Understanding Yourself, Understanding Others

Between moving into his new Nashville digs and acquiring a vintage Casio MT-210 synthesizer, Ron Gallo has been on a creative streak. “I’ve had the house to myself for a week straight and I’ve just been in hardcore song and demo mode,” the indie-rocker admits. But then again, being busy is not unusual for Gallo, who spent much of 2018 touring, writing music and releasing both his Really Nice Guys EP and his Stardust Birthday Party full-length. This brief respite from the road has also given the Philadelphia native the chance to take stock of his touring methods.

Recently, he admits, he’s learned to “revamp” his setlists, opting for his more high-energy rock tunes over some of the more slow-burning, cosmic material from Stardust Birthday Party. For example, he swapped the droning “‘You’ Are The Problem” for more in-your-face cuts like “I Wanna Die (Before I Die)” and “Love Supreme.”

Another big lesson he’s taking into 2019 is working smarter, not harder. After all, playing show after show can grind you down in more ways than one. “I just think it’s important to get back to the basics: get back to being creative, get back to yourself a little bit and not give a shit about some of the noise that starts to creep in when you’ve been on-the-go so much in the realm of the music biz,” he says.

Interestingly, Gallo can also trace that humanist message in his work. “This record is trying to address the human condition—being a human with a mind—which is something that we can all relate to. Trying to better understand yourself helps you better understand other people. And, I think that’s often a huge oversight,” he says.

That exact sentiment echoes in Stardust Birthday Party’s “Always Elsewhere.” Over the rumbling sounds of a garage-rock bassline, Gallo comes off somewhere between a preacher and a public service announcement as he recites between lyrics: “As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve. The meaning of life is just to be alive. It is so plain and obvious and simple. And yet everybody rushes around in great panic, as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” Throughout history, there’s been plenty of rock-and-roll philosophers, but at a time when music couldn’t be more disposable, Gallo’s soul-gazing is a breath of fresh air.

This article originally appears in the April/May 2019 issue of Relix. For more features, interviews, album reviews and more, subscribe here.