Local Favorite Ron Pass Wins Award and Gears Up for Holiday Show in this week's Desert Entertainment with Tod

One of the Coachella Valley’s most beloved entertainers is celebrating a well-deserved honor. Pianist and vocalist Ron Pass was recently voted Favorite Local Musician in the Coachella Valley Independent’s annual Best Of Readers’ Poll. Pass says he was surprised to learn he was nominated — and even more surprised to win — but grateful the public recognized his work.

A full-time musician in the valley for the last 12 years, Pass keeps a packed performance schedule. He plays Wednesdays at One Eleven Bar in Cathedral City, right across from Trader Joe’s, and Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at the iconic Palm Springs venue Melvyn’s.

Pass is also gearing up for a special themed performance: a Christmas show taking place Wednesday, December 17, at One Eleven Bar. He says creating new themed sets keeps things fun for audiences and challenging for him as a performer. The holiday show will also include surprise guest singers.

Before becoming a familiar name in the valley, Pass spent a decade entertaining on Carnival Cruise Line ships. Before that, he worked as a project manager in Manhattan. But his experience on 9/11 made him rethink his life path — choosing to pursue music full-time. Eventually, he traded life at sea for life in the desert and hasn’t looked back.

Now, Pass says he’s grateful to be one of the busiest performers in the region, doing what he loves while building a community around live music.

You can catch Ron Pass weekly at One Eleven Bar and at Melvyn’s, and don’t miss his festive Christmas performance on December 17.

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