Thursday, March 20, 2014

SONGWRITER RYAN D WHITE DEBUTS SECOND SINGLE OFF NEW EP



Sounding like a mashup of Disclosure and The National (I'm not kidding) Ryan D White and his second single "We Are the Dreamers" just can't sit still. Refusing to be pigeonholed, Colorado crooner/producer showcases his production chops with "Dreamers," a song that wears it's heart openly on the sleeve, yet keeps White's heartfelt, poetic, completely devoid of pretension aesthetic. "We Are the Dreamers" starts with a laid-back lounge drum machine beat, but quickly builds to the heart of the song. Two lovers on a moonless night, driven by love and a desire to build their own reality, one far removed from commercial neon.

Colorado producer, engineer and now full-time musician Ryan D White sounds like he's been writing music his whole life, rather than producing and engineering from the "other side of the glass," as he puts it. White writes songs that resonate from deep within, and it's obvious to even the casual listener that glitz, glamour or groupies are the last thing on White's mind. He writes because he needs to, and that honesty shines through. From the grandiose melancholy of title track "Something Brilliant Is About To Happen," the five songs touch on a variety of influences, from the coping eloquence of The National, to the trippy humanity of Tame Impala. The heart of his two releases beats purely for himself and for his son, whom White lost before deciding to get into creating music, rather than producing. It has been an emotional release, with White following his muses while finding his own path.

"I believe that the job of an artist is to open themselves up enough that, while influences can’t help but be heard, the end style is as unique as the artist creating the music," explains White. "To write music to fit a specific genre is to basically follow a formula and doing so inhibits creativity." White's creative journey started with his first release, largely inspired by the tragic loss of his son, This is How We Lose Our Minds. The self-produced and self-released LP that took the listener on the roller coaster ride that is the healing process – grappling with sadness, guilt, and anger before ending in ultimate triumph with love, hope and acceptance. 

For his second release, Something Brilliant is About to Happen, Ryan D White teamed up with Grammy-nominated Producer Mark Hallman (who mixed and mastered his first album) to create an epic 5 song EP that picks up where the first left off. With the addition of vocalist Genevieve Baer, each song soars melodically and conceptually as White further explores the themes of love and hope, while maintaining both during difficult times. The end result is five tracks of transcendence, with hooks and an optimism that allows the listener enough space to contemplate the themes behind the songs or simply dance joyously. 

Hard at work on his third album, White still records, mixes, and produces music for other musicians at Vertigo Sound Lab, his private studio in Boulder, CO. He is also now the father to an amazing year old daughter and, after the tragedies of their past, he and his wife take great pleasure in watching her grow and explore while inspiring the whole family to see the world through a new set of eyes. For White, the hard part is over, but the journey never ends.

No comments:

Post a Comment

That Nashville Sound

Americana UK

Twangville

Folking.com

The Boot

MusicRow

Folklife Today

American Songwriter

Consequence of Sound

NPR Topics: Music Videos

Collectible Vinyl Records for Sale

This Week's Find

Americana Yesterday

The Hey Joe Blog

HeavyConnector.com