Over this past weekend we were able to sit down with Ronnie Hymes and get a few questions out of him. Ronnie has been making a lot of headway in the outlaw country scene with killer write-ups by the Triggerman over on Saving Country Music along with playin' every venue he can get into. This type of determination and stalwart attitude about being true to himself is why we really wanted to work with him. Ronnie's voice, guitar playing and ethos will be soon heard by lots more folks outside of the Carolinas after he takes the stage at the Muddy Roots Fest in September along with an upcoming tour with Lucky Tubb. Crack a beer, pound some whiskey and dig into what makes Ronnie Hymes tick.
1. Why outlaw country and not rock music? Would your sound be different
It's hard for me to put a label on my style or genre of music. To me, my songs are like a big stew pot of my influences. My dad was big on Waylon, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson. My brothers were into bands like Kiss, Black Sabbath, The Greatful Dead, Tom Petty and ZZ Top. I was big on Metallica, Megadeath, and Slayer in the 80's. I've been in Metal bands, Classic Rock bands, Blues bands, and even a Folk band once. I've been writing these kinda songs all my life. They just seem to kinda fit in this genre, and I'm just happy people dig it.
2. What is the most comfortable way to get into song writing mode for you?
I usually write songs about reality. What happens to me, or what is happening around me. Most of the time, a "one liner" will pop in my head, and I'll write a song around it. Or, I might just have a "theme" or a general "idea" of where I want the song to go. I carry a book with "one liners' and "themes", and I'll go back and write a song around them after I stew on them a while.
3. What guitar tone do you think defines your sound?
Dirty Acoustic. Not at all distorted, but a little raspy and just plain dirty. I like to play my acoustic guitar through a Fender tube amp. I played a show once where the sound guy was having a fit. He said, "I can't get a good clean tone for your guitar". I just laughed and said, "OK, Thanks!"
4. What is your ideal type of club to play and or what type of set do you want perform?
A club that wants to give me a lot of money, an open bar tab, and a pizza. (laughs) No, I kinda like the dive bars. Where everyone is real, and they are there to see me play. I like to talk to people and see what's going on. I love it when the crowd is in my face. I think they should take all the seats out of clubs and put a barricade at the back of the bar instead of at the stage. This way, no one can stand in the back, everybody has to be up front where the action is. My sets are pretty wide open. We play a few breather songs here and there, but for the most part, it's very energetic.
5. Alive or dead, tell us three artists in which it would be an honor to jam with and why?
That's easy...
1.) Johnny Cash...the 60's CASH
2.) Waylon Jennings...the 70's Waylon
3.) ZZ Top
These are my heroes. Yeah, obviously I'd want to party and hang out with these guys, but these guys were original. They were so creative and stayed true to who they were. Damn the torpedoes, this is who I am and that's all I've got. Legends man, legends.
Check out Ronnie covering Steve Earle
