Remembering Ron Peno.
Like many other musicians, James and I had much admired Australian rock band Died Pretty for decades, with their pint sized, enigmatic front-man Ron Peno and an epic back catalog of swirling rock, Ron’s towering vocals and Brett Myers searing guitar. They were legendary figures to us, and Ron was renown as one of Australia’s finest front-men, wild and slightly dangerous, like Iggy Pop and Bon Scott.
In early 2007 the Cab had somehow been booked to play an early slot at Harvest Festival in outer Melbourne, with The Church headlining and Ron and Kim Salmon’s band The Darling Downs also on the bill. Back-stage we sought out Ron and introduced ourselves. He was slightly awkward, humble and self-effacing, and seemed more interested in talking about us than engaging around his work. We told him how much we adored Died Pretty and suggested working on a track together for what would become our third LP, Call Signs. Ron was up for it and we swapped phone numbers. So began the track Ghost Anthems. We worked up a suitably epic instrumental that we felt was worthy of Ron, and James and I popped round to his modest flat in South Yarra to share the rough demo. Ron immediately leapt up and began pacing the living room like a stage. We got to see Ron’s writing process up close as he instinctively pulled sounds, phrasings and random words out of thin air to later back fill (sort of) with actual lyrics. In typical Ron fashion, Ron would then ring James to fret that his efforts weren’t up to scratch. We assured him that we loved what he was doing, and arranged to track his lead vocal at Soundpark along with some enigmatic backing vocals on Rescue. Ron preferred to move around while recording so we rigged up a hand held mic and stood back as Ron worked his stage moves and delivered a cracking vocal. The final track is still one of our finest moments.
We convinced Ron to join us for some Call Signs launch shows and got to spend some time with him both on and off stage for shows in Sydney and Melbourne, including a chaotic but fun Triple R live to air and an intimate gig at Sydney’s CAD Factory. Backstage Ron could be fidgety and nervous, at least until he’d had a few drinks, and then a different Ron would appear. Often outrageous, mostly highly entertaining, Ron would be like a wild beast straining at the leash to get back to his natural habitat. Once on stage he’d prowl and bust shapes, always at 110% to ensure that all eyes were on him – the ultimate front-man. We stayed in touch with Ron on and off over the years, admiring his live and recorded work with Kim Salmon and Ron and Cam Butler’s Superstitions, plus experiencing some sensational Died Pretty reunion shows that blew people away with their awesome back catalog and Ron’s unique stage moves.
The great Australian rock front-man is a dying breed. Forged over thousands of gigs and merciless touring schedules in shit venues and tough crowds, something bands today just can’t or don’t do.
Ron was a romantic, a true artist and one of Australia’s great rock front-men.
We salute you Ron.