Long Bio

RON ANDERSON is a multi-instrumentalist intuitive music maker who plays traditional instruments like the electric guitar but also will use anything that can make a sound - including the recording studio. He appears on over 70 releases, most recently PAK - Bestal Nefarious Industries, Philadelphia, PA.  Ron was a co-founder of the notorious rock group RAT AT RAT R in Philadelphia 1980- 81. It was in Philadelphia that he purchased 2 reel to reel tape recorders and started experimenting with tape editing, found sounds, noise, improvisation and combining these with composition.

In 1982 Ron moved to New York City's Lower East Side. He continued to experiment, moving to Downtown Brooklyn in 1984 starting his first recording studio where he held weekly improvisation nights, releasing his first recording (on vinyl) Fever Dream in 1987. Throughout the 80's he performed in many of the clubs in New York's Downtown music scene, CBGB'S, LA MAMA, THE PYRAMID, THE GAS STATION, THE KNITTING FACTORY with various groups and musicians. Also at this time he worked on tape installations for various art galleries, composed music for a weekly radio show Latino Voices which was broadcast on NPR and composed music for two premier performances of the ROBERT SMALL DANCE COMPANY at DANCE THEATER WORKSHOP and ST. MARKS CHURCH.

Moved to Oakland, CA in 1989, set up a new studio. 1990 began his longest running project THE MOLECULES. These bad boys of new music developed a controversial approach of free rock performance using dada concepts, which left them equally loved and hated in San Francisco. Completing a total of 6 CDs and an unreleased triple CD set. Their first called Steel Toe was released in 1991. Toured the U.S.A. in 1992, the East Coast of the U.S.A. in 1997. Also Europe in 1993,94,95,97 including festivals - MUSIC ACTION 93 (Nancy, France), VORAX (Vicenza, Italy), EUROCOT (Zurich, Switzerland). One tour of Japan in 1995. During this period Ron played in VACUUM TREE HEAD which has released 2 CD's and HAPPY NEW YEAR who have released 2 CDs. Happy New Year toured the East and West Coasts of the U.S.A., one European tour in 1995, playing in MUSIC ACTION 95. Ron recorded one studio CD and one live in Tokyo with YOSHIDA TATSUYA.

August of 1998 Ron moved to Geneva, Switzerland. Started a recording project with members of the French Band ULAN BATOR. Followed by a European tour in November of 23 concerts in 25 days, performing every night in two groups, RONRUINS and the British band GUAPO. Tour of Italy in April 1999 with METAL EATER (a duet with STEVE BUCHANAN). Metal Eater also performed in the 4thTOURNOI EUROPEEN D' IMPROVISATION MUSICALE in Poitiers, France. 

Returning to the USA in August 1999, Ron moved back to New York City. In November he performed in the DENSITES FESTIVAL 6 EDITION in Verdun, France with a new trio called NO PLAN (with OLIVIER PAQUOTTE and PETER HOLLINGER) formulated by the festival. 2000 brought a ten-concert tour of Japan with RONRUINS, and the formation of his new group PAK, who did an East Coast/Midwest tour of the USA with RUINS. THE INFUSION, Ronwith OLIVIER PAQUOTTE and CAMEL ZEKRI went into the studio to record and give concerts in France at the beginning of 2001.  NO PLAN was invited to perform at MUSIC ACTION 2001 (Nancy, France) in May, and PAK gave their European début in August at Festival Fruits De Mhere (Mhere, France). In March 2002 PAK toured in Germany, The Netherlands and France. PAK performed at FESTIVAL FRESNES EN WATT - Fresnes en Woevre, France in September followed by a tour of Luxembourg and France. Immediately after completion of the PAK concerts, Ron did a solo tour of Germany, France, Netherlands, Italy, with duets with Michel Oury, Claudio Parodi, Hops Barnemann. Two work shops were given during the solo tour in Brest, France and Universite de Metz, France. Solo tour  highlights were at Musee des Beaux-Arts de Nantes, France and a surprise concert with RonRuins in Italy. 

The first CD of PAK - 100 percent Human Hair was release February of 2003 co-produced with Elliott Sharp. THE INFUSION has been invited to the FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE MUSIQUE ACTUELLE DE VICTORIAVILLE, Quebec, Canada in May. In September Ron participated in the HIGH ZERO FESTIVAL in Baltimore, MD.  

2004 brought Ron's second appearance at FESTIVAL FRUIT MHERE, Brassy, France with a performance with THE INFUSION and participation in an large improvising band surrounded by the fireworks of Patrick Auzier. 

The release of Motel the second PAK CD in 2005 was meet with critical acclaim, and followed by a 21-concert tour of Europe. In November PAK performed in THE FUTURE FESTIVAL OF EXPERIMENTAL ROCK in New York City with the following bands - Doctor Nerve, Friendly Bears, Z's, Trio Convulsant, Snuggle/Stencil. 

April 2006 had a big surprise with a concert of the Molecules in San Francisco at the Hemlock, few days later Ron was on a plane bound for Tokyo for a RonRuins tour of Japan with Jesse Krakow the bass player PAK as the third member of the Trio. Back in States Ron toured and did some recording with French Double bassist David Chiesa.

January 2007 The Molecules Performed at The PUSH INTERNATIONAL PERFORMING ARTS in Vancouver, Canada as part of a west coast tour, which included dates in San Francisco, Oakland, Portland, Olympia and Seattle.

In October and November of 2008 PAK did a 23 city concert tour of Europe. These performances featured all new music with a new line up of Ron playing bass instead of guitar, with Tim Byrnes on Trumpet and Keyboards and Keith Abrams on drums. Immediately following the tour with PAK, Ron went to Rome, Italy to work for 10 days on a recording and a performance at JAZZCORE 2008 with the group Squartet. PAK also did concerts in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore. PAK was invited to perform at HAGENFESTEN - Dala-Floda, Sweden in July 2010. PAK toured the Northeast of the U.S. and 32 concert dates in Europe with debuts in Poland, Slovakia and Hungary in 2011.  

2012 at John Zorn’s invitation Ron was asked to be the curator of The Stone (NYC) for two weeks in November. During that time there was be performances of the Molecules and PAK.  Also in 2012 new free rock trio SARCAUSTIC was formed consisting of Ron on guitar, Tim Dahl on bass and Weasel Walter on drums. 

The Molecules toured the US in 2013 performing at EXPERI-MENTAL FESTIVAL 5 - New York and at SONIC CIRCUITS FESTIVAL - Washington DC. March 2014 Ron had his premier concert in Mexico City with OBLIQUE QUARTET and a tour of Japan with PAK (Tatsuya Yoshida on drums and Nonoko Yoshida on saxophone) performing at The Music, Art and Technology Festival – Kochi, Japan

 

In 40 years dedicated to music Ron has performed and/or recorded with hundreds of musicians including – ANTHONY COLEMAN, TATSUYA YOSHIDA, FRED LONBERG-HOLM, JAMES CHANCE, JAC BERROCAL, JOHN MEYERS, MARK RIBOT, ELLIOTT SHARP, YASUKO ONUKI, MICHEAL EVANS, THE SUN CITY GIRLS, SHELLY HIRSCH, OTOMO YOSHIHIDE, CAROLINE KRABBLE, GINO ROBAIR, SEIICHI YAMAMOTO, JACK WRIGHT, JOHN ZORN, 99 HOOKER, MYLES BOISEN, JASON WILLETT, DONALD MILLER, PAUL LEMOS, HOPPY KAMIYAMA, DANIEL CARTER, HACO, TERRIE EX, CARLA KIHLSTEDT, MARCO CAPPLLI, WEASEL WALTER, STEVE BUCHANAN 

Selected Discography:

PAK - Bestial - Nefarious Industries - 2019

Oblique Quartet - Tlaloc Beat CD - Alphatauri - 2015

PAK - NYJPN (CD) Magaibutsu 2014

PAKSecret Curve (CD) Tzadik 2011

PAK - Motel (CD) Ra Sounds 2005

PAK - 100% Human Hair (CD) Ra Sounds 2003

RonRuins - Big Shoes (CD) Magaibutsu 2001

R. Anderson, R. Pepper, D. Tamura, P. Petit - Closed Encounters Of The 4 Minds (CD)
 Public Eyesore 2012

The Molecules - Friends - (CD/DVD) Ra Sounds 2007

The Molecules - Steel Toe (CD) - Tragic Mule 1991

Jason Willett/Ron Anderson - Be The First On The Block ,,, (CD) Ra Sounds 2003

Concert and news list.

Join the email list!

Twitter