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Based out of Mound, MN, a small town located near the Twin Cities of Minneapolis/St. Paul, guitarist RONNIE LAKE is quickly making a name for herself in the music industry. RONNIE takes Rock, Blues and Surf instrumentals "to the edge" - adding flavors, colors and textures to a hybrid sound which she enthusiastically defines as "A Different Rock" - guitar with attitude! RONNIE, who was born in Minneapolis, is the daughter of second generation Japanese-Americans. As adolescents, RONNIE's parents were placed by the U.S. government in internment camps during the anti-Japanese hysteria during the early 1940's. RONNIE has two sisters also in the arts. Her younger sister in Minneapolis is a Japanese taiko drummer and her older sister in New York City performs with a modern dance company. RONNIE first picked up the guitar at the age of 15. She learned the chord structures of legendary rockers Neil Young and Jimi Hendrix. The sounds of the Allman Brothers' mixture of country, jazz and blues caught her ear - especially the blues. RONNIE fell in love with the blues. She moved to Chicago to immerse herself in the classic Chicago Blues style. RONNIE furthered her musical influences drawing on the grooves of bluesmen John Lee Hooker, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Son Seals and a host of other blues greats. After short stopovers in California and Colorado, RONNIE returned home to Minneapolis where she became involved in the blues scene, playing the many jams of the city. Looking for more to enhance her music experience, she eventually formed the "Ronnie Lake Band," a quartet with guitar, bass, drums and accordion. The band, which played a blues and zydeco mixture, quickly became a fan favorite wherever they performed. RONNIE wanted her sound to grow musically and become innovative. She also enjoyed the reverb-drenched guitar and rolling instrumentals of Surf rock which was put on the map by artists such as The Surfaris, The Ventures and Dick Dale, and started to incorporate Surf stylings into what has become her signature sound. RONNIE started performing locally with her new trio (guitar, bass and drums) called "Ronnie Lake and the Men Of Iioto" gravitating more toward the surf sound. Soon thereafter, the name of the band was renamed simply to "Ronnie Lake." RONNIE’s music has a natural connection with hot rod and motorcycle enthusiasts. “Hot Rod music” sounds exactly like the traditional surf sound but with revving engines and screeching tires overdubbed over the instrumental tracks; add to that RONNIE’s devotion to Harley-Davidson motorcycles (she owns two “hogs”) and her black leather outfits – and you have the perfect combo of the cool car/bike, great music and hot leather-clad chick guitarist. RONNIE LAKE's performances are fast paced, non-stop, mesmerizing and highly energetic. The band plays without pausing to rest in between tunes. RONNIE has included several of The Ventures tunes including 'Pipeline' and 'Walk Don’t Run' in her repertoire. But RONNIE adds her own touch - "vamping on the one," as she calls it - adding blues and rock chops - and a lot of energy to make these tunes uniquely her own. A typical set can include the likes of RONNIE's original 'I Heard The Smoke,' Los Straightjackets 'Rockula,' Link Wray's 'Rumble,' the surf classic ‘Diamondhead,' into a James Bond 007 spy tune, and The Ventures 'Walk Don't Run' (featuring bass and drum solos). Each of RONNIE's shows are guaranteed to deliver fun, happy and high spirited music. California music critic Phil Dirt says of RONNIE, "her pacing is well metered and deliberate... the effect is very satisfying... spunky." Her memorable guitar style as been described by Twin Cities Music Critic Rich Benson as "wicked, edgy, in your face," with an "infectious rocking quality" that is "easy to dance to." Renowned surf guitarist Dick Dale exclaims "Ronnie Lake plays with a force that is her personality. The lady in black stares you down, plays you down, keeps you guessing which way is up or which way is down, never stops 'til she's ready. There will be no dead spots in this performance my friends." Eddie Angel of the Los Straitjackets says "I dig Ronnie Lake's playing. She obviously has a passion and love for the music and brings her own originality to it. Anybody who is in to surf instros should check her out." "I was excited by Ronnie's sound and lead guitar style; wow! --she just may become the foremost female 'power electric guitar player' whose time has come! I've always felt that if our industry could promote a feminine, girl guitarist who could hold her own with the established rockers in terms of power and attack, touch and tone --we'd have something special. Ronnie, Keep on Pickin' and Rockin'!" - Art Greenhaw, Grammy Award-Winning musician, producer and leader of The Light Crust Doughboys.
Look for RONNIE LAKE to be performing throughout the Midwest and Northeast.
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