Ronnie Taheny

Feel like dodging bullets in Jerusalem? Or being smuggled into Bosnia? What about jumping from a burning building in Antwerp? Breaking into the Athens Olympic stadium in order to do a lap of honour? These escapades have been standard daily events for Taheny as she continues to live the life of a renegade whilst taking her music to the world stage. After 20 years of non-stop touring and working with the likes of David Gray, Luka Bloom, Billy Bragg, Ani diFranco, Aimee Mann and Fairport Convention amongst others, that diminutive powerhouse, Ronnie Taheny has finally turned her passport in for a sock drawer and a quick nap. Before the authorities locate her. • 
Perfecting the art of melodic “text pop” for the last 25 years has been Taheny’s prime focus along with entertaining an intelligent audience – a daunting task where she feels out of her league – but loves the challenge. • 
Whether it’s her tall tales all true, dry and wry spoken-words, piano cadenzas or 12 string guitar shreds, Taheny always keeps it sharp and punchy, warm and witty, thought-provoking and human. Razor-sharp observations pummeled into shape with or without music. • 
Her works are rendered from 20 years on the road, travels to obscure places, interviews with anyone who’ll converse and generally telling tales. • 
From her humble beginnings as Yorke Peninsula’s first altar girl to the Adelaide Chorus’ first female tenor, Ronnie Taheny has a knack of innocently challenging dogma and authority with a smile on her face. During the 1990s, most Australian artists targeted the USA but Taheny saw the open and equally vast EU market as an obvious choice for an antipodean adventurer such as herself – so many countries in such short distances, so many more languages to murder and so many more national flags to steal. Trend-flouting and lone-wolf tendencies enabled Ronnie to invent the path and rules as she went. Ultimately, the plan proved successful. After Ronnie featured in the prestigious Galway Arts Festival in 1996, Ronnie was chosen by the Irish Music Industry as Ireland’s “Best Unsigned Act”. She was then invited to New York for showcases in Central Park and the legendary CBGB’s. By 2002, Taheny had based herself in the largest live EU market, Germany, after her songwriting skills caught the ear and attention of Bertelsmann (BMG). “Writing for commercial artists reminded me of how fortunate and free you are as an independent but at least I now know the art of writing a pop song and the rewards mean more time on the beach.” Taheny continued to expand her EU career over the next decade whilst never forgetting her roots or the need to help emerging independent Australian artists along their way. Hence, 7 albums and 17 years later, Ronnie announced that 2012 would be her last EU tour in order to focus more on a much-needed mentorship and advisory role within the Australian export market. However, retirement from the European circuit doesn’t mean we’re free of Taheny, she’s still firing on all cylinders closer to home. You can see her grace the stage occasionally as long as it doesn’t involve too many air miles. “Look, I’ve done the northern hemisphere to death, time now for a nap and South Seas Beach Studies 101, 102, 103....” Live, Taheny has a cheeky and charismatic stage presence full of roguish charm and boundless energy. These lively shows always come with some amusing anecdotes, acerbic poems or spontaneous one-liners told in Taheny’s inimitably dry and self-deprecating style. She's currently working on new tracks from her soon to be released 8th album. Oh, and she’s also busy getting great Australian artists to Europe. "Patti Smith and Pippi Longstocking merge to crank-out smart-arse songs for minds that move." ronnietaheny.com