I headed out to The Hotel Cafe last night to see Dan Wilson and am ending up writing about another artist- Joey Ryan.
Ryan started his Thursday residency at Cahuenga Blvd's musical gem last night, sharing the stage with talented backing musicians that included Counting Crows David Innergluck on guitar and mandolin. The set featured new material from his latest EP Kenter Canyon, as well as older songs that included the love inspired "Like A Cloak."
I was impressed and curious as to what the recorded material sounded like so I picked up the latest EP and With Its Roots Above And Its Branches Below. My iTunes slapped a folk genre stamp on his music, but it's more diverse than that. "Queen Jane" has a very contemporary country feel while "Falling" has more of an alternative style, which works well with his achy voice. Ryan also incorporates a variety of instruments in his work, which is always a pleasant surprise.
The music is not the only thing that grabbed my attention last night, he writes solid lyrics too. Ryan crafts songs that connect. Take for example the line from "Broken Headlamp" in which he sings, "why can I only tell you I love you when you're sleeping in the passenger seat." Simple words, but so real and heart felt.
Thanks to The Hotel Cafe for once again exposing me and my readers to more good music. I am going to try and get back to see Joey Ryan before his residency ends and per the wonders of social media looks like I will have a seat at next weeks gig per Ryan. Check out our Twitter correspondence below:
1 comments:
Of all the new artists we saw that night, we was my favorite as well. Haven't had time to dig into the CD's, but looking forward to it very soon. Great post!
PS: If I don't make the next show, send my hellos from his "Front Row Cynnic."
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