In a new video interview with music journalist Joel Gausten, veteran singer Ron Keel (Keel / Steeler / Ron Keel Band / Iron Horse) talks about his new album, Keelworld, the first new Steeler recording in decades, his brief stint fronting Black Sabbath, his longevity in the music industry, and more.
Out August 2 on RFK Media, Keelworld includes the first new Steeler track in over 40 years, "Give Me Guitars (Or Give Me Death)", which will be accompanied by a big-budget music video directed by David Pear (The Dead Daisies) that will be released on Black Friday (November 29) to coincide with the release of a blue vinyl edition of the album. The Steeler line-up on the song includes Keel, guitarist Mitch Perry, bassist Rik Fox, and drummer Dwain Miller (Keel). The video will feature former Steeler drummer Mark Edwards.
When asked whether Steeler has plans beyond the new song, Keel replied,
"I kinda take it one song at a time, man. I have a band called the Ron KeelBand that can play anything off this record and anything from my career. We do Steeler in the show, we do Sabbath, we do Keel. There are nine, 10 Keel songs in the show. My band can do whatever I need them to do. To just pursue Steeler as a new entity... I know there are gonna be offers with this thing. We’re gonna get opportunities. The phone’s gonna ring; the emails are gonna explode. They’re gonna ask the same question you just asked: 'What about Steeler? We want Steeler." It’s not off the table. Never say never... but we’ll take it one song at a time and see how it goes."
The complete video interview is available below courtesy of Glory Is Noise TV.
RFK Media presents KeelWorld, the new album from veteran music warrior Ron Keel, on August 2 in both digital and CD formats, with the blue vinyl release scheduled for Black Friday (November 29). All physical versions will include a 12-page "comic book" style booklet containing comic-ized versions of iconic photos from all eras.
Several singles have already been released: "The Last Bottle On Earth" (Ron Keel Alone/Acoustic); the Ron Keel Band's "Hard On The Outside (Heart On The Inside)", which has achieved airplay on SiriusXM and rocketed to #1 on the 97Underground.com radio chart; and now, the new Keel classic "Moving Target" (the first new song from that band in almost 15 years) is available as an instant download with the iTunes pre-order of KeelWorld. Listen to the song below.
Tracklisting:
"Hollywood" - Ron Keel
"Hard On The Outside (Heart On The Inside)" - Ron Keel Band
"Moving Target" - Keel
"5 O’clock Shadows" - Ron Keel Band
"Give Me Guitars (Or Give Me Death)" - Steeler
"Weekend With My Friends" - Ron Keel Band
"Guitar In The Grave" - Ironhorse
"Neon Circus" - Ronnie Lee Keel
"Faster Horses" - Ronnie Lee Keel
"Taking Me Back" - Ron Keel Band
"Embryo" - Emerald Sabbath
"Children Of The Grave" - Emerald Sabbath
"The Last Bottle On Earth" - Ron Keel (Alone/Acoustic)
Keel - "Moving Target":
Ron Keel Band - "Hard On The Outside (Heart On The Inside)" lyric video:
Ron Keel - "The Last Bottle On Earth" video:
This ambitious project features entirely all-new brand-new music from Keel’s notable projects Ron Keel Band, Steeler, Keel, IronHorse, Emerald Sabbath, and solo material. RFK Media emphasizes that these are not leftovers from the vault or previously unreleased tracks - KeelWorld consists totally of fresh songs (except for the Black Sabbath cover) and new recordings that capture the original style and spirit of the bands on the track list.
And the first new Steeler track in over 40 years, “Give Me Guitars (Or Give Me Death),” will be accompanied by a big-budget music video directed by David Pear (The Dead Daisies), to be released in conjunction with the Black Friday blue vinyl edition.
Also available, the Limited Edition “Director’s Cuts” DigiPak which includes the same comic booklet plus two bonus tracks. The DigiPak version is offered free exclusively to All Access members at patreon.com/ronkeel.
“KeelWorld is a unique ride across all the musical landscapes I’ve called home the past five decades - from the heavy metal jungle to the red dirt roads of country music,” Ron explains. “As diverse as the songs are, even with the stark contrast between styles, the album has a cohesive sonic identity, and the pieces fit together just as I hoped they would.”
Produced by Ron Keel and Mike Dresch, mixed and mastered by Mike Dresch. In addition to Ron Keel (all lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards) musicians include:
Ron Keel Band features: Dave “DC” Cothern & Jason Haven, guitars; Geno Arce, bass; Jeff “The Rev” Koller, drums.
Keel features: Marc Ferrari & Bryan Jay, guitars; Dwain Miller, drums; Geno Arce, bass.
Steeler features: Rik Fox, bass; Mitch Perry, guitar; Dwain Miller (session drummer), Mark Edwards (video drummer).
IronHorse features: Gaetano Nicolosi, drums; Geno Arce, bass; Jay Rusnak, guitar.
Emerald Sabbath features: Bobby Rondinelli (Black Sabbath, Rainbow), drums; Neil Murray (Black Sabbath, Whitesnake), bass; Dave “DC” Cothern (Ron Keel Band) & Mike Dresch, guitar.
