Q + A: Singer/songwriter Ron Fetner, 'Sunday Morning Blue'

SINGER/SONGWRITER and acoustic/folk guitarist Ron Fetner of Seaford  can be seen as a solo performer, as part of a trio or as a teacher of guitar to his 40 students.

“I’m in music full-time,” Fetner said. “Well, I decided in the last few years that I wanted to stick closer to home. So teaching sort of keeps me in (music) with the ability to (tour) when I need to.”

Three to four times a month he finds himself traveling to a gig outside  Hampton Roads. Last year he opened for country music’s Trisha Yearwood in Rising Sun, Ind.

A performer for  more than 40 years  , Fetner has released four CDs. His most recent, “Sunday Morning Blue,” which he recorded in his home studio, was released early this year.

   On Saturday he’ll be in Virginia Beach playing a Tidewater Friends of Folk Music show, and  on Sunday he’ll be in Norfolk playing at the Sunrise to Sunset Acoustic Music Festival. For both shows he’ll be with his trio, featuring Mike Tramonte on keyboards and Dennis Lee on bass.

  What was the best live show you ever saw?

In the early ’70s, Led Zeppelin opened for The Who. Guy Clark/Tony Rice at the  Buckroe Beach pier with only about 20 people in the audience.

Have you ever been stiffed by a venue, and what happened?

Only once, when I was 16 or 17. We opened up for a couple of British invasion bands – The Yardbirds being one of them – when the promoter snuck out the back door when it came time to pay us our $200.

What’s the best and worst thing about the Hampton Roads music scene?

With organizations like Tidewater Friends of Folk Music, locals get an opportunity to hear nationally famous acts in local settings. There are some very talented musicians from this area that don’t get much spotlight outside of our area. 

Give an original song lyric, and tell what it means.

“But I am just the girl with wings on the ground/love has flown away/ life has held me down” from “My Name is Justin.” A song about helping those in need.

What’s your dream as an artist?

To have one of my songs recorded by a major artist.

Patty Jenkins, (757) 446-2298, patty.jenkins@pilotonline.com