Payne County Line's Featured Artists - Red Dirt Rangers, to book, email piccolo@brightok.net

Interview with: Ben Han, ‘The Red Dirt Rangers’

Let’s start off with the basics. Tell us who you are, where you are from, old friends, favorite drinks, entertainer, who inspires you to greatness, family, hometown, song, book, we will find you in your spare time doing… what? Ben Han, from Borneo (M’sia) Dave Clark, Jack Walden, Bubba Walden, buddies from the farm in Stillwater, Dr. Danny Pierce, all the red dirt croonies,H2o,beers,fruit juices, Coyle/Stillwater, Ride the river(J.J Cale), From blue devil to red dirt(John Wooley) either nothing or jamming
How did you get started? When? Why? Listening to my brother’s records collection when I was a little over 10yrs of age because I was bored and needed little entertainment…out of curiosity.
What are some of the toughest challenges you’ve faced to this point? Stage freight in the early days of the band/chopper crash and getting older
Songwriting, do you write most of the songs, or do you write with others? If so, who? What inspires you to write? What was your first original song preformed by you? What qualities/abilities do you feel make a good songwriter? Is there a magic combination of things that make a song “good” versus just “taking up air”? co-writes some with the band Cooper/Piccolo/Childers/Morris/Crouch…Vivian/come on down.. a good story teller with an-edge accompanied by a signature guitar or other instrument riffs
In playing cover songs, do you find there is a magic mix for the fans, or the venues? Sometimes both or could be a curse for the better or worse
How should cover songs be used by a new band starting out? Sparingly, push more towards originals
How would you define the music you create? Original, down to red dirt earth, blue grassy, rootsy, country rock…a little bit of everything that boils up the stew so come on down
Do you play both acoustic and full band gigs? Which do you prefer, and why? Absolutely yes.. better acoustic, just a little easier on the ears and rocking with the full band..like ‘em both
Would you take a couple of songs and tell us how, why, when, etc you wrote them? How about some you co wrote… just a couple, do you mind sharing with us the songs and how, why, when, etc... that they were co wrote and who with… what else was going on at the time? Vivian.. inspired by this 6ft 2,freckled, red haired lady who lived right next door to the house we live in at the time and who also worked at the store called ”Root’n’scoot’ down the street. She knew who we were and she wouldn’t let us cash our check when we needed it oh so bad. On Always come back.. while driving back from a gig on 412, me and Don Morris was looking at the crimson colored sky hovering above Sand Springs and talking about the Tsunami that hit the western shores of Indonesia while hearing Brad Piccolo’s baby girl crying over the telephone. Roughly a year after the crashed and the feeling of wanting to get back to where it all began, writing, making music and entertaining again…just the whole thing!!!
How hard was putting your first album together? What was the biggest challenge? What do you see as the challenges of today? What studio do you use? Who does the mastering? What do you feel is adequate charge for recording a CD, for the new bands starting up…? Are videos necessary? Could an artist sell tunes on internet and never record a CD? Is the internet handling of music the new way to get music out? How do you feel about the trading of tunes that goes on behind closed doors? With 9 members in the band at the time, it took almost 12 hrs to finished our 1st album after 2 to 3 cases of beers later.. was fun and easy to say the least but with today’s pro-tools even easier/faster and only money talks.. however you want it done and more…Leon Russell’s old church studio mastered in Nashville and produced by Uncle Steve Ripley/RDR.
How important is creative freedom to you, both as a writer as an artist? very important.. get to say anything I want to..almost
What do you feel your greatest reward has been as an artist thus far? Being appreciated for what we do and having people wanting to know you and get a little closer every time.
What advice do you have for aspiring musicians? Play the three chords and a good attitude
What were some of the toughest challenges that you faced when you first started out? fucking-up/stage freight
How do you feel that the music market in Texas or Kansas or Arkansas differs from Oklahoma; or Nashville? Red dirt okie music south of the border with Texas, Kansas and Arkansas but Nashville, it’s hollyweird anymore.
Do you/have you ever found it trying at times to try and balance both your personal life, and career? Wish to share a thing or two? This career as a musician is my life..all not so bad.
A lot of artists/bands starting out say…”Nashville, or East/West Coast Music sucks”…. What is the difference between Nashville and Oklahoma music? Or is it the level of maturity, and understanding that sort of hits when one realizes “it is about money, because I need to pay bills??”. Your opinion please??? Nashville is Hollywood(plastic) ya, they’ve got country but where is country and western gone to? Oklahoma music is Red Dirt.
Living in Oklahoma, is there something special about Oklahoma and being from it that has helped or hurt your career? Is Oklahoma music and its perspective different, if so, how? about the name says it all..redman/Indians, maybe land locked state but okie’s heart are so warm just like the soil in itself…helps me a lot to tell people where I’m from won’t worry traveling the world if I’m an Okie from Oklahoma for darn sure.
What makes your music stand out? What is your "edge"? Originality
What were some of the places you played around Oklahoma starting out? State Fair, VZD, Brass Kegs, Horse Thief Canyon, Black Mesa, Roman Nose, Robber’s Cave and Quartz Mountains.
Are you self managed, or is there someone helping with that? Do you do your own booking? Absolutely yes
How do you perceive a band to be? Is it family, business, friends, etc??? How does one work through problems that come up? Business/Family/Discussions with agreeable votes
Where have you all played? What was your best show to date? Switzerland, Zoo Amphitheater with Cross Canadian Ragweed/Black Crow, New York City, upstate NY, Texas and California(pasture of plenty at Bakersfield)
Has the make up of the content of your music changed much over the years? If so, how? Evolved due to stepping down of some band members
Where do you see yourself in the next 5 years? 10 years? Rocking and rolling in with the both of greens
What do you think has contributed the most to your success and longevity over the past years? Common sense
This is your call, anything you would like to add, this is your chance. Anything you wish to say to the hometown fans, the newer fans, the golden oldie fans… to the venues.. etc. Just come on down