Blues Society of Western PA - Newsletter

What a feat! Many have clubs in the Pittsburgh area have risen, many have fallen over those many years. My mission: to track down that blonde haired man who is always on the run, Moondog, a.k.a. Ron Esser. I put on my “big game hat,” armed only with a tube of hot pink lipstick, and went on the hunt for the “big dog” himself. Ron Esser, the name is a statement in itself. Being an ardent supporter of the blues, Ron Esser’s club, Moondog’s, was bestowed with the “Keeping the Blues Alive Award” from the Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee. He is the guy with the big, generous heart and a maverick spirit who is always on the move…planning the Greater Pittsburgh Area Food Bank Blues Festival, doing concerts in Erie, operating Moondog’s and at the Starlight, being a very involved family man, helping with benefits and loving the music. I finally cornered him, tied him to a chair to get him to sit still and talked with him about his thoughts about being the “big dog” of blues. (Just kidding about the chair, but I threatened to play tambourine at every event…he thought it over and decided to spill what was on his mind.)
What amazed me was the intensity and sense of purpose that this man has for the blues, the people and the musicians. He is as genuine as it gets…he is very involved. He has been in the music business for thirty years and has many stories to tell.

Jonnye: What is your favorite band or the one that performed the best at the club?
Ron: Oh, wow. (Laughing) When I was just starting out in music, Styx was my favorite. (I thought that he was kidding). (Sheepishly, he continued) That was during my formative years and a time in my life when I was just starting to explore music. I thought that the band was cool. I thought the music was cool. (He spoke in a nostalgic tone). However, (enthusiastically) the BEST band that played at the club was, hands down, Luther Allison. He played 3 ½ hours with no breaks, (10:20 pm to 1:40 am). Wow! What a show! (He added that Zack Weisinger broke that record in recent years).

J: What are some of your favorite memories?
R: (Warmly responding…) The jams after the Pittsburgh Blues Festival. It is always a treat for those that support and work the Foodbank event to get a chance to come out and enjoy the music in the club. It is also great when the high paid performers stop in and just play like they are one of the regular players. They have fun and the blues fans have fun. It is very cool.

J: What is your worst memory?
R: (Without hesitating) Jimmy Vaughn’s road manager. He tortured me for hours when Jimmy Vaughn was to play one night. It was “musically” the worst night of my life. He kept the crowd standing outside waiting. He had us stapling sleeping bags to the ceiling to make the room quiet. I thank Pianos and Stuff for opening that night and responding to all of his demands. I still have the picture that was taken at the end of the show where I was smiling. When I have a bad day, I think back to that night. It is a reminder on a rough day…that if things go that badly and you can still smile at the end, then I can get through anything.

J: What do you feel has been your best achievement?
R: (Quickly and with resolve he answered) The Blues Festival. I am very proud that an all volunteer staff has raised over $1.2 million for the Foodbank.

J: As a recipient of the Keeping the Blues Alive award and celebrating your 20th anniversary…why are you still in the game? How did you outlast the rest? Are you crazy or is it the love of the music?
R: Well, both. I am crazy and I love the music. I have the opportunity to see music in the other things that I do and at the club. There are bad people in the business but there are a lot of good people out there. The good ones make it worthwhile. I actually still get excited about music. I enjoy the music and quite honestly sometimes I do ask myself why I do this.

J: How do you keep the momentum going - working the blues festival, do music events in Erie, operating Moondog’s and the Starlight and being a family man?
R: When I was young, my father instilled in me the fact that I should be a hard worker and that I should be the best at what I do. I look back and know that I have worked hard as promoter, restaurant and bar owner and mostly as a father and husband.

J: So, you have rearranged your priorities as you have gotten older?
R: Yeah, I had to. It is hard on my family at times.

J: If I was your fairy godmother and I granted you three wishes what would they be? Personal, musical, professional?
R: (Answering quickly and with a calm seriousness) 1. Peace in the world. 2. I wish that the poor would get what they need to be comfortable….the basic comforts of food, water and shelter. 3. I would like to see all of my old friends and family who have passed away just one more time. (I was staggered by his heartfelt responses)

J: What is your vision of what you would like to see in the future?
R: (With choked up hesitation in his voice) I will be remodeling. (I was originally going to ask who his interior decorator has been over the years.) I have been torn by what a blues club should be…dingy and weathered. I feel bad to change things. There are so many memories here…People like Johnny Copeland, Junior Wells, Susan Tedeschi. There have been so many memories and so many great performers. I do not know if the change will erase those memories. There are two schools of thought on the idea of change. There is a quaintness of the old roadhouse and the feeling that it gives you. Then there is the thought that a new era should make way for new ideas. Change (His voice drifted off). Wow. The support for music these days is not the greatest. I still get excited when Tinsley Ellis and Jimmy Thackery come to the club along with all of the others. It is great to meet as friends and talk about family and friends. We meet and spend time at the club. …and then they go on. We part ways until the next year. They are cool and they say I am cool and at the end of the day…we are friends. Well, my vision…I have more memories than what will be in the future. I am not saying that the best years are not ahead…I am just saying that from what I have learned. I have seen more performers in the past then I will see in the future.

J: I heard you sing after the blues festival. Why don’t you sing more?
R: You have to be in the mood to do your best. I wear many hats and am always on the run with all of the stuff that I do. (Laughing) I am afraid that some would say that I am a “show off” if I start singing at the club. Then again, performers are showoffs or they would not be on the stage. (Laughing) When no one is around, I lock the doors at the club and get up on stage. I play and sing for hours. It is very therapeutic.

J: If you were not at Moondog’s, where would you be or what would you be?
R: (Seriously) In the Coastguard! As a kid, I watched Sea Hunt with Lloyd Bridges. All of my transgressions of the past made it impossible for me to outgrow my poor judgment until my later years. (Laughing!!!)

J: Is there something that you want to share with the blues fans…escaped felon, kidnapped by aliens, ???
R: Well, (sighing) people think that I am too busy and not paying attention and that my mind wanders. I have a lot on my mind. A psychiatrist friend of mine says that I am the poster boy for adult ADHD. I am always on the run with lots of things going on. I want people to know that I appreciate what the people have done over the years for the club, the bands and the customers. If someone has money in their pocket and can go anywhere, I appreciate when people choose to come to Moondog’s. I am here to make money, sure, that is true. However, without them (the customers and the bands) there is no music. My dream has been to bring the music to the people. During the concerts, I see people laughing and enjoying themselves. I personally enjoy seeing them forget how cruel and brittle life is for awhile. If I were a millionaire, I would just put on concerts. That is the “gift” that I was given…to make people happy through music. I am really looking for young bands and young people to keep the music alive. I know that they are out there and I am not going to give up looking for them.

J: Is there one thought that comes to mind when you think of twenty years in the business?
R: (Emotionally and quietly) I may not show it but I do appreciate all of the people that have come to Moondog’s over the past twenty years. I have actually sat at the sound board in the back of the room during a concert and have had tears in my eyes. I have been so blessed in life with all that has come my way. I think of people like Ron Yarosz, Zack Weisinger, Norm Nardini, Glen Pavone, and so many others here in Pittsburgh. They are the best. They are intense in what they do. I am proud to be affiliated with all of them. I also want to say that we are winding up the year with a lot of intrigue…good performers (Tinsley Ellis, Ana Popovich, Tommy Castro) and a lot of fun. Thanks to everyone.
“The Big Dog hunt” had concluded. I suddenly had a strong urge to “howl at the moon” in honor of all those blues musicians that had shared so much of their music and their lives with the blues fans in Western Pennsylvania.

Congratulations to Ron Esser and his club, Moondog’s, for twenty years of blues. Keep the music coming. And…thank you, Ron, for all of the great memories. See you at Moondog’s…378 Freeport Road, Blawnox, PA 412-828-2040