A few words from RON GALLO on his new album:
“Heavy Meta is 11 tracks of lyrical confrontation and laughter for cynics laid down roughly on a bed of fuzz, chaotic structures and primal sounds evoked from a red Fender jaguar electric guitar – there is bass, there are drums and not much else besides the occasional icing (no artificial colors or dyes). and it is the first few findings from my guerilla treasure hunt for bullshit, both outside and within. Ethos meets pathos. The only thing I do know is that I want to use music to reflect the times and as a primary outlet for me to become a total psychopath on stage, challenge myself and talk about potentially heavy real world things, call you out, then maybe we can even hug after the show. I am forever grateful for this life and anyone that ever comes to a show, buys a record and wants to have a real conversation. I am more interested in you, and how do we connect that to the WE; that is the reason why I put this stuff out there.”
Ron Gallo got his musical start during his eight-year stint as leader of the Philadelphia combo Toy Soldiers. The band began as a guitar/drums duo, evolving into a sprawling 12-piece and eventually settling into a more manageable quintet before calling it quits in 2014. Most of the songs on HEAVY META were written in a Philadelphia bedroom over the course of a multi-year relationship with a woman experiencing heavy personal struggles. Once that relationship ended, Ron relocated to East Nashville to complete the album in the wake of a personal reawakening and musical rebirth. He recorded the songs in small batches without the initial intention of making an album, and without the support of a record label. “They were written and recorded over the most intense and transformative years of my life,” Gallo states. “Coming out on the other side, I now look at my past as a hazy dream where I did not know myself or the world at all. I still don’t know anything, but I’m closer than before. There is so much to learn outside of your comfort zone.”
Already earning a reputation for rousing, uninhibited live shows that have resulted in appearances at 2016’s Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits festivals, Gallo is looking forward to taking HEAVY META on the road with his band rounded out by bassist Joe Bisirri (who also co-produced and mixed HEAVY META) and drummer Dylan Sevey. “I love touring,” he says. “For me, the live show is the most alive and in-the-moment place on Earth. There is no time to overanalyze, and I just let things unfold in some sort of controlled chaos and surrender to what seems right in the present moment.”
