The Ranch are just back from debuting their new line-up on tour, and new music is also in the works. Ramona Depares sounds out drummer Banjo Rancho about the band’s upcoming plans.

The Ranch recently announced a line-up change – how did this come about and how did Patryck Cutajar join?

It was the best option to move forward for The Ranch. I didn’t know Patryck or Ricky as we call him for a very long time. But, after working together for these past weeks I know I made the right choice.

Who exactly are The Ranch, now?

The Ranch’s core is primarily a trio – Alan Portelli, Ricky and myself. However, we are always playing with different people. As it says on our T-shirt, we like to collaborate. Sean Borg has been in the brass section since the early days. Mark Harrison is playing tenor sax and Egle is on vocals.

What can you tell us about Patryck’s style and has he collaborated with other bands?

Ricky’s style is usually T-shirts, shorts and guitar. Oh, add a fuzzy little red beard, he’s half polish. Joking apart, he does have a few other projects going on.

In a way, it is inevitable that the band was going to tour

How do you think this new addition will affect the band’s sound and direction?

It’s going to give us new places to go for sure. He has a different musical background, which will push the band towards new parameters.

As we speak, The Ranch are halfway through a four-week tour in Europe. How is that panning out?

For this tour we started out by going to the UK, where we booked Big Red Studios to record some footage and worked with Massimo de Majo who is a great friend of ours. We played in Guildford, where we were supported by two acts. Then we moved on to Antwerp in Belgium and Amsterdam, Utrecht, Arnhem and Nijmegen in the Netherlands, followed by Lithuania, where we played two shows in Vilnius and one in Klaipeda.

While on the road, another gig in Krakow, Poland, came up before we returned to the UK, where we played a show in Bath before finishing off with Malta Takes London at the Proud Camden, London.

How did this tour come about?

This was simply the first step for The Ranch. In a way, it is inevitable that the band was going to tour. We started putting ourselves out there and we were lucky enough to meet some great people who helped us put things in motion.

Did the change in line-up affect the preparations you had made for this tour?

Actually, it made things move more efficiently. We had to work longer and harder, which brought us more together as a group.

Was this the first time that The Ranch were on the road? What challenges did you meet?

Now that we have actually experienced it, we can tell you one thing – always watch out for the transport. That was the biggest challenge. Luckily, most of the shows were not affected, but 80 per cent of the time when we needed transport there was some kind of problem. It takes about three hours to travel from one place to the other in Malta by bus and it’s the same to travel from Belgium to Holland.

Which were the highlights from this tour?

Before the tour started, we were looking forward to playing in Belgium, Lithuania and Poland as it was the first time for us in these countries. And, of course, Amsterdam for the impeccable transport system and also because we have friends there and it was nice to catch up with them. But, of course, taking part in Malta Takes London was the cherry on the cake, for obvious reasons.

Are there any gigs in Malta on the horizon?

Yes, many. Music Across the Channel at Żeppi’s in Gozo and Prog The Island festival, for starters. Follow us on Facebook to get the full list of events.

The Ranch plans to start working on a new album towards the end of the year – what can you tell us about this? Had work already started prior to the line-up change?

We have loads of new ideas and we can’t wait to get back and start working on the new stuff. We plan to go back into the studio next year and there will be more gigs, for sure.

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