Following on from his wonderfully quirky new single, ‘Windowsill Cat‘, we spoke with Ron Brunk about his furry friends, and how they’ve affected his music.
What made that first encounter with the cats feel so meant-to-be?
It all began when a feral cat (I later named her Chrissie) showed up in our back yard. I was in the kitchen, looking out at our wooded area through our large back windows. She stared straight at me without moving a muscle for thirty minutes. She was mystically speaking to me. It was an encounter that was undeniably magical.
She looked pretty rugged, and she needed food, so I put some tuna out for her. As soon as I stepped back inside, she shot like a rocket straight for that food and gulped it all down. After that, she showed up from time to time, and I would always feed her when she did.
Then one day she came out of the woods with four adorable (is there any other kind?) tiny kittens following behind her. Little One was the first, trailing mommy only a few feet behind. Soon, when they were old enough, Chrissie brought her kittens down to the porch where I’d been feeding her for the previous two months. And Little One came to the glass back doors, locked eyes with me, and said, “I’m here for you.” My heart melted. I’d been going through a lot of deeply personal struggles, terribly depressed for a long while. And God sent her, and her family, to me to ease my pain and bring me so much love and joy.
As you got to know all nine, were there small moments that helped bring more light and ease into your life?
Every day, all day long. All four of those kittens in Chrissie’s first litter bonded with me. Chrissie remained feral, skittish, and distant, but those kittens latched onto me with a bond as I’ve never seen. They follow me wherever I go. They developed their own little language of speaking with me. Mr. Hank and Molly love for me to hold them like babies. All of them except Rusty (still the most skittish) often sleep with me. Every little thing they do brings light and ease into my life.
What made the simple idea of a windowsill feel powerful enough to build a whole song around?
Little One loves to sleep on the wide windowsill beside my desk. Other times, she sleeps in the large windowsill area in the bedroom. So, naturally, one of my many endearing names for her became windowsill cat. I would sing that phrase to her all the time. One day, I was feeling particularly distressed about the state of our world, and she was sleeping in peacefully on the bedroom windowsill. As I watched her breathing softly, the light bulb came on – that could be a great song! With all the troubles of life swirling around us, she knows how to find peace. I think that watching a cat grooming or sleeping on a windowsill can have a powerful calming effect on us.
How did you decide on the mix of acoustic warmth, harmonies, and strings to capture a cat’s quiet presence?
For myself, I find that with great songs, it’s never a matter of deciding how to create something. It’s simply a magical thing that flows through me from somewhere out there in the mystical ether! The blend of acoustic warmth, harmonies, and strings all just came naturally as they were meant to be.
With so many albums behind you, what felt fresh about making ‘NOW IS THE NEW THEN’?
This album feels fresh to me for three primary reasons. First, about half of the songs are totally inspired by my newfound love – my kitty babies! Second, the other half of the songs are gritty rock-infused songs that feature me playing and singing while flying by the seat of my pants! Songs like “Same Thing,” “Daddy is a Rich Man,” “Sick of You,” and “You’re Still the Same” are a blend of biting bitterness and tongue-in-cheek playfulness. They are the kind of songs that my musical heroes might have done. Artists like Warren Zevon, Randy Newman, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed influenced me greatly.
Did creating three versions of “Windowsill Cat” show you anything new about the song?
Doing something like that is always a reminder that there are an infinite number of ways of approaching and interpreting a song. For me, that has become one of the most exciting things about writing and recording a song. In my earliest days of recording, I was too confined within a basic “acceptable” song structure and instrumentation. It took a little while for me to really grasp the fact that I am a true artist, creating art, and that I could do anything I want. I am only limited by my own imagination. If I want to put tubas on a song, then I can do it, no matter what anyone else thinks of it! If I want a trumpet part on a rock or folk song, I can put it on there! I can stick aluminum foil in my guitar strings! I can sing through a cardboard cylinder! I can run my guitar through a vocal processor, completely remove the mids, speed it up, and play it back through a fan if I want to! I’ve done all these things and many more oddities.
What inspired the dreamlike shifts in the animated visual – from mosaics to abstract art to storybook scenes?
My stated goal for this video from the very beginning was to blend several very different things into one video. First, I filmed myself performing the song. Then I filmed some short clips of my kitty babies. Then we blended those in with a variety of animation sequences. Next, we added some AI bits. Then I did the final editing of the video to get it exactly where I wanted it to be.
I must also mention that Todd Stotler worked with me on this video and several of my other music videos over the past two years, and I give him a lot of credit for what he has done on the animation and AI side of things. And he was the creator of most of those animated visuals, mosaics, and abstract art that you see in ‘Windowsill Cat’. Todd is a very talented guy.
How does this new visual world connect to the universe you’ve built with your earlier cat-inspired videos?
I like to think it fits in nicely. In general, it’s stylistically similar to my ‘Mr. Hank’ video that was recently released. Very much in the same vein, although we intentionally made Windowsill Cat with more bombastic colors and flourish. We wanted the Mr. Hank video to be more laid back, to fit better with the vibe of the song.
What do you hope listeners who love their own pets take away from this track?
I hope they’ll have an even greater appreciation for how their pets bless their lives. Let this song and video serve as a reminder of the wonder of animals, especially cats; and an inspiring tale of the powerful positive effect animals have in our lives.
Before we wrap up, anything you want to say to everyone following you and your feline crew?
I certainly hope everyone will check out my many cat-inspired songs and videos. Not everything I’m doing is centered around cats, but a good portion of it is. And there is much more to come! I have several new projects in the works, so keep watching and listening. And of course, it helps so much when people subscribe to my YouTube channel, click the Like button, leave comments, and share the videos with others.
But I also hope that cat lovers will do all they can to support cats in any way possible. Stop the euthanasia of cats. Give to support trap & rescue services, and spay & neuter services. Support cat adoption. Volunteer in shelters. Help and feed hungry cats. And take them into your heart and home whenever possible!
Check out the music video for ‘Windowsill Cat’ below, and find out more about Ron Brunk and his music online on his official website, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
