I’m very interested in fashion, especially more rock and roll menswear. My favourite designer is a NY based guy named Robert James; lots of my favorite stuff comes from him. I also really love to cook.
Taylor Magazine: Tell us something we don’t know about you. It can be as random as you like!
Ron Pope: Since I just mentioned how much I love to cook, here’s a random story: On tour during the summer of 2014, my cousin Carl (who is my guitar tech) and I decided to make a big Italian meal (the kind our grandma would make for the family on Sundays back in the day) for the band. We had a day off in Holland and we rented a little house in Utrecht so that we had somewhere to cook and serve the meal. Carl and I spent the entire day before the dinner running around in this old city trying to find the right stuff to create meatballs, a serious antipasto, and so on. I’m not exaggerating in the slightest when I say this; I’m fairly certain we walked more than fifteen miles while shopping for all of these items (the fact that neither of us speak a word of Dutch was not ideal). It was an adventure, to say the least, and the meal was out of this world. We had left over meatballs on the bus for at least ten days afterwards. We Skyped in Grandma while we were cooking; she loved it!
Taylor Magazine: Do you enjoy watching TV in your spare time? What’s your favourite show?
Ron Pope: I probably ask my wife twice a week, “When does Game Of Thrones come back?” Can’t help but love that one.
Taylor Magazine: Our publication is focused on content that is ‘Taylored For You’ so if you could pick any topic/theme/idea that you’d be interested in learning more about, what would it be?
Ron Pope: Right now I’m really into making pizzas; I’d love to hear a few notable people who also love to make pizza give us their favourite pizza recipes. If y’all decide to do that, call me back up and I’ll teach you one of mine!
Ron will be touring the US and Europe from January next year and tickets are available here. We’ll definitely be taking him to make his own pizza when he lands in London!
