Ron Santee is not only releasing his sophomore solo effort, Cold Blooded Highway, but the artist is also sharing his new music video for the album’s title track exclusively here at New Noise.
Santee previously fronted the NYC-based indie rock outfit The Battery Electric, and he’s since relocated from New Jersey to the West Coast to pursue his solo career. Santee now lives in Joshua Tree and operates out of a studio in the desert, emerging with his second LP that acts as a departure from his rock-centric debut LP, Wildfire Heart.
As the artist shares the new album, Santee caught up with New Noise to chat more about the project, the new video for “Cold Blooded Highway,” and the road ahead.
First off, congratulations on the release of Cold Blooded Highway and the new music video for the title track! How are you feeling now that the release date is finally here?
Thanks so much for having me and premiering the video, big fan of you guys. I’m feeling really good! I think any time an artist releases an album, it’s kind of a relief in a way. A lot of work and hours go into making an album, especially a solo record where you’re doing mostly everything on your own. As much as I enjoy recording and producing, I’m pretty stoked when it’s finally done. I’m very excited for people to hear the record.
Genre-wise, your sophomore album definitely has a different vibe than your first album, Wildfire Heart, which is more of a straightforward rock LP. What inspired that shift? I have to think dwelling and recording in a place like the Joshua Tree desert must have had at least a little influence.
Yes, for sure! Desert landscape is stoic, it makes for good country music. Also, I’ve been working on my buddy’s ranch in Pioneertown, taking care of the horses and land, it beckons the inner cowboy. I think Wildfire Heart tracks like “Sixteen More Goodnights” and “Without You By My Side” subtly segue into Cold Blooded Highway’s desert country rock vibe. Cold Blooded Highway dives deeper into Americana/country influences, as well as my early reggae roots on a few tracks.
That’s definitely part of the fun of being an artist, kind of growing into those new styles over time. Can you tell me more about some of the themes you explore on the album? What was going through your head as you wrote and produced these tracks?
These tunes explore rediscovering yourself throughout the madness of the last year, across the tragedy and the absurd. I wrote “Inferno Red” during LA’s peak 2020 turmoil, and wrote “Sneaky Hody” the day a donkey at my friend’s Pioneertown ranch escaped the stable and I had to chase him through the desert on foot… It’s a reflection of my most poignant memories exploring California the last year.
To piggyback off the last question, I’m curious what you hope folks listening will get out of the album as they dive in?
I want to share what the High Desert sounds like to me. I want to remind listeners what’s great about Gram Parsons, and his mystical presence in Joshua Tree. I want to inspire more people to listen to classic country and early reggae and rocksteady music.
This album truly is a feat—You produced, recorded, and played most of the instruments on the album yourself. I’m curious if you can tell me what your solo journey has been like, compared to your time with The Battery Electric. How have those two experiences been similar, or different, for you?
Recording albums as a solo artist is a big transition from recording with a band; it’s a totally different experience creatively and practically. In November 2021, I founded Desert Dog Studios in Joshua Tree, and it’s amazing having unlimited time in the studio to experiment with recording styles and marinade tunes.
Sometimes I miss the camaraderie and collaboration (and chaos) of recording with a band, but working in the studio alone has pushed the boundaries of my creativity and engineering in really rewarding ways. I still approach songwriting the same way, but my sound and producing chops have incrementally evolved across my solo albums.
Totally, I’m sure it’s kind of a double-edged sword in many ways. To pivot a bit, the video for the title track also came out today. The track name alone, “Cold Blooded Highway,” already sets a stage, and then you actually hear the song, which is so beautifully moody and pensive. Thematically, what is the track about and how does it relate to the greater conversations of the album?
That song came to me while my girlfriend and I were camping on the Kern River in Sierra National Forest, one of the most beautiful and inspiring places I’ve ever visited. Sometimes songs just kinda find you; this was one of ‘em “sky songs” if you will. It reveals a traveling musician’s chronic on-the-road dilemma of wanting to return home while still yearning to hit the back roads to unknown destinations. It’s about coming to terms with the need to be a little cold blooded in life sometimes.
I love that, and I love your visual aesthetic, too—the album cover and the beginning of the “Cold Blooded Highway” video—that vintage title slide got me so excited. Then it carries into these intimate shots of you, the landscape, the highway, and it just feels perfectly matched to the tune. What inspires the visual elements of your artistry?
The Mojave landscape is epic. Recording this album in Joshua Tree and drawing so much inspiration from the High Desert, it only felt right showcasing its harsh beauty for the title track video. Watching old Western movies filmed in Pioneertown probably subconsciously informed the title card!
Moving forward, what’s next? What does the road ahead look like for this LP, and do you have any pending plans for your music, future projects, or anything else you’d like to share?
I’m booking shows in promotion of Cold Blooded Highway, though I’m always working in my studio and little distracts me from writing and recording music everyday. I’ve been working on a garage rock project called Buena Vista Bombs with my friend (and director of the new video) Stephen LaMarche. I produced our debut six-track EP we’re releasing later this summer. It was so much fun exploring a totally different sound from Cold Blooded Highway—Buena Vista Bombs has raw ‘60s garage energy without straying too far from the pop elements of that era.
Can’t wait to hear! Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Thank you so much for debuting my video and album, it’s an honor and privilege. I hope everyone that listens to the album can take something positive away from it. And as always keep on rockin’!
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Watch the video “Cold Blooded Highway” here:
For more from Ron Santee, find him on Bandcamp, Instagram, and Facebook.
Photo courtesy of Ron Santee
