THE BEAST

 “Yes, this is an American classic rock anthem,” says Ron Keel. “But the message is global and timeless.”

“Red White & Blue” is the first single from the new Ron Keel Band album “South X South Dakota” just released by HighVolMusic/HVM Entertainment. The song was a Top 30 hit for Lynyrd Skynyrd in 2003; written by Johnny Van Zant, Donnie Van Zant, Brett Warren and Brad Warren shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Keel feels the song resonates just as loudly now as it did then.

The music video premieres May 28th at http://ultimateclassicrock.com as the new album garners worldwide attention and unanimous praise from fans and the media. “South X South Dakota”pays tribute to the legendary icons of southern rock, as the band tackles material from the Allman Brothers, Molly Hatchet, .38 Special, Outlaws, Blackfoot, Marshall Tucker Band, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Rossington Collins Band, and of course Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Ron Keel began this musical journey in the 80’s, scoring three albums on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart while opening for bands like Bon Jovi, Aerosmith, Van Halen and Motley Crue. His southern roots run deep, having been born in Georgia and gotten his start in Nashville before landing on the Sunset Strip in the middle of the 80’s Hollywood heyday. Evolving into what has become known as the Metal Cowboy, Keel has spent most of the past two decades combining his passions for heavy metal and country music into a hybrid style that sounds surprisingly like…you guessed it: southern rock.

Shooting the music video for “Red White & Blue” presented a unique challenge, as the band practiced what Ron calls “musical distancing.” Each member of the band – bassist Geno Arce, guitarists Dave Cothern and Jason Haven, keyboardist Dakota Scott and drummer Jeff Koller – were filmed separately, at various iconic South Dakota locations in total isolation. “It was a strange experience,” Keel admits. “I filmed my piece at Mt. Rushmore on an absolutely beautiful Saturday in springtime, and there was no one there. The lock-down has been tough on everyone in many ways, but it sure gave us the chance to shoot an epic music video.”

The Ron Keel Band album South X South Dakota is out now. Listen and buy your copy at http://smarturl.it/ronkeelbandsxsd

Ron Keel explains: “​​Most of these tracks happened very organically in the studio as we were working on the “Fight Like A Band” sessions or just having fun. I found out later that producer Mike Dresch was actually recording those jams, and upon hearing some of the tracks it was obvious we had the makings of something special. ​​Whether you grew up on this stuff like I did or not, there’s a common thread here that ties it all together – toughness and twang as Metal and Country collide on sacred southern ground.”

Track listing:

Train Train
Rockin’ Into The Night
Don’t Misunderstand Me (featuring Jasmine Cain)
Red White & Blue
Flirtin’ With Disaster
Ramblin’ Man
Fire On The Mountain
Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
Homesick
Ghost Riders In The Sky (produced by Henry Paul)
Creedence Medley LIVE

ABOUT RON KEEL
From that first Steeler album to recent releases like “South X South Dakota” and “Fight Like A Band,” Ron Keel’s 35-year career in entertainment has taken him from the concrete jungles of arena rock to the dirt roads of country music. Along the way, he has sold millions of albums and toured the world as both a heavy metal screamer (KEEL, Steeler, and a brief encounter with Black Sabbath) and a southern rock/outlaw country artist (with dozens of songs in major films and TV shows). For the past two decades, the Metal Cowboy has combined both genres, establishing a style and a persona which captures the heart and personality of this self-proclaimed rock n’ roll outlaw. 

Keel’s legendary major label debut album THE RIGHT TO ROCK was produced by KISS’ Gene Simmons – they went on to notch three albums on Billboard’s Hot 100 as well as MTV and radio hits “The Right To Rock,” “Because The Night,” “Tears Of Fire,” “Somebody’s Waiting,” and “Rock N Roll Outlaw.”

Opening shows for Bon Jovi, Van Halen, Aerosmith, Motley Crue, Dio, Y&T, Queensryche and many more established a hard work ethic that remains strong today; the 2019/2020 World Tour included the Monsters Of Rock Cruise (Belize/Cozumel), Ron’s first-ever tour of Australia, the Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan, Italy, the KISS & Rock N Roll Expo in Helsinki, Finland, casinos, fairs and festivals stateside, KEELFEST (featuring Keel, Ron Keel Band and Steeler) plus major bike events like the Sturgis Rally and Hot Harley Nights.

After nearly three years hosting the “Streets of Rock & Roll” rock-and-talk syndicated radio show, Keel was handpicked to join a dream team of Midwest rock radio royalty on KBAD 94.5 FM, where Ron’s “Mid-Day Mayhem” show skyrocketed to the top of the Neilson ratings for that region. He’s now back on the “Streets Of Rock N Roll” with weekly broadcasts on PureRockRadio.net, TotalRock.com, 97Underground, Philly Rock Radio and RockRageRadio.com.

As a songwriter, Ron has dozens of TV and film credits – major movies like “Men In Black II,” “Dolphin Tale,”  “The Messengers” and many more – and his songs have been featured in hit TV shows like “X-Files,” “Desperate Housewives,” “The Simpsons,” “King Of The Hill,” and the Daytona 500 broadcast. 

Ron Keel has worked hard to remain ahead of the curve, constantly re-inventing himself and evolving with the changes in the entertainment industry. His most recent venture is at http://patreon.com/ronkeel, where fans pay a monthly subscription fee and get all access to exclusive content and personal fan experiences.

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