Ron Artis II’s evening performance at Portland, Oregon’s Star Theater on Sunday, April 22 capped a busy weekend for the soulful blues singer and guitarist. He’d already talked and performed for TedxPortland event and taken part in a live taping for an episode of the independently produced Live Wire Radio. The Star Theater show was part of Portland’s Soul’d Out Music Festival.
Yes, it appears that the world is waking up to the considerable talent and positive vibrations of Ron Artis II. Growing up in Hawaii as the eldest of 11 children of artist Ron Artis, family values and a creative lifestyle were obviously instilled in Artis II’s being. His brother Stevon Artis plays drums for The Truth and another brother, Thunderstorm, was there, supposedly as a spectator, but ended up contributing his own talents to the mix. The brothers were joined by Riley Pa’akuala on electric bass.
Artis wasted little time is showing his chops. The second song he played, “Searching for Answers,” not only showed off his guitar prowess, but also his voice and his musical combination of soul, blues, and funk. It’s hard to pin Artis II down. The mellower, acoustic numbers have that slow Hawaiian groove, reminiscent of Jack Johnson, or the quieter compositions of Ben Harper. The songs are sweet — Artis has said that he chooses to put forth only positive messages into the world. When Ron has his electric guitar strapped on, and is in the moment, it’s hard not to hear some Jimi Hendrix and Gary Clark, Jr. influence. The young man rips, and has a voice to match the big sounds coming from his guitar. Just give “King of the World,” the lead track from 2018 album Soul Street, a listen to get an idea of what I’m talking about.
Ron Artis II and The Truth played lots of cuts from their new album. They touched on funk with tunes like “The Truth.” Artis II embarrassed his wife when dishing praise upon her, before playing his newest love song dedicated to her. He even held his baby daughter while singing backup for one of his brother Thunderstorm’s compositions.
Thunderstorm was invited to stage to sing one of his original songs, and then he did a stirring rendition of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” with Ron singing backup. Later, when Ron broke a string, Stevon took the guitar backstage and Thunderstorm came to the stage again to sing a couple more songs. Ron even took a turn on bass guitar. All of the family interaction felt like you had been invited to one of the Artis family jams.
When Artis asked for requests toward the end of the show, a woman requested a song that had been written by Thunderstorm. So, politely honoring the woman’s request, Ron had his brother once again come to the stage and perform the song. Not only was the evening’s music inspirational, the whole show seemed a lesson in love and support of family and friends in the name of encouraging creativity. Artis II took the lead again, and delivered a guitar-driven, rocking number to end the show.
It’s one thing to listen to an artist expressing selfless love and understanding in their songs. It’s another to see an artist naturally living his life that way, even during a performance. The music, the man, the band — all aspects of Ron Artis II and The Truth indicate that this is a band is on the rise, bearing its collective heart and inviting everyone around to come sing along.
One Response
c’est un superbe blog, j’avais un grand honneur car j’ai le visité!