Meet Ronan Dowling | Songwriter & Performing Musician

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ronan Dowling and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ronan, why did you decide to pursue a creative path?
Ever since I was a kid I can remember being creative. I always had a passion for building something that represented me. The older I get, I think the more I realize that being creative allows me to work through things going on in my life. Whether that be certain hardships I’ve endured, or even the really good moments. Being creative is an outlet for all those emotions, and helps me bring my feelings, desires, fears, needs into existence. When I discovered music at a young age, I immediately felt a connection. Each time I’d sit down at my keyboard, I felt the urge to create. And up to this point in my life, I still feel the same. I knew that writing/performing music was what I wanted to do for my career. It’s the one thing that gives me the most joy and creative freedom.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
So primarily, I’m a songwriter, but I love to perform music as well. I think one thing that sets me apart from other musicians is where I draw influence from. Also, how I use my influences in my own writing. A lot of classic artists inspired me to start writing music, so my sound has a feel as if it’s from the 1960’s and 1970’s. Coupled with modern artists who I draw influence from, I try and pull the best elements from both old and new music to craft my own. And while many artists tend to stick in one genre of music, I love to be flexible and create music spanning many genres. My favorite genres to write in are rock, RnB, Soul, Funk, Jazz, Indie and electronic. It’s taken me years to really find my sound, lots of experimenting and tinkering with various ideas. It was hard at first, because it felt like every song I would write would just sound like another song that’s already out there. The reality of the matter, is that since so much music has been released over the past century, its almost a given that your song will sound like another one that’s already been released. But if you can cater the song to you, and make it feel genuine to your style/emotion, it will feel different and unique. The best way that I’ve overcome this challenge, is to stop overthinking about my finished product. It’s easy as a songwriter to get extremely nit-picky and critique every aspect of your song. Once I started to let my worries and anxieties go, the writing process became much more smooth. I focused on how does this song make me feel, and if it feels good, I don’t question anything. No matter how simple/complex an idea is, if the feel is right, then I know I have a good song. My primary band Fresh Fruit! has a new album release on Friday January 27th. I’m extremely excited for this project, because it highlights the best of our songwriting abilities. We move away from the more light hearted soulful funky songs that we’re usually associated with, and we dive into a more thoughtful and darker tone. One that’s more representative of us getting older and how our views on the world change. Keep your eyes out for ‘Wonderlime’ coming out on January 27th, can’t wait!!!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
This a great question. I think regardless of who is coming out to visit, the best part of Colorado is its scenery. Starting the week off with a nice drive into the mountains would be an ideal start. Not too far, you could take them into Golden or Boulder, and drive up some of the canyon roads just to give them a taste of what Colorado has to offer. When it comes to spending time in the city, there’s lots of fun things to do. Hanging out at Meow Wolf, or going to the Aquarium are fun day spots to go to. Good food spots I would take somebody would be Coperta (Italian), City o City (vegan), Mercury Cafe, Snooze (breakfast). There’s also lots of fun bars you could take people if you’re looking for a drink. The place I mentioned for food, The Mercury Cafe, is a great spot to grab a drink, and every night they either have live music, open poetry, dance classes, it’s an awesome spot. Some more awesome bars include Herb’s, Gerard’s pool hall, View House (sports bar), One Up (arcade bar), Over Yonder Brewery (Golden, CO), Mountain Toad Brewery (Golden, CO) etc. I could go on and on with fun places to drink, Denver has a lot to offer in that sense. And if you’re looking to go see live music, Denver has one of the most underrated live music scenes in the country in my opinion. First of all we have arguably the greatest outdoor venue in Red Rocks, but we also have iconic venues like The Bluebird, Gothic Theatre, Ogden Theatre, Mission Ballroom, Ball Arena, Lost Lake, Larimer Lounge, Globe Hall, Hi Dive the list goes on.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There’s been lots of people/mentors along my journey that have helped me in huge ways. The one person I can think of who always keeps me grounded and always encourages me to be the best version of myself is my mom. She’s been with me basically every step of the way, in my best moments and also in my lowest. Her unconditional love and support keeps me afloat and pushes me to grow and keep learning more about myself. I am extremely grateful to have her in my life, and is the best kind of support I could ask for.

Website: https://freshfruitjam.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ronan.andrews.music/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ronan.andrews.music

Image Credits
Victoria Enyart Andrew Oehler Henry Coors