The first question that most fans ask about ‘Ransom Kong’ is how did you think up that outlandish name? Rich answers the obvious, “Well it’s Ransom’s actual name. We thought up many names, most of them laughers, but none was as catchy as his. In fact, if you google it, it’s the only name that pops up. So it was a no brainer for two reasons. It sounded iconic and anyone will find it. RANSOM KONG!”
Where We Began
Hawaii is the childhood home of Ransom Kong, and the place where the band began. Two high school buddies who knew they couldn’t escape each other, so they escaped together. Ironically, they both hail from a tiny coastal paradise in Kihei, Maui, which is hard to escape. Ransom says, “When you grow up in an island culture, it’s easy to get the ‘laid back’ lifestyle which I love and practice. At the same time though, you have this burning desire to dive into your passion with reckless abandon because that’s the gift you were given.”
Our Genre
In a pop image driven market that wants to brand a specific genre on an artist, this isn’t the advice you would give to any up and coming artist. When asked, Ransom interjected, “I definitely know it’s against the grain to not be pegged in a genre. At the same time, I don’t want to insult music listeners. It’s like saying, I only eat steak and potatoes 24/7. I think and hope there are a lot of music lovers that have varied tastes and don’t mind an artist that can deliver a 12 course dining experience instead of a 1 course meal. I love steak and rice (He’s from Maui and rice is the staple) but do I always want one choice? Do you?” It’s obvious, the course (no pun intended) or direction that this band will boldly pursue.
