Today we’d like to introduce you to Ron Bocian.
Hi Ron, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was a longtime New Orleans resident who found San Diego the best place to live outside of New Orleans after the disastrous Hurricane Katrina. The one element I missed beyond measure was the brass band scene in New Orleans which drove me to find ways of assembling and contributing to a now robust brass band scene in San Diego. As of September ‘21 I’m a founding member and often the spark for 3 brass bands. The acclaimed multi award winning Euphoria Brass Band was the original in 2011.
Later in 2016/17 the Chunky Hustle Brass Band formed, with the extra time and burning desire to play during the pandemic another stellar outfit the Big Tree Brass Band was formed. The name coming from an enormous Morton Bay Fig tree in Balboa Park which we used as a performance venue throughout the lockdowns bringing much needed music and celebration of life through these difficult times. As one of our audience members said “a much needed Public Health Service” …of course easily social distanced performances in open air were extremely well received!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Honestly, it has been mostly very smooth. All of my associates are true professionals and very friendly with hard work. Making the effort to arrange and rehearse original material and making arrangements of popular tunes in creative ways for brass, reeds, and drums is not an easy task but so fun and well worth the effort.
This past year and a half we grew accustomed to playing outdoors and finding a spot on Mission Bay to rehearse under the blue sky and stars has been quite a treat. This was prompted by the pandemic but has become an enjoyable norm. Practicing outdoors really changes the way you play. You’re forced to play much louder which is not easy for brass and creates chops that are really quite impressive! It’s a classic lemons to lemonade!
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a drummer who spent most of my early development, 17 years precisely, in New Orleans. The importance of New Orleans music, in my opinion, still does not have the reverence it deserves. Everyone might want to spend some time with Louis Armstrong to begin to digest what he, as well as many other NOLA cats, brought to the world. Another one of my projects is The Red Fox Tails, a North county staple since 2010.
We’ve synthesized a sound that embraces surf, jam band and inevitably New Orleans rhythms, since everything I play on drums references the sounds that soaked into me in the Crescent City. Collaborating with guitarist/composer Felipe Benavides on this project from the beginning is perhaps what I am most proud of in my time here in San Diego.
What matters most to you? Why?
We have a short time here in this incarnation. Finding a passion in your heart is not automatic but if your lucky to find that something…committing to it fully and embracing it no matter what anybody else thinks is what matters most to me.
Pricing:
- Private performances of 3 to 10 piece bands start around $500. Depending on date, time, location.
Contact Info:
- Email: ronbocian@gmail.com
- Website: www.euphoriabrassband.com | www.theredfoxtails.com | www.chunkyhustlebrassband.com | www.theredfoxtails.com
Image Credits:
Julia Hall McMahon
Jay Reilly
Amy Williamson
