Today’s artist spotlight is on the frontman of one of my favorite bands, Mr. Ronnie Rowe of Ronnie and The Redwoods, a badass band based in Lubbock, Texas. Now, how did the name Redwoods come to be? Ronnie said, “Not enough trees in Lubbock, so we planted redwoods.”
How would Ronnie describe the band’s sound to someone who’s never heard their music? He said, “It’s kind of all over the place, but we float around Americana, rock n roll, yallternative, with a little folk thrown in there too. We try to let the song take us where it wants to go, and sometimes that crosses genres.”
When did Ronnie first start playing music, and what drew him to it? He said, ” My dad got my older sister a Yamaha guitar, and she moved on to piano pretty quick. I picked it up and never looked back, probably out of spite.” Who or what inspired him to start making music? Ronnie said, ” I’ve been writing since I can remember so kind of hard to say but my grandmother always encouraged it. We’d watch the gospel channels most mornings, and I’d try and play along.” Who are some artists that have influenced Ronnie the most? He said, “Jack White, John Prine, Viagra Boys, Kurt Vile, All Them Witches, and Shakey Graves, plus many others.”
The band first released music in 2020, which at the time could be a good or bad time to start. Obviously, y’all are still here, so what are some struggles they had to overcome in the early days of the band? “Getting your name out there is hard to do for any band starting out, but lockdown definitely didn’t make it easier. But we just kept going; when in doubt, just keep going.”
What’s been Ronnie’s favorite show or venue to play so far? He said, “Emo’s in Austin, Texas, opening for Chance Peña,” but what’s his dream venue? He said, “Red Rocks”
Who’s been Ronnie’s favorite artist/band to work with so far? He said, “We’ve got to play with some amazing bands and made some real good friends along the way, so I’ll name a few.. Kenny Fiedler and The Cowboy Killers out of South Dakota. The Lowdown Drifters out of Fort Worth, TX. Lowdown’s Lead player Dylan recorded lap steel on our last couple of singles. And Chance Peña. I grew up with Chance in Tyler, so it was cool playing shows together again.”
What has been a major turning point in Ronnie’s career so far? He said, “Finding the right group of people to do all this with. I’m fortunate to play with 3 other guys that are incredible at their craft and down for 20-hour van rides.” Now, what’s something about Ronnie or the band that people might not expect? He said, “We’re pretty chill for the most part. Play our shows, grab whataburger, PS5, we out.”
What does Ronnie hope people feel or take away when they hear his music? He said, “Hope. Life usually gets hard and sometimes doesn’t want to ease up. Keep it moving at your own pace, and a good day will come again.” But what does success look like for him in music? Ronnie said, “TOUR BUS. Just kidding, kind of. I think we’d all be happy playing to a good crowd every night that comes to hear our music and gives us the means to provide for our family.”
How does Ronnie balance music with the rest of life? He said, “I’m very bad at balancing but my wife and 2 daughters keep me grounded.” What’s one piece of advice he’d give to someone just starting out in music? He said, ” Stay true to yourself and make the art you want to make. And work real hard at it.”
Now, what about upcoming releases or projects? Ronnie said, “Got a handful of singles we will be releasing this winter and going to start working on another EP this October. Other than that just a whole lot of shows that ya’ll can find on our Bands In Town.” Grady’s December 18th. Be there.
Check out Ronnie and The Redwoods; their Linktree’s below!
https://linktr.ee/ronnie.andtheredwoods
Thank you for reading today’s artist spotlight! I hope you enjoyed getting to know who Ronnie Rowe is behind his music. Go check Ronnie and The Redwoods out, and go catch them at a show. As always, be good to yourself, stay western, and stay tuned!
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