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Acclaimed Irish poet Seamus Heaney once said that, "great music, is
the music of what happens." It's fitting to start there while discussing
Matthew Ryan's new record and band, Matthew Ryan Vs The Silver State (
MRVSS). Seamus Heaney is one of Ryan's favorite writers. But more than
that, it perfectly describes what is increasingly clear in Ryan's work,
he has no desire to con or posture, but to communicate with honest
poetry the story of the iconic dreamers that may be embattled by all the
classic themes of living and literature, but continue to fight to define
their own futures.
After the events that informed Ryan's 2006 release, From A Late Night
High Rise (his brother was sentenced to 30 years in prison and he lost a
very close friend to cancer), his music has turned an important corner.
"Living a year like that, you kinda get winded, because you're
confronted with how things can change. But once you come to terms and
you gather yourself back in, well, I found myself invigorated by a sense
of time. I guess I just want to make it mean something. I always did,
but even more so now. You know? Work, living, happiness," Ryan said,
while sitting at his kitchen table. Listening to MRVSS, it's hard not to
notice the visceral, fully engaged spirit of the songs and performances.
Gone is the almost "just the facts, ma'am" delivery of some of his
previous releases. MRVSS is the sound of a brilliant writer and a
careening band fusing the passion, indignation, hopes and struggles of
its characters with intimacy and an explosive, anthemic cinema. Utterly
human and wide-awake, it's music that feels like a Scorcese film for the
ears.
MRVSS was recorded with Ryan's longtime friends and compatriots Brian
Bequette (guitars, bass and piano), Steve Latanation (drums and backing
vocals) and Doug Lancio (production, engineering, mixing, guitars, bass
and piano). This is a group of friends that have known and worked with
each other for the last ten years, and it's those bonds, with the trust
and understanding that's developed, that have bloomed these songs in all
their cohesive and distilled beauty. Every track was recorded live with
few embellishments and even fewer edits. Eoman McLouglin, of The
Greencards, and Molly Thomas came in to add some viola and violin on a
handful of songs ("Dulce Et Decorum Est," "It Could've Been Worse,"
"Jane, I Still Feel The Same," "They Were Wrong" and "Closing In").
While Kate York and Thad Cockrell added their beautiful voices to "Dulce
Et Decorum Est," "It Could've Been Worse" and "Closing In." Finally,
Kris Donegan added the amazing guitars that could be mistaken for
bagpipes in "They Were Wrong."
Matthew Ryan was born Ryan Webb on November 7, 1971 in Chester,
Pennsylvania. He changed his name to Matthew Ryan in his early 20's to
honor his older brother whose life was spiraling out of control. "I
wanted him to know that I'd always be thinking about him," Ryan says
while discussing his years before music. "My family. We are Irish and
working class. Chester is a city on the banks of the Delaware River,
just south of Philadelphia. It's a city of row homes, corner bars,
refineries, government housing and beautiful, almost gothic, stone
churches." Today, Chester is trying to rebound from years of poor local
government and the fall of the rust belt with new construction and
casinos. Growing up, Ryan walked those streets with friends, they
weren't criminals, just a gang of kids imagining what was beyond the
bridges and smokestacks they saw in the distance. One of their favorite
pastimes was imagining they were a rock n roll band. Ryan's love of U2,
The Clash, The Replacements and Leonard Cohen were his first windows to
the world outside of Chester. He remembers being blown away that people
from these exotic places like Minneapolis, Dublin and London felt and
expressed so much of what he was feeling. When he was 15, his parents
moved the family to the considerably safer and quieter peace of Newark,
Delaware. It was in Delaware that Ryan joined his first bands, dyed his
hair black, wore Doc Martens and began his journey to the artist he is
today. In 1997 he released his coveted debut, May Day, on A&M Records.
His artistic road has been as rough as the streets where he was born to
walk on, but Ryan is persistent and driven. He's been on 5 different
labels while releasing 10 records over the course of the last 10 years.
From DIY releases, to indie and major and back again, he's proven to be
adaptable and vigilant to his vision.
Matthew Ryan Vs The Silver State is Ryan's 11th release. And for only
the second time in his career, he'll be working with the same label (the
scrappy Brooklyn indie, 00:02:59) that released his previous collection.
Maybe, finally, things are coming into focus, maybe the stars are
aligning for Matthew Ryan. MRVSS certainly deserves it. Matthew Ryan Vs
The Silver State has all the spirit, heart, conscience and muscle that
makes rock n roll timeless. This is an arrival that's been 25 years in
the making. "Everyone I know and love is in this record… including
myself, there's a lot of myself in there. "It Could've Been Worse,"
"They Were Wrong," "Drunk And Disappointed"... they all speak to where
I've been, where my friends have been, but not where we're going. I just
want us all to figure it out. I want everyone to win."
As forthcoming as Ryan can be in song and conversation, there's always
another layer, another opportunity for context. He'll never sell it to
you, because he assumes music is for those that need it. And if you need
it, then you'll understand. So from the artwork, to the songs, to the
performances there is always mystery. What appears simple becomes epic.
On the cover of MRVSS you'll notice an army helmet, along with the green
and orange scheme, the almost militant simplicity. This may lead you to
think you're in for a collection of political rants or anti-war laments.
But look again and you'll notice it's a woman's beautiful neck, with
wisps of hair falling on her shoulders and a dark pearl necklace.
Suddenly there's an intimacy and depth beyond what one might initially
assume. MRVSS is a collection of songs dealing with the wars each of us
confront every day: the battle between who we are, what we're becoming
and who we thought we'd be in all parts of our lives. In the last song
on MRVSS, "Closing In," Ryan concludes, "Maybe it's just that we're the
only ones that can save us from ourselves." Soon after, a guitar
explodes in fireworks of anger, determination and transcendence. It's a
beautiful moment.
Artist's Web Site
See a YouTube clip from Matthew Ryan Vs. The Silver State
Singer, songwriter and guitarist John Dee Graham is a native Texan
with a deep, eclectic musical history. The writer Don Henry Ford Jr.
describes Jon Dee Graham as "unvarnished, raw and gritty." He can sing
soft introspective songs or he can blow you out of your seat with
pounding rock and roll. April, 2006 marks Graham's return to
independence with the CD release of Full on Freedom Records, Graham's
5th solo release. He was voted "Musician of the Year" at the Austin
Music Awards during the 2006 South By Southwest Music Conference.
Critics have high praise for Graham: Richard Skanse of Rolling Stone
describes Graham as being "ferocious with primal roar as human as he
grapples everyman's struggle."
"A master songwriter and guitarist, Graham creates tales of truth and
hope." - Austin Chronicle
"[Graham's] gravelly voice continues to age like a fine wine, his
songwriting reigns supreme, his music is a standard hoisted in the name
of maturity without compromise." — High Bias
"[Jon Dee has] channels into John Updike territory and, in the process,
delivered the most complete album of his solo career." — Houston Press
Jon Dee Graham is a combination of solid musicianship, salt-of-the-earth
songwriting with a gravelly-voiced delivery."- Michael Corcoran, Austin
American Statesman.
Full was produced by Mike Stewart (Poi Dog Pondering) and features
Andrew DuPlantis (Son Volt) on bass, Michael Hardwick (Eliza Gilkyson)
on guitars and John Chipman on drums. Many critics, such as Andy Langer
(Esquire, News 8 Austin), are already praising Full, calling it Graham's
best record yet.
Jon Dee Graham was born in Levelland, Texas, the second son of a high
plains cotton farmer. When he was six years old, his family relocated to
the town of Quemado, near the Mexican-Texas border, where he lived until
he was 17, when he moved to Austin after his father went to the lonesome
valley.
Graham toured with The Skunks and the guitar army The True Believers in
the '80s and has gone on touring, writing, recording, and producing with
artists such as John Hiatt, The Gourds, Patti Smyth, Darden Smith, Simon
Bonney, Ryan Hedgecock of Lone Justice, Michelle Shocked, John Doe,
Exene Cervenka, Kelly Willis, Trish Murphy, Kacy Crowley, Calvin
Russell, Lou Ann Barton and Dan Stuart of Blue on Red, among others.
After living for almost a decade in Los Angeles with his ex-wife Sally
Norvell (Congo Norvell) and his son Roy, Graham moved back to Austin in
1997. He is now married to a college professor in Austin, with whom he
has another son, Willie, who recently was diagnosed with the rare bone
disease Legg-Perthes.
Some people hide what they are and the things they have done from the
world. Jon Dee Graham isn't one of those. No, he opens his heart, mind
and soul for all daring to peer inside. What you see won't be the
prettiest picture in the world, but it'll be the truth.
Jon Dee bears scars—the scars of a warrior caught in a world gone
mad—the scars of a man that took a deep drink of life on the rough side
of town and survived. He's made of stern stuff. At his core lives a pure
heart and a clean spirit. You'll find few in the world of music with
greater empathy for the people.
In 2005, Graham found himself back on tour with ex-band member of The
True Believers, Alejandro Escovedo, opening acoustically and playing
electrically with Al, supporting Graham's EP, First Bear on the Moon. He
ended 2005 touring solo acoustically in Europe and recording with John
Cale for Escovedo's upcoming release.
Graham has settled into his own solo career as well as a brilliant side
project as a member of Austin's beloved The Resentments, featuring
Graham, Stephen Bruton, Scrappy Jud Newcomb, Bruce Hughes, and John
Chipman. Cracked, raspy, passionate and endearing, Graham's voice is his
most recognizable trademark.
The music of Jon Dee Graham has been highlighted in the feature film,
Ladder 49, and the television series, Veronica Mars. The Blue Rose label
releases Full in Europe on May 5. Graham will be spending 2006 touring
and supporting Full in the United States and Europe.
Artist's Web Site
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