Week in Review: Sunday October 16th – Saturday October 22nd

Hello there friends! It’s me, your absolute favorite frontman in rock and roll, Chris Feldmann! I’m here on what’s to be the very FIRST edition of Ronin’s “Week in Review” series. So exciting! … Right? Either way. I’m happy to have you.

 

Let’s get right to this shall we?

 

This was another wild week for the Ronin camp. It was filled with ups, downs, sides, middles; all the nonsense that’s to be expected from a group of 4 hooligans trying to navigate their way through normal life, whilst simultaneously moonlighting as rockstars! We doubled up on practice this week in prep for our Stereo Garden gig Friday night, where we opened up for ACCEPT! The practices went well and we started to work on some new material too! New material that isn’t even a part of what we’re currently recording right now for our sophomore album!

 

Will wonders never cease?

 

Will this creative geyser never stop erupting?

 

Will this….okay I’ll stop. I can sense you’ve had enough. I know the look.

 

Anyhoo…the gig was a great success, even with our bassist Bo getting his fingers tattooed at 1 am the night before the show because he’s an absolute madman and a beast on a whole other level! I don’t think I’d be able to move my hands, let alone play the bass at a show hours afterward. He’s a warrior for sure, but I digress, back to the show. We went on first, which is a double-edged sword for many reasons on both sides of the coin, but it’s always nice to have a full sound check and have the gear all ready to go for show time. We got to meet some other great bands; Black Dawn and Black Water Rising. I always have a good time meeting new people, especially like-minded individuals who love rock and metal music. So kudos to those bands and their camps! Oh yeah, and we got to play a lights out set! Actually, the lights were on, but you know what I mean. Don’t argue with me.

 

The days leading up to the gig were business as usual; moments of severe doubt juxtaposed with feelings of supreme confidence. Even without an upcoming gig or show, these ever-clashing and conflicting thoughts duke it out on a semi-regular basis, but more so when something of import is upcoming. I had some of the typical “butterflies” forming the morning of, but those went away as the hours passed and we got closer to showtime. Overall I feel really good about how we performed and how the crowd received us at the venue. I get the sense that we really continue to improve as a band, especially in the live setting. That being said, I fumbled a few notes, flubbed a lyrical phrase or 2, and I may or may not have started a song off on the wrong chord, but no one seemed to notice, so we’re all good! I always try to not overthink the live performances and just focus on having a good time and putting that energy out to the crowd. Putting on a good show and exuding passion and energy is the most important aspect of a live show in my estimation, so my aim is to always at the very least, deliver on that. If I think too much about it from a technical standpoint before and during the show, then I psych myself out and my already limited abilities are made more so and tend to fail me more readily. Letting myself go and getting a little nutty really seems to work best for me, so that could be why, at times, on stage I can look quite manic or deranged. I’m just in the music maaaaaan!

 

I think we may have set ourselves a record for half-hour shows, in that we were able to sneak 6 songs into the allotted 30 minutes. We usually are only able to get 5, because we tend to write/like longer songs. Of course when I say we, I’m just generously sharing the blame that should be solely placed on myself. Whoops! Redirecting the blame aside, we moved some things around and swapped tracks out/in to make the 6 songs work. And work it did! Also, I made sure to keep the banter and chatter to an absolute minimum, while still maintaining the playful jabbing at the crowd and making off-color remarks. So fret not.

 

The set was as follows:

Greetings (off Ronin)

For Whom the Bell Tolls (Metallica cover)

Hatred’s Mate (new album) – [this is the one I started on the wrong chord…hehehe]

Spider and Fly (off Ronin)

Valak the Defiler (new album)

The Legend of Donny Brass (off Ronin)

 

A pretty damn good set if I say so myself. After the set finished and we broke down whatever gear we needed to, I spent the rest of the night meeting fresh Ronin fanatics, hanging with friends, family and peddling some of our wares. For me, there’s nothing like a live show, whether attending or performing. I love live music and the atmosphere it creates. I’m in my element. It’s that simple really. It’s all about the hang.

 

We had our good buddy Derek capture the whole thing in STUNNING HD too! Thanks again to him for making the horrific trek out to Patchogue! Excited to see that sweet footage soon and share it with the masses.

 

All in all it was a great week for the band. Progress is progress. Moving right along to the next thing. Continuing to play. Continuing to grow. Continuing to write. Trying some new things out and some creative “band stuff” that may or may not be coming your way soon too! Toying around with several ideas for regular content that you all might like. Who knows?

 

Overall, it was also a great week for me personally as well. Life is great. Family is great. The wife said the show went well, and she’s always upfront and honest, so that felt good. Props to her by the way for looking smokin hot at the gig too! Caught the eye of more than a few creepers that night . Our little monstrous children are growing up too quickly and getting smarter by the day. It’s kinda scary. Speaking of scary, I’ve got my second rhythm guitar session over at VuDu coming up. So I gotta make sure I’m as ready as I can be. I’ll be making that my newest priority. Oh wait…IT’S TOMORROW!?!?! Awww shit! But seriously, here’s to hoping I can finish off the last chunk of songs for the next album in this session, but that remains to be seen. Time to get to work!

 

I’ll be signing off for now. I’ll see ya down the road!

 

Much love and appreciation.

 

Onwards and Upwards.