Another Year of Rock with Keyboardist Eric Ragno

Eric Ragno is one of the most in demand keyboardists in the melodic rock music scene and beyond. Recent projects include the just issued Hold Your Ground album by Khymera, scoring a John Waite documentary entitled The Hard Way for director Mike Nichols, appearances on the all star Turkish Delight and Circle Of Friends recordings, and so much more! Highwire Daze recently caught up with the famed keyboardist to discuss another year m his absolutely brilliant and epic career in music.

What are you looking forward to the most about The NAMM Show this year?

The NAMM Show traditionally marks the beginning of the work year in the music industry. After being shut down for a few years, this has been a rebuilding time for the artists, the instrument manufacturers and retailers, the club owners and tour support, etc. I’m really looking forward to connecting with everyone again, and getting back to work.

How did the initial collaboration between you and Dennis Ward come about for Khymera?

Dennis is an amazing talent and a respected producer. I admired his work with Pink Cream 69 in the 90’s,

March/April 2023 HIGHWIRE DAZE and they blew me away at ProgPower in 2005 when we opened for them (with DC Cooper). A year later, I recorded my first keys for Dennis on their singer David Readman’s solo debut on Frontiers Records. Dennis works at a high level, and has a solid team of pro players on his productions. This new Khymera album is the eighth record I’ve done with him at the boards, and the results are always amazing!

What does the title of the latest Khymera album Hold Your Ground mean to you?

Sticking to your guns, keeping with what works and building on it. This is what Dennis has done with this band. The fans count on us to grow and evolve, while we remain true to what they love about us.

Have you and Dennis and the rest of the Khymera band ever talked about doing shows together or even playing in support of Hold Your Ground?

We haven’t spoken about it. This is my third Khymera album for Frontiers Records, and I would love to play some festivals to promote it. Realistically, we are all really busy and Dennis especially is on the road a lot. But you never know.

How did you become involved with the John Waite documentary entitled “The Hard Way”?

A mutual friend introduced me to filmmaker Mike Nichols, who made some great music biopics like ZAPPA and Echo in the Canyon. Mike was familiar with my time with The Babys (John Waite’s first band), and my reverence for their legacy. We took some friends to see John perform, and Mike started work on the movie soon after. He invited me to record music for this very moving film, which remained in the Top 5 music documentaries on the big streaming platforms. Hearing John’s stories and working on this project reframed my experience with The Babys in a whole new way.

Turkish Delight was an album recently released on Escape Music featuring an all star cast of musicians. Tell me about the track you did on the album with Billy Greer from Kansas.

I worked on a few tracks for this all-star album, but Billy is the crown jewel! He’s been with Kansas since 1985, and has that sound we all grew up on. We did a track called Bad Enough, which Joel Hoekstra (Whitesnake) just KILLS on guitar! What a blast.

What was it like doing the Circle Of Friends project with Robin McAuley, James Christian, and Robin Beck?

Circle of Friends is another all-star affair. It’s the brainstorm of Bruce Mee, the vision behind Fireworks Magazine and the legendary Firefest festivals. I performed several songs on this one, including a cover of Don’t Fear the Reaper with Robin McAuley (MSG, Survivor), an awesome Abba cover (Knowing Me, Knowing You) with Robin Beck, and Never Gonna Make Me Cry with James Christian (House of Lords). In 2012 Bruce booked us to play Firefest together – Robin, James, Tommy Denander on guitar and me on keys. Bruce literally put the band back together for these tracks, 10 years later. That was really special. I would love to do a full album with James one day.

You are rocking with Pete Fry again, this time on the new HitNRun album. When did you first meet Pete and become involved with his projects?

Oh man, I love Pete! He’s a really close friend from my home state of New Jersey, and I was immediately drawn to what they were doing. We met after sharing the bill with his band Far Cry at the Melodic Rock Fest in Chicago in 2010. Pete’s a gifted guitarist and songwriter, and even had a popular syndicated radio show. He brought me on board for the HitNRun record, and I really enjoy that southern rock sound.

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Southern rock is timeless - I’d love to do more of that.

What are you working on with David Forbes of Boulevard?

I met David after we shared the bill at Melodic Rock Fest in 2018 in Chicago. I love his voice and his whole vibe. During the pandemic, we did a cover of Bad Company (under the name “Kennedy Boulevard”) and he just killed it. David is wrapping his first solo album with Steve Newman in the UK, and asked me to work on a special ballad. He shared cell phone video of his late sister performing a beautiful song she wrote, and I labored long and hard to not only capture the essence of the track, but the love that David has for his sister. As the song blossomed, everyone wanted to be involved with it – so it’s gone through several iterations. I look forward to hearing the final mix.

What is currently going on with your Journey tribute band and how has Journey keyboardists Jonathan Cain and Greg Rolie inspired you over the years? I was transfixed by Jonathan Cain on the Frontiers tour at an early age. I’ve spent many hours absorbing that sound, and reproducing it on albums. Playing Journey songs keeps me in touch with the best parts of my childhood, and I’ve performed with five different Journey tributes around the country. Right now I’m working with Journey Captured, a great band out of Orange County. Our singer Todd Dion is another massive Journey fan, and we share a mutual respect that I haven’t felt in a long time. Find us on Facebook!

Are you currently involved with any other bands or projects coming up?

It was a seriously busy year. I got called on a lot - 12 releases in 12 months, c’mon! Our album with Gabrielle de Val, Kiss in a Dragon Night was released last month and is doing really well – another great production with Bruce Mee and Escape Music. I recorded a new track with my pal Steve Brown (Trixter) for the upcoming Ace Frehley record – Steve & I have great chemistry. This week I start work on the new record by RIAN out of Stockholm, their third for Frontiers Records. They ROCK! I’ve also got some things cooking with my good friend Jesse Damon (Silent Rage) – he’s the very essence of Melodic Rock! And I’ve got my toes in something new with my friend Neil Turbin (Anthrax). Aside from his metal career,

Neil has a rich soulful voice that people need to hear more of. After the long lockdown, it is so great to work with old friends again.

And since this is the NAMM issue, what equipment do you currently use and/or are endorsed by?

I’m celebrating my tenth year on the Hammond Organ roster! This instrument really expanded my career. TKL Cases has been a loyal sponsor for 20 years now, their products ROCK and they are like family. Same with LM Straps, Alesis Keyboards, On Stage Stands and Alien Ears. These folks are super-supportive, and have even sent me gear in different cities when I’m on the road. These are true brand partnerships, and I’m proud to call them my friends.

Any final words of wisdom?

It’s been a difficult stretch, but things are looking up. Life is good. Get out there and make your mark. And Hold Your Ground