Tuesday March 1, 2022
Some people unwind by conquering crossword puzzles, some play golf…Ron E Buckpitt writes songs! Ron is a self-described ‘rouseabout from the shearing sheds’, and apparently, there aren’t many colourful life experiences he’s missed out on—and written songs about.
With an authentic country twang, all of his very own, Ron has released Put It On Facebook, a tongue in cheek, light-hearted assessment of our social media-obsessed society. The new song merges cheeky exuberance and humour into a rock and roll track reminiscent of a Dire Straits song, with a series of intersecting blues guitar licks, a direct, contemporary lyric, and Ron’s no-frills vocal performance. The song’s structure is somewhat of a 12-bar-blues like formula suited to the easy-going, fun nature of the tune. The idea behind Put It On Facebook came from a conversation that Ron tried to have with an old flame some time ago.
As Ron says, ‘I suggested we employ the services of a local lawnmowing battler named Joe, when the conversation took a swift and unexpected turn! Quicker than you can pull start a Victa, I was presented with random photos posted on Facebook of Joe’s work around town by a disgruntled gossiper, posed with finger pointed at uneven rows mowed into his precious greenery. The horror!’ A self-taught musician, Ron’s love of music began in the 1970s as a young man from Moree, 8 hours’ drive from Sydney, where the pubs then shut at 10 pm.
Not happy to call it a night, Ron and his mates would grab a slab and head to Boolaroo Bridge, where they would sit for a yarn, play a few songs, and take turns jamming on bass or lead guitar. With influences that include Tom T Hall, Johnny Cash, Roger Miller, Kris Kristofferson, and Tony Joe White, Ron’s music is of the enduring, timeless kind, retro but with an ear to contemporary life and all its curious manifestations.
