To say that Ron Artis II plays music from his heart and soul would be a bit of understatement. “To me, music is about giving. When I’m performing, I let go of everything. I look out into an audience and feel: ‘What do they need right now?’ We as artists have been given a gift and gifts are meant to be shared.” He’s a blistering guitarist, soulful vocalist, pianist, songwriter; not to mention BIG LOVE personified. Ron explains “My mother is a beautiful singer and my biggest influence on my approach to singing. My father was always the performer, the writer and arranger.” As he got older and played more around Oahu, others quickly recognized his gifts as well. Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac), Jack Johnson, Jake Shimabukuro and many others recognized the incredible talent that was taking root on their isolated island paradise. Ron has gone on to play with all of them and more across Hawaii’s most prestigious venues with his own band that he put together (featuring brother Stevon on drums) aptly called, “The Truth.” Booker T Jones, Eric Krasno (Soulive, Lettuce) and G Love all invited (and in some cases demanded) Ron to collaborate and encouraged him to share his music with the broader world. His debut full length album “Soul Street” dropped in early April, 2020 and has already garnered wide critical praise. The album crystallizes the full range of Ron’s influences—deep Delta Blues and Gospel, plus Northern Soul and R&B, alongside in-depth and personal lyrics—into a tight collection of fresh yet familiar songs that are at once urgent and timeless. It is becoming readily apparent that the rest of the world will be finding out soon enough about this incredible talent from the remote island in the middle of the Pacific. Ron and band will perform main stage SAT eve, and also a SUN morning solo set on the Cafe Stage.
Band Website: www.ronartisii.com
