In the months following the release of his critically acclaimed album “Bone Structure,” Ron Pope felt lost. A hometown tornado and a pandemic will do that to a person. Unfortunately for Pope, tangled amongst the rubble was an album release and months of touring that abruptly came to a halt. For an album that he penned while reflecting on his own mortality, it seemed almost apropos.
While his career was put on pause, he effectively became a stay-at-home dad. Slowly, his priorities shifted as he realized that not only could this time be looked at as a gift, but it could be used as an opportunity to reimagine what his life could look like in the future. Why sit in the same formulaic cycle? Why seek validation from places that didn’t care to give it?
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| Ron Pope (Credit: Blair Clark) |
In asking these questions of himself, he realized that the community his music created was also seeking answers to similar questions. Weekly online shows allowed free conversations and inspired creativity. Pulling from unreleased songs and reimagined fan favorites, Pope decided to embark on a year of connecting and leaning into the community that has supported him all along.
For Pope’s new project, The Builder, he pulled from the inspiration he gained from his online shows: conversations that sparked creativity, reworking old favorites, and pulling unreleased songs out of his notebooks.
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| von Grey (Credit: Allister Ann) |
On “A Little More Love,” Pope and von Grey’s backing vocals creates a meditative atmosphere, highlighting Pope’s longing for more fulfilling relationships — with the secular and the divine. The song builds to a driving beat, bringing home the duo’s resolve to find something better than what they have, even if they’re not sure how to get there.
“I’m always looking for something; restlessness
is just a facet of my nature, I guess. How that manifests itself in my
actions has changed over time, but the fact itself is a near constant.
There have been so many instances along my journey where I honestly had
no idea what I was looking for; I was just searching. More? Less?
Companionship? Solitude? I wasn’t always sure of the why or the what.
This song is about a time when I was certain I knew what I wanted (a
better kind of love); even when I had a clear idea of exactly what I was
looking for, finding it turned out to be easier said than done. I’m
glad I don’t live inside of this narrative anymore; it was exhausting,
to say the very least.”
Of “A Little More Love,” Pope reflects, “This song is about a time when I was certain I knew what I wanted
(a better kind of love); even when I had a clear idea of exactly what I
was looking for, finding it turned out to be easier said than done.”