Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Ron Steven Houston: I’m not the driver

His new musical direction more akin to John Prine and Ryan Bingham

Ron Steven Houston has more hand tattoos than most people.
Ron Steven Houston has more hand tattoos than most people.

Originally from West Monroe, Louisiana, Ron Steven Houston is best known from his time playing with the Sickstring Outlaws, whose album Johnny Drank Jack was nominated Best Local Recording at the 2013 San Diego Music Awards. He was diagnosed with Covid-19 at the end of October. “I suffered severe symptoms for almost two weeks: fever, chills, body aches, no taste or smell, and hallucinations from the daily fevers. I don’t remember much about that two weeks of being insanely sick. My lungs are not the same, but seem to be slowly getting better. The coughing is not as bad as last week, but deep breaths are not easy. My smell and taste are not back all the way, but better than when they first went away.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Fatigue remains a major issue. “Doing simple things takes a lot out of me. Brain fog is another symptom that I’m battling. It’s very frustrating to not feel like I’m in reality. I’m having short term memory problems, and I’ve had two very scary incidents while driving on the freeway, actually hitting a center divider because I was in a dream state and only snapped out of it when I hit the divider. The brain fog is the weirdest and scariest thing I’ve ever dealt with. That being said, I’m so grateful to have survived the severe symptoms, but I’m definitely not the same person I was before getting covid-19. I have no idea how long these lingering symptoms will last, or what if any damage to my lungs, heart, or brain the virus may have caused. Only time will tell. I’m fighting every day.”

Houston says he holds no ill will toward whoever gave him the virus. “I’ve been playing the risk game and it caught me…I tried my best to be safe but, as a singer, was not able to wear a mask while singing. I blame nobody for this. I know I got the virus playing out. I love trying to give my friends and family time away from whatever problems they may be experiencing in their lives by playing music for them. I knew there were risks, but was willing to take those risks to put smiles on my friends’ faces. I assume all responsibility for catching this very real and very damaging virus.”

Houston has released several albums with the Sickstring Outlaws, as well as contributing music for Buckshot: The Movie, which includes a Sickstring original as well as Houston singing a song written by director Josh Smith. They also collaborated with Liberty Call Distilling to produce their own brand of liquor called Electric Moonshine, which is sold online, in stores, and at shows.

His upcoming solo album is called A Long Road Home. “It’s my first ever solo CD. I’ve been sober for over a year now, for the first time since I was 14, and started writing songs to keep my mind busy. I kept wondering how my fans who know me from the Sickstring Outlaws would take my new musical direction, which is more like John Prine and Ryan Bingham. One day on my walk, I had almost talked myself out of doing a solo CD, and I turned onto a street and there was a car with the license plate that read ‘Ballads.’ I knew that was a sign and I had to do it. The CD is my own personal and spiritual release of things deep inside me.”

The album’s first single “Take a Walk With Me” is inspired by the protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. “I’ve been called a sellout for writing the song because I was, and I quote, ‘sticking up for the blacks.’ I knew right then I had hit a nerve and the song had to be heard.”

According to Houston, “When people ask me what made me finally want to do a solo CD, I tell them I don’t really know. I’m not the driver on this journey anymore. I’m the passenger. I’m going wherever it takes me.”

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Why Unified® Review: What To Expect Dropshipping (Positive & Negative)

Next Article

Gonzo Report: Stinkfoot Orchestra conjures Zappa at Winstons

His music is a blend of technical excellence and not-so-subtle humor
Ron Steven Houston has more hand tattoos than most people.
Ron Steven Houston has more hand tattoos than most people.

Originally from West Monroe, Louisiana, Ron Steven Houston is best known from his time playing with the Sickstring Outlaws, whose album Johnny Drank Jack was nominated Best Local Recording at the 2013 San Diego Music Awards. He was diagnosed with Covid-19 at the end of October. “I suffered severe symptoms for almost two weeks: fever, chills, body aches, no taste or smell, and hallucinations from the daily fevers. I don’t remember much about that two weeks of being insanely sick. My lungs are not the same, but seem to be slowly getting better. The coughing is not as bad as last week, but deep breaths are not easy. My smell and taste are not back all the way, but better than when they first went away.”

Sponsored
Sponsored

Fatigue remains a major issue. “Doing simple things takes a lot out of me. Brain fog is another symptom that I’m battling. It’s very frustrating to not feel like I’m in reality. I’m having short term memory problems, and I’ve had two very scary incidents while driving on the freeway, actually hitting a center divider because I was in a dream state and only snapped out of it when I hit the divider. The brain fog is the weirdest and scariest thing I’ve ever dealt with. That being said, I’m so grateful to have survived the severe symptoms, but I’m definitely not the same person I was before getting covid-19. I have no idea how long these lingering symptoms will last, or what if any damage to my lungs, heart, or brain the virus may have caused. Only time will tell. I’m fighting every day.”

Houston says he holds no ill will toward whoever gave him the virus. “I’ve been playing the risk game and it caught me…I tried my best to be safe but, as a singer, was not able to wear a mask while singing. I blame nobody for this. I know I got the virus playing out. I love trying to give my friends and family time away from whatever problems they may be experiencing in their lives by playing music for them. I knew there were risks, but was willing to take those risks to put smiles on my friends’ faces. I assume all responsibility for catching this very real and very damaging virus.”

Houston has released several albums with the Sickstring Outlaws, as well as contributing music for Buckshot: The Movie, which includes a Sickstring original as well as Houston singing a song written by director Josh Smith. They also collaborated with Liberty Call Distilling to produce their own brand of liquor called Electric Moonshine, which is sold online, in stores, and at shows.

His upcoming solo album is called A Long Road Home. “It’s my first ever solo CD. I’ve been sober for over a year now, for the first time since I was 14, and started writing songs to keep my mind busy. I kept wondering how my fans who know me from the Sickstring Outlaws would take my new musical direction, which is more like John Prine and Ryan Bingham. One day on my walk, I had almost talked myself out of doing a solo CD, and I turned onto a street and there was a car with the license plate that read ‘Ballads.’ I knew that was a sign and I had to do it. The CD is my own personal and spiritual release of things deep inside me.”

The album’s first single “Take a Walk With Me” is inspired by the protests over the death of George Floyd at the hands of police. “I’ve been called a sellout for writing the song because I was, and I quote, ‘sticking up for the blacks.’ I knew right then I had hit a nerve and the song had to be heard.”

According to Houston, “When people ask me what made me finally want to do a solo CD, I tell them I don’t really know. I’m not the driver on this journey anymore. I’m the passenger. I’m going wherever it takes me.”

Comments
Sponsored
Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Gonzo Report: Stinkfoot Orchestra conjures Zappa at Winstons

His music is a blend of technical excellence and not-so-subtle humor
Next Article

India Hawthorne is common in coastal gardens, Citrus trees are in full bloom

The vernal equinox is on March 19
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.