R&B and LA are four letters rarely associated with each other, which is why Ron Patterson’s first two albums, “The Best Kept Secret” and “The Best Kept Secret II” are so appropriate. Thankfully for Angelinos searching for an R&B scene, they can see Ron Patterson, one of the brightest and talented young R&B artists around who believe it or not, is from LA, blow the doors off Club Derby in Los Feliz, this Saturday, January 26th. I was fortunate enough to sit down with him before the show.
Cityzine: What’s your first memory of music?
Ron Patterson: I don’t even remember how old I was, but I remember hearing the song with Paul McCartney & Stevie Wonder, “Ebony & Ivory” and I remember singing along with my family… I was at my parent’s house in the living room…
CZ: What effect do you remember that having on you at the time?
I remember I would sing, “Ebony & Ivory” and it would irritate me when my mom would sing along with me and I would say, stop singing… at that point I had an opinion about music…
CZ: How do you write a song?
I’ll go through the melody in my head. I will usually write a hook first because that’s what will drive the song. I don’t write anything down on paper until literally the song is ready to record.
CZ: How do you remember everything without writing it down?
The latest song I wrote “That’s Alright”. I wrote the hook. I wrote the verses and the day I was going into the studio to record, I typed up everything and went into the studio and never even took a look at the paper.
CZ: How does that benefit you as an artist?
It helps when I’m singing, because it records honesty. When you’re singing and reading, at the same time, it separates the feeling, the mood, where it’s coming from, so being that it’s in me, I can deliver it better from the heart.
CZ: What are you striving for when you write a song?
I try to do what’s in my heart. If it’s not from my heart to me it doesn’t even have the potential to be successful, so basically I have to marinate with the music to create that feeling.
CZ: Can you give an example of that?
On my first album, “I Like it Like That” which was produced by Dert and I was working with another writer at the time and they laid the track and I went home and I just played it and the hook just came in… I mean it literally came to me!
CZ: How do you bring your life experience into your music?
A song of my last album, “Girlfriend”…is about how I met my girlfriend. I was at a party in Santa Barbara, a song came on and her friend grabbed my hand, she brought me to her and asked if I would dance with her and literally that’s what the lyrics are to my song. All of my songs are true. I haven’t made anything up.
CZ: When you get that melody in your head and you get the hook and you get the words and everything, how does that make you feel?
It makes me feel good, of course, but for me, it’s always, okay, move on. Once I get something down and record it, I like to move on. I write another song.
CZ: How does Los Angeles influence your music?
LA is the best place on the planet. I’ve traveled, but I’m so spoiled with Los Angeles, it’s almost a shame, because I don’t even like going other places. I am Los Angeles.
CZ: What makes you Los Angeles?
Born and raised. I’m spoiled by the weather. I like the sun. I like trees. I love beautiful women and I cannot stand cold weather. I cannot stand cold, rain, snow… I cannot deal with it.
CZ: What does Los Angeles offer musically?
I was inspired by Los Angeles’ underground rap scene. The underground came from Los Angeles, in my opinion, rap music as far as freestyle… A lot of the styles came from Los Angeles, that are separate from the whole gangsta scene…
CZ: Who were some of those artists?
Freestyle Fellowship, Mikah 9, there was an area called the Good Life, off of Crenshaw and Exposition.
CZ: What is freestyle and how has that influenced you specifically?
Freestyle is when you absolutely don’t write anything down and you just rhyme and talk about things off the top of your head. You aren’t the best if you can’t kick a flow about this chair and where we are right now and have shit come together…
CZ: How did freestyle influence your music?
Rap music has inspired me to some extent and that can be how Los Angeles has affected me. Los Angeles has affected me from the lyricism of the underground rappers and applying that to the R&B genre of music.
CZ: What do you enjoy about performing live?
What turns me on the most is performing for Los Angeles crowds. I was just recently in New York and Texas, and did a couple of shows out there. The reaction from those people was like, doesn’t this guy have a major record contract?! Here people will love it and not even make a move. That’s what continues to motivate me when I tap into an almost impossible crowd in Los Angeles… I know I can go overseas and just kill it.
CZ: What are you looking forward to with regards to Saturday’s show at the Derby?
It’s going to be amazing. It’s my first 2008 show, with the band. I’ve got some surprises with my arrangements. My band is crazy good. They don’t mess up. Even when they do mess up it sounds good, so it’s all on me and that’s all about real good music and having fun on stage.
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