THE STORIES
THE ALBUM
The Story of Highways
With the American highway as the backdrop and life blood of the journey, Highways is an album about running from and running to, set on vast open roads fueled by the longing for a higher way of being.
Born the son of a Arkansas trucker and raised in both the North and South, Ronny’s lived experiences in Southwest Chicago to the farms of Eastern Arkansas have always inspired his songs. After moving to Nashville and writing thousands of songs over a 10 year stretch for countless different projects, a special theme emerged in his writing touching on a deep seeded need to tell a personal story in a universal way. Some of these songs are brand new, some over a decade old, but together they're a study on the lifetime search for one’s heart and soul in difficult world and a perfect story to tell for Ronny’s debut solo achievement. Each song expresses different sides of the human desire and struggle to find the person or place we’re meant for. From beginning to end Highways is a beautiful and vivid ride through the landscape of the American heart and Ronny’s as well.
THE ARTIST
RONNY'S STORY
Rainfeather Records recording artist Ronny Criss is a Nashville based singer/songwriter rooted equally in rock and country. Born in Forrest City, AR and raised in Chicago, Ronny had a breakout year in 2021 releasing four new singles from his debut album Highways, three music videos, on-air radio performances, and great press all around. His new record Highways was recorded in famed Blackbird Studios in Nashville, TN and is a signature work of art for Ronny where the road or the highway plays a supporting role in the story of life these songs tell.
As a writer, Ronny's also crafted tunes for country duo Indigo Summer, Kyle Jennings, Scott Kurt and many other up and coming artists on the Nashville scene, but his individual success began as a member of the Indie Folk duo Sea Changer whose debut single "Heart is Home feat. Birdtalker'' went viral in 2019 racking up nearly half a million streams to date. With Sea Changer Ronny has written, recorded, and produced some amazing artists such as Birdtalker, Molly Parden, Grace Askew and Reed Waddle!
Ronny's hard work and talent is really making strides on the Nashville music scene and his varied life experience informs every lyric and note. At every show Ronny's smooth vocal timbre draws you in, connects deep, and makes you feel right at home. His brand of Americana Rock is both classic and original all at once and sure to get you on your feet calling for the encore.
Ten and Two - Released 3/25/22
"Ten and Two" is the 4th single off of Ronny’s new album Highways. Written with his supremely talented co-writers and friends Katie Cole of the Smashing Pumpkins and Shawn Byrne, "Ten and Two is a monster track of mystery, mood, and groove about the general pressures and anxieties of life accented by soaring rock guitars and rumbling drums. Like driving through the wrong part of town, at times life makes you feel like you're just trying to keep your eyes on the road and make it through without crashing and burning. Ten and Two is an awesome ride and a killer track off the new album Highways. Shawn provides his masterful guitar work and Katie's soaring 4 part harmonies lift the tension and vibe to atmospheric heights.
"Ten and Two is just one mighty vignette from the new album with the American highway and roads as the backdrop and life blood of the journey, Highways is an album about running from and running to, set on vast open roads fueled by the longing for a higher way of being.
LATEST SINGLES
It Ain't - Released 8/28/21
It Ain't with it's tribal drum beat and gritty slide intro draws you right into this Country Rocker about young love on the rocks. The song is a quick peek into the moment a young couple is on the brink, one boldly confident the end isn't near and another not so convinced. With an up tempo groove and infectious hooks throughout, It Ain't feels good and makes you want to believe things ain't all that bad. Lyrically though there is a little more evidence to the contrary. The song speaks to the optimism and naivety of youth and paints a cinematic moment when idealism is about to meet reality
I-40 - Released 8/28/21
I-40 is a life song hiding behind a road song. Inspired by Ronny's experience living and working in Nashville as a songwriter, I-40 is a romantic look at that life and how one road has a way of symbolizing and connecting it all together. A friend of Ronny's once said, "Everyone has their own I-40" and that seems to be true many times. Whatever and wherever that road is, it always seems true to you, sure to take you where you wanna be and sure to take you home.
PAST SINGLES
DEBUT SINGLE - Tanks of Gas - Released 5/27/21
The debut single was Tanks of Gas and is the ignition switch that kicks it all off. Inspired by the simple life and landscapes of Eastern Arkansas, Tanks is all about a youthful heart needing to escape what's already known for the mystery of what's left to discover. The universal story of being young and wanting to escape one's small town is a common tale for every generation, but what Tanks offers is not only the hope "We can go somewhere and baby we can get there fast" but a dose of reality and awareness that we don't always know exactly what we're looking for and sometimes "we are as close to where we're going as we'll ever get". In Tanks of Gas and throughout the Highways album, the highway always provides the freedom to seek it and a means to reach it.
From the opening drum beat to the rolling thunder of the baritone guitar the mood is clear. It's bold, at times ominous, but always looking for hope at every turn and every chorus. Even though the road may get dark with only "tail lights to lead us through the night", the spirit of Tanks is that taking the chance to find who or what we're looking for is still worth the risk of the unknown. So like a mini movie the characters fill up their tank, head out into the darkness and leave it all on the road.
If It Rains Like This Tomorrow - Released 7/23/21
If It Rains Like This Tomorrow is the second single off of Ronny’s new album Highways. A song written after a long and rough drive home in the pouring rain, If it Rains… is about a moment in time. The moment when one realizes the sound of a thunderstorm is no longer something that brings frustration, but comfort. Comfort in knowing that every drop of rain is another excuse to crawl back in bed with the one you love, putting the world on hold to be together. A welcome sound for sure!
Initially written in a quick 30 minute session back in 2008 fueled by the inspiration of the moment, If it Rains… would be destined for a bigger, more important place in Ronny’s life over time. As the story goes, in early 2009 Ronny was performing the song at the world famous Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, TN when unknown to him a beautiful young songbird named Sarah Ashley (new to town) was just sitting down for her first Bluebird show to the sounds of this great song. She was captivated by the song and artist, but was too shy to say hello to Ronny after the show. Four months later the two met at another show they were both booked to perform and hit it off right away. A relationship formed which led to the fateful day when Sarah asked to sing harmony on a song with Ronny and his band at rehearsal. The song: If It Rains Like This Tomorrow. The sound that was created and discovered that day was felt by all involved and further cemented a love that would lead to a loving marriage and now in 2021 a new family!
That one of a kind sound can be heard in this recording of If It Rains… as Ronny’s wife Sarah sings the beautiful harmonies on the track. The song is about a moment in time that NOW represents a lifetime of love. If It Rains LIke This Tomorrow release on July 23, 2021
“Criss is able to write lyrics and melodies the likes of Eric Church would be proud of.” - Lesley Janes
“Many Americana performers who dismiss country out of hand forget how easy it is to write an obscure, four-chord dirge set in your own frightening head space. Clean, accessible country is very hard to pull off. Ronny makes it look easy.”