Summer 2008 Has Arrived !!  Woo-Hoo !! 

Hello all my friends ! I hope all of you are doing well, it has been quite some time since I found the opportunity to update this page, I hope everyone has been keeping busy and plying their trade :)

Since my last update a lot of exciting things have been happening.  Jason Yudoff’s album “Tragic Hero” (www.jasonyudoff.com), which I had the privilege of playing on as well as producing, was placed on the Official 2008 Grammy Nominee Ballot in four categories: Album of The Year, Record of The Year, Best New Artist, and Producer of The Year. I also am happy to report that my sampled drum work on Alicia Keys single “No One” has garnered a 2008 Grammy win for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.

I have been appearing on camera with BMG recording artist Project Grand Slam (www.projectgrandslam.com) on the new NBC TV hit series “Lipstick Jungle”, alongside Brooke Shields, Kim Raver and Andrew McCarty. The husband of Brooke Shield’s character is a musician on the show, and the band (with speaking roles) appears with him in many segments.  Much of the music on the show was performed by PGS, whose recent BMG release “Let’s Play” I had the privilege of drumming on and co-producing with multi-grammy winning engineer Frank Filipetti.  “Lipstick Jungle” is filmed at a soundstage in Greenpoint Brooklyn, airs Thursday nights at 10pm, with the new fall season set for mid-September 2008.

I have completed drumming on (and producing) several album projects including country/alt-pop singer Kelly Saint Patrick new release “In The Margins” (www.kellysaintpatrick,.com), R&B sensation Daya (www.daya.com) “Instant Karma ”, Goth/Rock icon Ameilia Terry “Road Less Travelled” (www.ameiliaterry.com), as well as album tracks for power-punk artist Mike Mako,  pop artist Caroline Gulde, alt-country artist The Defibulators, R&B/Rock sensation Jasper James, and tracks for upcoming releases for artists Patrick Shaw, Tatiana Moroz, Katia, Maxine Linehan, A&M/Octone Records, J Records, as well as soundtrack/tv work for indie film “SkipTracers”, MTV, and WB’s “One Tree Hill” .  I also filmed several segments for webcast powerhouse WoozyFly (www.woozyfly.com), with artists Jasper James, Jason Yudoff & The New Hotness, Eric Hill Band, and Kelly Saint Patrick. Indeed there are also 4 new videos up on the Evans Drumheads website (www.evansdrumheads.com), chronicaling my perspectives on various drumset related topics, as well as a comical segment called “Drum Stool Diaries” !

In July & August I will be heading to Europe for a drum clinic tour of the UK after filming the new video for R&B icon Daya's single "All That Glitters", then embarking on a two-week tour of Scotland with indie artist Eric Hill (www.erichill.net). I then head to the west coast in September for the first leg of a tour with Daya followed by fall college tour dates with BMG artist Mikey Wax (www.mikeywax.com) taking over the drum chair from Paul McCartney’s Steve Holley. I will then head back to Europe and the Middle East for 6 weeks for the second leg of Daya’s world tour in support of her new release “Instant Karma”.

Finally, I am happy to announce that pulitzer-winning photo-journalist Jules Follett's photographic-essay hardcover book about New York City drummers, featuring Ron alongisde some of the greatest names in drumming including Billy Ward (Joan Osbourne), Joe Franco, Keith Carlock (Sting, Steely Dan), Anton Fig, (Late Night with Dave Letterman), and Shawn Pelton (Sheryl Crow), will be on store-shelves available for sale in September 2008 !! Ron was a featured subject of Jules's eye-spy lens.  As she put it, “These drummers, I tell you, such character … It’s the stuff that no one sees, ‘cause they’re always so hard to photograph on stage, being way back there; these guys deserve the limelight ! “ 

Thanks again to all my friends near and far, for all your continuing positivity and support these past months, and I look forward to hearing from all of you and to sharing with you my times and travels !

Sincerely :-)