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Ron Chelsvig is a
songwriter with a gentle heart and a unique, melodic voice. He is actively
pursuing his dreams, creating his own style of music and performing for
audiences on a weekly basis. Born in the Midwest, Ron brings with him a
strong and gentle voice & a humor that perhaps only an Iowanian can fully
grasp.
Ron has always been
involved in music in some capacity for as long as he can remember. “I have
an older brother who turned me on to bands like Genesis, The Beatles,
Badfinger, King Crimson, Queen, The Byrds, and The Moody Blues when I was
just a kid.” His musical education started with piano and then trumpet
before moving on to guitar and percussion. “I have been in a bunch of cover
bands. I love playing covers of songs that are important to me. I’m a HUGE
Badfinger and Cheap Trick fan.”
“But I always wanted to
write my own songs. A few years back that process started. I guess I
stopped ‘trying’ and just learned to ‘let’ the songs come.” After a handful
of songs, Ron decided “Well, I wasn’t really making any money playing other
people’s songs, so I decided I might as well not make any money playing my
own!” He smiles when he says this.
“Even as a teenager, I
had this awareness that there is a symphony inside me. It’s still there. It
comes out song by song.” He primarily works from his 12-string acoustic, but
loves playing electric guitar, bass, trumpet and percussion (when the
drummer lets him). “Most everyone has a drummer in them somewhere.”
“So, I started playing
coffee shops and open mics. More songs came. I started making friends with
other singer-songwriters and playing out more and more.” Then he got
invited to play on a Pearls Before Swine tribute album. “I was actually
told about the album from Tom Rapp. I had befriended Tom after I started
covering his song “Rocket Man”. And after the tribute album came out, Keith
Brand from the legendary Philadelphia radio station, WXPN played Ron’s
version of “Rocket Man” on his program “Sleepy Hollow”. “That was such a
thrill! Hearing myself on XPN! And that was really the starting point of
my CD “Livin’ In A World. Suddenly I started thinking, ‘Hmmm, maybe if I
put out a CD I’ll get my own songs on the radio.”
So, Ron went into the
“Recovery Room” studio of Bruce Rogers and started with the title track to
the CD, “Livin’ In A World”. Each song started with Ron on acoustic guitar
and a scratch vocal and then other instruments and musicians were added and
blended into the mix. “I loved working in the studio. It was quite an
education for me! I kept thinking about the endless possibilities the
studio has to offer. I always was fascinated by hearing John Lennon
Double-Track his voice, so I just had to try that on my album as well! It
was great! And I loved doing all the harmony parts!”
The end of November 2005,
“Livin’ In A World” was released! In December Ron went to Los Angeles to
play at a variety of places, including the legendary “The Rainbow Room” in
West Hollywood. “I got to meet Donovan out there too! I had him sign my
12-string!”
In January Helen Leicht
WXPN in Philadelphia started playing “Would You Look My Way” on the “Philly
Local Show”. ((THANK YOU HELEN!)) “Hearing my own song on XPN is a
definite milestone for me.” Ron smiles. “Of course I’d love it that much
more if they played me every day!” Ron smiles more.
Come join Ron at a live
performance. Purchase a copy of his new CD. Contact him and let him know
who you are. “Music is more important than we give it credit for. It’s all
around us. Everyday. I’m truly grateful to have it be a part of my life.
My soul.”
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