The Metal Cowboy Ron Keel is back baby! This time to discuss the Ron Keel Bands latest release South X South Dakota. From the word go Ron is off discussing his thoughts on Covid-19, being a proud upper Midwest prepper, the struggle privately owned music venues face, whether or not the Eagles should be considered Southern Rock, his duet with Jasmine Cain, the ill-fated Australian Melodic Rock Fest, his move to High Volume Music, the 35th Anniversary of the Keel record The Right To Rock. And believe it or not, MORE!

Available now at http://ronkeelshop.com & https://www.highvolmusic.com/store/
Ron Keel Band has released their new album SOUTH X SOUTH DAKOTA, a celebration of southern rock classics featuring the music of Skynyrd, Allman Brothers, Outlaws, Blackfoot, Molly Hatchet, .38 Special, Creedence and more, on the HighVolMusic label.

During recording sessions for their 2019 original album release FIGHT LIKE A BAND, the band warmed up each day by ripping through some of their favorite southern rock classics; what started as a fun way to loosen up in the studio has now become a powerful musical statement.

“At first, we didn’t even know Mike (producer Mike Dresch) was recording,” Ron says. “We were just having fun. But of course, Mike records everything we do, and when I started listening back I realized that we had something special on our hands.

“South X South Dakota is a really cool way to pay tribute to those southern rock heroes that provided such a big part of the soundtrack of our lives, while introducing a new generation of fans to these timeless songs.”

The album’s first single and video is “Red White & Blue,” originally recorded by Lynyrd Skynyrd. Dealing with the “social distancing” required during the global 2020 Covid-19 pandemic, the band members were each filmed at separate iconic locations including Mt. Rushmore. Another featured track is “Don’t Misunderstand Me,” a hard rocking duet which pairs the Metal Cowboy with the powerhouse vocalist Jasmine Cain (2016 Nashville Music Awards “Artist Of The Year”).

RKB’s cover of the Outlaws classic “Ghost Riders In The Sky” (produced by Henry Paul) was the debut single and video when they were known as the “Badlands House Band,” and “Homesick” (originally recorded by Atlanta Rhythm Section) was their 2017 summer single. Both of those recordings are included in the new SxSD collection.

“For 10 years during the 80’s, Hollywood was home,” Keel reflects. “But I was born in Georgia as the son of a construction worker, and Nashville’s where I got my start as a recording artist. My fans as well as my critics all know that I have one foot on either side of the tracks; there’s a common thread here that ties it all together – toughness and twang as Metal and Country collide on sacred southern ground.”

It’s a pandemic! We discuss the madness of the Netflix Tiger King documentary, the reality of when there will ever be another another concert, LC falling down a Kanye rabbit hole and more. Stay safe.

Photo courtesy of Tim Bream.

Featured Music:

Accept – Pandemic
Aerosmith – Nobody’s Fault
Alestorm – Treasure Chest Party Quest
Silverstein – Runaway
Trucker Diablo – Party like it’s the End of the World

Website: CobrasandFire.com

Help support the artists featured. Buy music and prove Rock is not Dead.

We are pleased to welcome Dokken guitarist Jon Levin to the Program. Jon is launching his new website jonlevinguitars.com, a subscription guitar tutorial site for players of all levels. They also get into his career with Dokken, Doro and even some gear talk.

Guitarist Jon Levin, best known as the longtime (and current) guitarist of the 80s platinum selling heavy metal band Dokken, proudly announces a brand new venture teaching guitarist of all skill levels how to play like a professional. Jon Levin Guitars (​www.jonlevinguitars.com​) will feature hundreds of videos designed to teach players from beginners to the most seasoned players how to develop their chops, hone their skills, and hopefully attain their dreams as a guitar player on the largest stages around the world.

“My professional career began in 1988, when I auditioned for, and got the gig playing with Doro Pesch and “Warlock,” Levin recalled recently. “In 1998, I did my first show with Dokken at the Dallas Starplex and officially joined the band in 2003. Over the past number of years, I would frequently give instructional lessons either via Skype or in the hotel conference rooms before gigs. I always wanted to do it on a grander scale, though I never really came up with a way of doing that until now. Through the years, people would always ask me “why don’t you do a guitar project?” I was sitting on my couch playing guitar for my brother-in-law around Christmas time. He said this is great, why don’t you do this for everyone? So initially, I thought I would just record myself doing some riffs on the couch and put them out for people to view and learn. That then turned into an idea for a website that would be an instructional guitar tutorial for any category of player where I would put riffs up at regular speed, slow speed, and with commentary, in addition to solos I’ve done with Dokken throughout my career. It grew from there, and I decided to then add a gear review section, practice exercises, and overall instructional commentary.”

With a few months of recording, development and tweaking, the new site was finally ready to be launched.

“The site is www.jonlevinguitars.com and is going to launch with over 100 videos,” Levin states. “I will be adding to it every month that will be focused on a hands-on approach to making the user a better player at any level.”

Jon Levin Guitars is a subscription based service, costing $9.99 for a monthly subscription or $99.00 per year. Each month, new riffs and content will be created and posted for players of all skill levels.
For more information, please visit ​www.jonlevinguitars.com​.

Website: CobrasandFire.com

Help support the artists featured. Buy music and prove Rock is not Dead.