Who Are these “Rane Brothers?”
A New Mexico Music Awards Story
Contact: Rosa Herrington (575) 758-4842: (575) 758-3050; ivanrane.com/theranebrothers.com/They’ve been at it for more than thirty years. Together. Separately. In New Mexico. Elsewhere. And again in New Mexico. Oldest brother, Randolph Jose [Randy], began playing guitar fifty years ago when he was eight years old while visiting his father, the late Taos painter, Bill Rane. Frankly, that first guitar was bigger than Randy. But he never stopped playing. His dad had bought him that $20 guitar at an outdoor market in Juarez, Mexico. Bill taught him how to tune it along with some chords and folk songs. Of course it didn’t hurt that Randy’s mom, Carmen Monsanto, a Guatemalan immigrant to the U.S., sang professionally, and also played piano and zither. Early on she taught him and his siblings (Rosa & Ivan) many Spanish ballads. Also, Carmen’s father, Dr. Adolfo Jose Monsanto, a linguist and one-time ambassador from Guatemala to Mexico and Argentina, famously played intricate Spanish guitar. And Randy’s great grandfather (from Bill’s side), Randolph Adair, a 6’ 4” cowboy from Garden Valley, Idaho, strummed old cowboy tunes on his guitar.
In 2007, Randy was nominated for two New Mexico Music Awards from his CD, Latino Global Warming Group. Both nominations were in the category of “contemporary hispanic music” including a piece he entitled Madrugada en Vallarta (“Sunrise in Vallarta”); In 2008 he was nominated for three pieces: one in the “world beat” category; and two in “contemporary hispanic music;” He won for his composition entitled Kathleen’s New World. This year he’s again nominated for three pieces in three different categories: Saharan Princess in “world beat”; Flajazz Blues in “contemporary hispanic;” and Pensar en Ti (To Think of You) in “jazz.” Randy’s brother, William Ivan Rane, is five years younger. He began playing guitar in adolescence. By the time he was 15 years old, when living in White Rock, Canada, he and a young friend musician, secured a small grant to travel from school to school, performing folk music, hootenanny style. Ivan went on to play and sing professionally in the San Franciso, Bay Area for many years. He moved back to New Mexico in 2004. He has just released his new album, Blame. In 2007 he won the New Mexico Music Award for “best pop album” for the CD he entitled Quicksand. Ivan is also a painter, influenced by his father’s verve and style. Nurture or nature, you ask? Randy and Ivan’s younger half-brother, Canto Omar Rane, is Bill Rane’s son with his second wife, Judy Rane. He also began playing guitar in adolescence. In his early twenties, he attended the Cornell School of Music in Seattle, WA. He has recorded many New Mexico musicians at his recording studio, Tone Palace Productions, in Taos. He also has performed regularly in the greater Taos area for many years. In 2005, Omar won a New Mexico Music Award for “best recording engineer.”In 2008, Omar was a member of the engineering team for the “best album of the year” at the NM Music Awards, and this year is again nominated for several awards most of which revolve around his own CD release, While You Were Sleeping. Notably both Omar and Randy are nominated for respective pieces in the “jazz” category. Recently, Randy and Ivan were delighted to introduce their gifted new piano player, Doug Frantz. Doug majored in music at the University of South Dakota, and in music composition at North Texas State University. In addition to piano, Doug plays several instruments, including the organ, Tabla Drums, and the Hurdy Gurdy. An innovative musician with an emphasis on orchestration and jazz arranging, Doug is nominated this year by the N.M. Music Awards for two songs in the category of “traditional hispanic music,” including Tus Besos (Your Kisses), and Suenos de Monte Video (Dreams of Monte Video). Randy, Ivan, and Doug are currently in the process of opening the New Mexico Film Scoring Office at Plaza Mercado in Santa Fe, NM. For more information, or to arrange an interview, please call Rosa Herrington at 575-758-4842, or 575-758-3050 in Taos. Or to preview all of the nominated songs and to contact the Rane Brothers go to: ivanrane.com/theranebrothers.com/
