tag:ryanhood.com,2005:/blogs/latest-news?p=8Latest News2023-01-10T15:34:31-07:00Ryanhoodfalsetag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/71361512023-01-10T15:34:31-07:002023-11-30T19:21:32-07:00Folk Alliance 2023 Showcase Schedule<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/a050bd32dd0e68b7a6db4fdda0f81e44b22dacaa/original/flyer-ryanhood-fai-2023-schedule-web.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/71278832022-12-24T08:34:25-07:002022-12-24T09:21:07-07:00"A Winter's Evening With Ryanhood" Live at the MIM — Concert Replay<p>We capped off our "Winter's Evening with Ryanhood" tour with a sold out performance at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix. For those of you who couldn't catch the tour, we captured this final show of the tour so you can enjoy it from wherever you are.</p>
<p><strong>If you'd like to donate to the band, consider joining our <a contents="Patreon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.patreon.com/ryanhood" target="_blank">Patreon</a>, or donating directly via PayPal <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://paypal.me/ryanhoodllc" target="_blank">here</a>.</strong></p>
<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="HXysKrUHoTs" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/HXysKrUHoTs/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HXysKrUHoTs?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="180" width="320" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/71278842022-12-01T22:00:00-07:002022-12-23T22:10:50-07:00A Winter's Evening with Ryanhood 2022 Tour<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/73c09da7d7461d738f2e9942e41c0350f78a2ee1/original/flyer-ryanhood-winters-evening-tour-2022-web.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/70293892022-08-02T15:34:00-07:002022-08-02T15:34:00-07:00Ryanhood Joins Myriad Artists<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.myriadartists.com" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/57442b8591560d70e5e8ea9ca7ad1fc626ec6ccb/original/screen-shot-2022-08-02-at-3-30-54-pm.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ryanhood has joined the Myriad Artists family! For bookings, contact <a contents="Trish Galfano" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://myriadartists.com/contact-us/" target="_blank">Trish Galfano</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/69639972022-05-04T22:12:41-07:002022-05-04T22:14:07-07:00Takamine Premieres 'Appy Returns'<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.esptakamine.com/videos/2043020" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/e05fddbdc47e2fd19863ef38e55b523d2b84abd2/original/screen-shot-2022-05-04-at-10-09-12-pm.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Big thanks to the folks at Takamine Guitars for sharing our new video for <em>Appy Returns</em> (which just so happens to feature us shredding on our Takamines!) Check it out <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.esptakamine.com/videos/2043020" target="_blank">here</a>!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/69623132022-05-02T22:48:04-07:002022-05-09T14:07:49-07:00Ryanhood at International Folk Alliance<p>We'll be attending this year's International Folk Alliance conference in Kansas City May 19-21. For any other folkies who will be attending, our private showcase schedule is below.</p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/e7dd4134b0e4e7edb68b7208aa91a02eca8d65d3/original/flyer-ryanhood-fai-2022-schedule-single.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/68527272021-12-27T11:12:36-07:002021-12-27T11:12:36-07:00For Folk’s Sake’s ‘Best of 2021’<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.forfolkssake.com/news/40468/ffs-best-of-2021" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/210b6631fae9fab58e55a0857352082207605a1d/original/screen-shot-2021-12-27-at-10-58-13-am.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Our album “Under the Leaves” made For Folk’s Sake’s ‘Best of 2021’ list! Check out the full list <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.forfolkssake.com/news/40468/ffs-best-of-2021" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/68366252021-12-10T13:27:19-07:002021-12-10T13:27:19-07:00Surprise! A Gift from Ryanhood<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/a-winters-evening-with-ryanhood-live-at-hotel-congress" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/e4c3f1634c0669e3d05777e7a3cfa104951def4b/original/cover-ryanhood-a-winters-evening-live-2.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Surprise! A present from us to you! </p>
<p>Since we've missed getting to tour and perform for you in person this year, we wanted to surprise you with the next best thing—<a contents="A Winter's Evening With Ryanhood (Live at Hotel Congress)" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/a-winters-evening-with-ryanhood-live-at-hotel-congress" target="_blank"><em>A Winter's Evening With Ryanhood (Live at Hotel Congress)</em></a>— a fan-only live album recorded in front of a sold-out audience in Tucson, AZ on December 4th, 2021. Listen in your car, with your family, or as you make your way through the coldest snow. (Available as a free download or pay what you want).</p>
<p>We wish you sleigh rides and silent nights this holiday season! </p>
<p>Yours Troubadourly, <br>Ryan + Cameron <br>Ryanhood</p>
<p> </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/a-winters-evening-with-ryanhood-live-at-hotel-congress" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/6f7fb3115fe1fffe92179a0fcda2ee47e2d2b02e/original/cover-ryanhood-a-winters-evening-live-back-1.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/67497952021-09-17T11:26:50-07:002021-09-17T11:26:50-07:00October Shows Postponed<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/877e0e06117826a8eb4b698f362f203ccdece8ba/original/ryanhoodlums-unfortunately-we-are-postponing-next-month-s-run-of-shows-in-the-northeast-we-re-especially-bummed-that-it-means-we-won-t-be-able-to-take-part-in-the-black-bear-music-festival-with-a-many-of-our-favor-2.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/67115972021-08-09T15:54:23-07:002021-08-09T15:55:46-07:00Celebrating 20 Years with New Patreon Album, "SKETCHES vol 1"<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/02a90708e01be84f6b76490a4dd8058aff731807/original/img-ryanhood-sketches-cameron-holding.jpg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Hey Everyone! <br>Today marks the 20th anniversary of Ryanhood! </p>
<p>In 2001, we played <a contents="our first show" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.smugmug.com/Shows-Tours/Langley-Gardens-2001" target="_blank">our first show</a> together. And over the next 20 years, 8 albums, and 1000+ shows, we’ve been trying to “make our lives a song” worth singing. And <em>you’ve</em> been listening. </p>
<p>To celebrate, we now present to you <em>SKETCHES vol 1</em>, a new album of rarities and unreleased songs! </p>
<p>It’s half Ryanhood songs you’ve NEVER heard before, and half Ryanhood songs AS you’ve never heard them before. It’s our way of saying thanks, and inviting you more deeply into our creative community. </p>
<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/1f87594534fdfa5919cbc64edac854ddcaf9f188/original/img-2424.jpeg/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p><em>SKETCHES vol 1</em> is exclusively available to <a contents="anyone who joins our Patreon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.patreon.com/ryanhood" target="_blank">anyone who joins our Patreon</a> during our anniversary month of August. So if you’ve been thinking about checking out the tons of amazing things we’re doing on our Patreon, now is <em>THE</em> time! </p>
<p>We’ve just completely revamped and relaunched our Patreon with all new features including: </p>
<ul> <li>An <strong>“All-Request Ryanhood Livestream Concert”</strong> every month! </li> <li>A <strong>“Ryanhood Patreon Open Mic”</strong> once a month (a chance for YOU to play for US and the rest of the Ryanhood community!) </li> <li>
<strong>A new instrumental from Ryan</strong> every week! </li> <li>
<strong>A lyrical or philosophical post from Cameron</strong> every other week! </li> <li>Our <strong>“Cover Song of the Month”</strong> voted on by you! </li> <li>
<strong>Stories Behind the Songs</strong>, <strong>Ryanhood Sheet Music</strong>, <strong>Song Premieres</strong>, and so much more. </li>
</ul>
<p>Since we’re still extremely limited on our ability to tour due to the pandemic, we could really use your support! We’re making Patreon THE place for you to experience all the fun & community of being a Ryanhood fan. So come give it a try for a month (or a year!)—we think you’re going to love it. </p>
<p>Yours Troubadourly, <br>Ryan and Cameron <br>Ryanhood </p>
<p>PS… <em>SKETCHES vol 1</em> is available only until 11:59pm on August 31! Until then, you can get it as a download, a physical CD, or even get your name printed inside the artwork. <a contents="Come see!" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.patreon.com/ryanhood" target="_blank">Come see!</a> </p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/66682302021-06-23T11:17:37-07:002021-06-23T11:17:37-07:00Black Bear Americana Music Festival<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/c7b35c5ef070958070241404cd2d54054f0f3dd3/original/screen-shot-2021-06-23-at-10-55-28-am.png/!!/meta:eyJzcmNCdWNrZXQiOiJiemdsZmlsZXMifQ==/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" />We're happy to announce that we'll be performing at the 2021 Black Bear Americana Music Festival in Goshen, CT on October 9th, along with other great New England artists including Ellis Paul and Adam Ezra. Can't wait!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/66672212021-06-22T13:44:23-07:002021-08-12T16:55:40-07:00"Always Love You" w/ Tucson Symphony Orchestra<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="iVGfB6SpMJ0" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/iVGfB6SpMJ0/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iVGfB6SpMJ0?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="338" width="600" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Check out this dramatic live performance of "Always Love You" (from our album <em>After Night Came Sun</em>) featuring members of the Tucson Symphony Orchestra.</p>
<p>Filmed and produced by Arizona Arts Live, University of Arizona</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/66039952021-04-14T11:18:36-07:002021-04-14T11:18:36-07:00Under The Leaves, Under the Stars: A Livestream Event<p><a contents="" data-link-label="Livestream" data-link-type="page" href="/livestream" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/f23499d1f902a5cceafd7e4d268b4bba9d012da8/original/img-ryanhood-livestream-041721-3.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a>Join us this Saturday, April 17th for a very special livestream of our concert at the MSA Annex in Tucson, AZ. We'll be joined by a string quartet, and performing songs from the new album <em>Under the Leaves</em>, as well as old favorites. You can watch it <a contents="here" data-link-label="Livestream" data-link-type="page" href="/livestream" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/65993852021-04-09T09:48:36-07:002021-04-09T09:48:36-07:00Ryanhood joins Set Break<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/6939119fe5237232e38dcfcf5ffe428dfb144d52/original/ryanhood-ig-square.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" />We're thrilled to be joining Alanis Morissette, Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles and more in supporting mental health in the music industry. Tune in for Set Break on April 10th for a day packed with live music, important messages, and wellness experiences to support Backline. </p>
<p>More info 🖤 <a contents="backline.care/set-break" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://backline.care/set-break" target="_blank">backline.care/set-break</a></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/65924562021-04-02T14:04:13-07:002021-04-14T11:13:54-07:00Nashville Lifestyles Magazine picks "Under The Leaves"<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://nashvillelifestyles.com/entertainment/music/new-music-april-2021/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/06b2e17c4535febf74b645b4a97b68d90d4775a6/original/nashville.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/9613345b1fb6fb769dfdab5186e99a05a246e349/original/img-6820.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Nashville Lifestyles Magazine named "Under the Leaves" one of it's four picks for April, 2021(alongside releases from Eric Church, Parker Milsap, and Amy Speace.)</p>
<p>"Acoustic fusion aces Ryanhood offer an all-natural shot in the arm with <em>Under the Leaves</em>... mixing bluegrass speed, jam-ready melodies, and pop-rocking forward momentum, two guys with guitars challenge decades of easy-listening 'rules.'" Read the feature <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://nashvillelifestyles.com/entertainment/music/new-music-april-2021/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/65924412021-04-02T13:52:22-07:002021-04-02T14:05:11-07:00PopMatters features Ryanhood<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.popmatters.com/ryanhood-under-leaves-premiere" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/de07736f21e1c76778093b85aed1c77b9a763f5b/original/popm2.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>PopMatters did a feature on our new single "Under the Leaves" (the title track from our forthcoming album). </p>
<p><br>"A swirl of strings and multisided percussion in 5/4 time...Under the Leaves sees Ryanhood exploring new means of innovating their sound." Read the full article <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.popmatters.com/ryanhood-under-leaves-premiere" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/65826482021-03-23T13:03:09-07:002021-03-23T13:07:30-07:00Ryanhood featured on Trunk Space<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://openthetrunk.com/ryanhood/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/6f5e7cc4f497d1fa6ef5ed81cfc10faaf5b4f6b2/original/hq720.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Check out this great interview with Jason M. Burns at Trunk Space. We talked about the benefits of being a duo, how we channel our creative energy when we can't tour, and whether there is such a thing as a "creative soul-mate". Here's a link to the <a contents="full interview" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://openthetrunk.com/ryanhood/" target="_blank">full interview</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/65700012021-03-10T10:14:19-07:002021-03-10T10:14:19-07:00Atwood Magazine Premieres "Wide Awake in a Dream"<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://atwoodmagazine.com/wwkd-ryanhood-wide-awake-in-a-dream-song-premiere/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/530a5eb480e720129f79ab04e8a5ac6a82f9f316/original/atwood.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/65620242021-03-01T14:19:48-07:002021-03-01T14:19:48-07:00The Bluegrass Situation Premieres "Appy Returns"<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://thebluegrasssituation.com/read/listen-ryanhood-appy-returns/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/e82274e6236457cad8a4e2ffe36964783294dbe0/original/bgs2.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/65577232021-02-24T14:06:00-07:002021-02-24T14:08:24-07:002020 International Songwriting Competition Semi-Finalists<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/dd5d6bd42adaf5e98de7d5ea1e4c8f9c8df4aa92/original/2020iscsemifinalist.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Our new single "The Fight", from our upcoming album <a contents="Under the Leaves" data-link-label="Under The Leaves" data-link-type="page" href="/under-the-leaves" target="_blank"><em>Under the Leaves</em></a>, was just named a semi-finalist in the 2020 International Songwriting Competition. The song draws inspiration from the likes of French historian René Girard and Slovenian philosopher Slavoj Žižek, Martin Luther King, Jr., and even Psalm 46, and we're honored to have it recognized! If you haven't heard the song yet, check it out <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ffm.to/the-fight" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/65577122021-02-24T13:59:35-07:002021-02-24T14:00:29-07:00Ryanhood @ The Vinyl District<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thevinyldistrict.com/storefront/2021/02/ryanhood-the-tvd-first-date/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/766215bdbe016479575fa38a7ce06de35886fdfe/original/153298008-10158202569098099-162097057466340793-n.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>“...My Uncle Phil got all the wires set up, and began dubbing one song at a time directly from the turntable to the cassette deck. You could hear the tell-tale needle drop, the crackle, and those incredible musical colors that lifted themselves up from the grooves. ‘Dear Prudence’ and ‘I’ve Just Seen a Face’ were on there. So were ‘And Your Bird Can Sing,’ ‘I’m Only Sleeping,’ ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps’ and a few others. . . . For the next year or two, my dad and I drove around listening and re-listening to that tape-from-vinyl, dissecting the songwriting, making up harmonies, and discussing exactly which clues were most convincing that Paul was indeed ‘dead.’” </p>
<p>In preparation for our first ever vinyl release, read the full essay on Cameron's relationship with vinyl at <a contents="The Vinyl District&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thevinyldistrict.com/storefront/2021/02/ryanhood-the-tvd-first-date/" target="_blank">The Vinyl District</a></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/65510552021-02-16T17:00:00-07:002021-02-17T12:28:18-07:00Under the Leaves, Under the Stars<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://arizonaartslive.com/ryanhood" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/340ea06bd246cf64cd106d808be6c99e2c698765/original/flyer-ryanhood-msa-annex-april-2021.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Our new album, Under The Leaves, performed under the stars. You can sit with your pod of beloved folks at a 2-top or a 4-top table, tables are far apart, overall capacity is kept to 100 people per show, and it’s outdoors under the spring stars in Tucson. Only 100 tickets are available for each of these special intimate shows, so if this sounds like it might be for you, <a contents="grab a table" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://Only%20100%20tickets%20are%20available%20for%20each%20of%20these%20special%20intimate%20shows,%20so" target="_blank">grab a table</a> right now before they sell out!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/65385732021-02-03T11:33:36-07:002021-02-03T11:33:36-07:00Ryanhood Featured in American Songwriter<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://americansongwriter.com/ryanhood-is-battling-hydras-and-fighting-the-good-fight/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/bad0bd6e821a94d68bd502b1fca924e96b6a833f/original/amsongwriter.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>“'The Fight' tackles the clash between morality and ideology with a brainy intellectualism not often seen in a pop song...Intricate and challenging, Ryan’s acoustic guitarwork creates a steady and solid foundation for Cameron’s lyrics to shine." Read the full article <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://americansongwriter.com/ryanhood-is-battling-hydras-and-fighting-the-good-fight/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/65258872021-01-20T11:09:33-07:002021-01-20T11:09:33-07:00Ryanhood at Takamine Showcase 2021<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoSGx0c1XwU&t=32s" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/f437e9c2824d4e152b3e3280587d46fa996ab43f/original/original-2.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>We were invited to be a part of Takamine's 2021 showcase, where we had the chance to share what an important role Takamine Guitars have played throughout our career. You can check out the interview <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CoSGx0c1XwU&t=32s" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/64865642020-12-28T09:00:00-07:002021-01-20T11:00:51-07:00New Album "Under The Leaves" Coming Soon<p><a contents="" data-link-label="UnderTheLeaves" data-link-type="page" href="/undertheleaves"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/0067efeb897cd3b85e02a79a30a2bf5e68528587/original/mockup-ryanhood-under-the-leaves-merch-vinyl-white.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>We have a new album on the way. It's called <em>Under The Leaves </em>and it's moving, and fun, and deep... everything you could want from a Ryanhood record. It will be available on CD and vinyl. We've also crafted a companion book filled with essays and stories about the songs, expanded artwork, and more.</p>
<p>The album will officially release in April 2021, stay tuned for more details...</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/65039692020-12-18T08:35:00-07:002020-12-20T08:35:25-07:00Fireside Concert Livestream<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/4bnmKQSOh2Y" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/98d2e372f37712e1c1849c6ff17449f3d544299a/original/img-ryanhood-livestream-122020-2.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>We're playing a Fireside Concert Livestream on Dec 20th. It'll be a chance for some comfort and communion with one another. A nice way to end the year together and ring in the new one. </p>
<p>It starts at 5pm PST - 6pm MST (AZ) - 7pm CST - 8pm EST <br>You can watch it on YouTube... here's the direct link: <a contents="https://youtu.be/4bnmKQSOh2Y&nbsp;" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/4bnmKQSOh2Y" target="_blank">https://youtu.be/4bnmKQSOh2Y </a><br> </p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/63349792020-05-29T12:53:36-07:002020-05-29T14:33:57-07:002020 Touring Cancelled<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.fanbridge.com/campaigns/show.php?id=1553648" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/00d5cf095c28f5883de303c264af0ed46b804b91/original/letter-ryanhood-covid-response-jpg.jpg/!!/undefined/b:W1sic2l6ZSIsImxhcmdlIl1d.jpg" class="size_xl justify_center border_" /></a></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/63181562020-05-15T15:01:15-07:002020-05-15T15:06:02-07:00Jessica hits half-a-million!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/f60223d15e48d17a3e50870758cc16ab52839d46/original/cover-ryanhood-single-jessica.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Our mandolin and ukulele version of The Allman Brother's classic instrumental <em>Jessica </em>has now been watched and shared by more than <strong>half-a-million people </strong>on Facebook! Who knew such tiny instruments could wield such power?</p>
<p>Check it out on <a contents="Facebook" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.facebook.com/RyanhoodMusic/posts/10157271626188099" target="_blank">Facebook</a>, <a contents="YouTube" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DGi6e0IETU" target="_blank">YouTube</a>, or add the song to your favorite playlist on <a contents="Spotify" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/track/0lVhrv13EEmuSlrh0pI6Sk?si=nbhRxMFIQzCkoBp-1cenMw">Spotify</a></p>
<p>ps. You can download an mp3 of the song (as well as our entire recorded catalog!) by becoming a supporter of ours over at <a contents="Patreon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.patreon.com/ryanhood" target="_blank">Patreon</a>!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/62605662020-03-24T13:54:14-07:002020-03-24T13:54:14-07:00Featured in Ukulele Magazine<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ukulelemag.com/stories/news/feel-good-video-du-jour-a-mando-and-uke-version-of-the-allman-brothers-classic-jessica" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/0c669176839e75544968b1805e410537f4b202dc/original/uke-mag.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Ukulele Magazine recently named our mandolin and ukulele duet of <em>Jessica</em> the "Feel-Good Video Du Jour"! Check out the article and video <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.ukulelemag.com/stories/news/feel-good-video-du-jour-a-mando-and-uke-version-of-the-allman-brothers-classic-jessica" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/62344372020-03-02T09:30:00-07:002020-03-24T13:43:18-07:00Brand New Hats!<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://ryanhood.bandcamp.com" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/6b884ab1be0b14caeccd2baf6b0923f88e0f002a/original/mockup-ryanhood-trucker-hat-2-front-1.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a>Heads up! ;-)</p>
<p>We've got a brand new hat design now available at the Ryanhood <a contents="online store" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://ryanhood.bandcamp.com" target="_blank">online store</a> (or at our merchandise table at a show). We hope you'll wear it with pride!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/62344342020-02-01T09:20:00-07:002020-03-02T09:21:00-07:00"And Your Bird Can Sing" now streaming!<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/track/1VON6LbUqCpYgO8QduzbIT?si=8doz68fUT0Oyjf9R4wTn5Q" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/2adb01e226815a8c14140ed77ac56d5529697e80/original/bird.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Our version of The Beatles' song <em>And Your Bird Can Sing</em> is available today for streaming on Spotify! Click <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/track/1VON6LbUqCpYgO8QduzbIT?si=8doz68fUT0Oyjf9R4wTn5Q" target="_blank">here</a> and listen lots of times (preferably millions) and spread the word! And if you'd like to download the song, become a Ryanhood patron on <a contents="Patreon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.patreon.com/ryanhood" target="_blank">Patreon</a> and you can download it, as well as the rest of our catalog!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/62344312020-01-15T09:15:00-07:002020-03-02T09:24:53-07:00Ryanhood Launches a Patreon<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="ml137oO2bwE" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/ml137oO2bwE/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ml137oO2bwE?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>People often ask us "what's the best way to support you guys?" <br>We haven't always had a best answer, but we do now... please join us on <a contents="Patreon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.patreon.com/ryanhood" target="_blank">Patreon</a>. It's a platform where you can become a Ryanhood patron, helping us to continue to create and tour, AND (as if that wasn't enough) in return you get access to things like exclusive music releases, sheet music, private concerts, exclusive merch, and more!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/62344402019-12-23T09:40:00-07:002020-03-02T09:38:21-07:00Ryanhood on This American Life<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/6565ac4818b837cfc5c6d3c1d6ce33d39665254c/original/480x270-4903.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>Those of you tuning in to NPR this past holiday weekend may have heard our song <em>What Is Christmas</em> on the popular radio show This American Life. If you m missed it, you can listen to the episode <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.thisamericanlife.org/576/say-yes-to-christmas" target="_blank">here</a> (our song caps off the episode at the end), and you can listen to our song <em>What Is Christmas</em> in its entirety <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/track/what-is-christmas" target="_blank">here</a>. It's always such an honor to be made a part of our favorite radio show!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/59819142019-11-27T10:40:33-07:002019-11-27T10:40:34-07:00Video: TEDx Tucson "How Bad Things Can Make Us Good People"<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="qR2dh4OlW6o" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/qR2dh4OlW6o/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qR2dh4OlW6o?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="338" width="600" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Storytelling has become a major part of Ryanhood shows in the past few years, and we frequently get asked for recordings and videos of those storytelling moments from our live shows. But we haven’t had anything solid to point to—until now. </p>
<p>We are so pleased to present our first <a contents="TED talk" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://youtu.be/qR2dh4OlW6o" target="_blank">TED talk</a>, “How bad things can make us good people”! </p>
<p>Recorded live at the 2019 TEDx Tucson [R]evolution Conference, our first time on the red circle wove the songs “I Didn’t Put Anything Into Your Place” and “Second City” with stories of personal heartbreak, large scale disaster, and how we can find hope for our whole culture by choosing to face our own hard places. </p>
<p>Here’s the official TEDx YouTube video description: </p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>Poets from Ernest Hemingway to Kanye West have taught us that we can, over time, become stronger right at the places where we’ve been wounded. But does “stronger” always mean “better”? While many of our greatest heroes were been born of intense suffering, many of our strongest villains were born the same way. What causes some people to pass on their pain on to others in warfare, racism, and abuse, while some seem to transform their pain into great art, compassionate wisdom, and restorative justice? </em></p>
<p><em>Join Cameron Hood and Ryan David Green of Tucson, Arizona’s indie-folk duo Ryanhood as they use virtuosity, heart, and humor to explore the gifts of heartbreak, loss, and failure. What does it mean to truly transform pain? And how is it that bad things can make us into good people? </em></p>
</blockquote>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/59522772019-11-06T22:58:15-07:002019-11-06T22:58:15-07:00Cameron Hood: The Record That Changed My Life<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://beachcomberdestin.com/2019/10/24/the-record-that-changed-my-life-ryanhoods-cameron-hood/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/4012d59da48a12797e8be2eaf3197195dd193b9b/original/screen-shot-2019-11-06-at-11-56-21-pm.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Check out Beachcomber Magazine's recent article, in which Cameron gets to muse about the record that most changed his life. Read it <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://beachcomberdestin.com/2019/10/24/the-record-that-changed-my-life-ryanhoods-cameron-hood/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p> </p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/59061502019-09-26T08:41:43-07:002019-09-26T09:53:14-07:00Takamine Features Ryanhood<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.esptakamine.com/articles/2012839-artist-spotlight-ryanhood" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/a186c7100941da30cafdcc63e63fd5e186cb0a4c/original/ryanhood-by-ehab-tamimi-dscf3425.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Ryanhood is this month's Artist Spotlight over at Takamine Guitars. We're big fans of the guitar maker, and you can read a wide ranging interview we did with the guitar maker discussing all things acoustic guitar. Check out the full interview <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.esptakamine.com/articles/2012839-artist-spotlight-ryanhood" target="_blank">here</a>!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/58077302019-06-28T12:37:09-07:002019-06-28T12:37:09-07:00TEDx Tucson<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tedxtucson-2019-conference-revolution-tickets-52678452670" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/dd20fc93a19a2641cdc7bee99cdc4ffef298bd51/original/https-cdn-evbuc-com-images-63213041-161433197140-1-original-20190531-193249.jpeg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>We’ve been invited to speak and perform at TEDx Tucson on Sep 21! More than 500 of Tucson’s most impassioned TEDx enthusiasts will come together to immerse in "ideas worth spreading”. It will be an all day event, taking place at the Berger Theater, and you can get more information and tickets <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/tedxtucson-2019-conference-revolution-tickets-52678452670" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/57387442019-05-01T08:25:19-07:002019-05-01T08:25:19-07:00Ryanhood Coloring Book<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/merch/ryanhood-coloring-book" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/4eb263363b3cd716ff433f39c760e1e06a366718/original/0015921304-10-2.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Hand drawn by our very own Uncle Cameron, this <a contents="Ryanhood coloring book" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/merch/ryanhood-coloring-book" target="_blank">Ryanhood coloring book</a> is perfect for kids and adults alike. This saddle-stitched (stapled) booklet features 15 unique coloring pages depicting the duo in all of their extra-musical adventures, such as: </p>
<p>- Ryanhood on the moon <br>- Ryanhood riding horses <br>- Ryanhood riding dinosaurs <br>- Ryanhood under the sea <br>- Ryanhood enjoying a jumping castle <br>- Ryanhood planting a garden under the watchful eye of a brachiosaurus <br>- and more!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/57383532019-04-30T22:26:39-07:002019-04-30T22:34:45-07:00Ryanhood at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival 2019<p> </p>
<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://falconridgefolk.com" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/5d1c4533d52154e6d89cfde61a1410101586802f/original/58372899-10219526018561512-3844236046225113088-o.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>We're thrilled to be returning to perform at the 2019 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival in Hillsdale, NY on Aug 2, 3 and 4th, alongside BoDeans, Stephen Kellogg, and many other amazing acts. Tickets are on sale <a contents="now" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://falconridgefolk.com" target="_blank">now</a>!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/57383562019-04-19T22:30:00-07:002019-04-30T22:33:52-07:00WHRB Reviews Ryanhood at Club Passim<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.whrb.org/archive/whrb-reviews-ryanhood-club-passim" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/8be442f8e2af7bb00b1db3b81c28bd4c58742ede/original/screen-shot-2019-04-30-at-10-27-51-pm.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>WHRB 95.3FM (Harvard Radio Broadcasting) reviewed our recent live performance at Club Passim in Cambridge, MA. Check it out <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.whrb.org/archive/whrb-reviews-ryanhood-club-passim" target="_blank">here</a>!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/57387222019-04-10T08:10:00-07:002019-05-01T08:07:22-07:00Ryanhood at Opelika Songwriters Festival<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.opelikasongwritersfestival.com" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/52ea94cd8ed042648f641b376691a8ce5a99c89c/original/facebook.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>We are thrilled to be invited to perform at the first annual <a contents="Opelika Songwriters Festival " data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.opelikasongwritersfestival.com" target="_blank">Opelika Songwriters Festival </a>on May 24-26. We'll be playing alongside Shawn Mullins, Tony Lucca, Dan Navarro, and many more amazing songwriters.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/56087492019-01-23T10:03:50-07:002019-01-23T10:03:50-07:00Takamine Guitars<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.takamine.com/artists" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/f8b22b7e11a782e8e9e6cfe6e1279e7b94167bd9/original/screen-shot-2019-01-23-at-9-22-58-am.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a>We're proud to announce that we're officially a part of the <a contents="Takamine Guitar family." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.takamine.com/artists" target="_blank">Takamine Guitar family.</a> What an honor to be in the company of so many of our heroes. Come on out to one of our a live shows and you'll see/hear us rocking out with our Takamine <a contents="P7DC" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.takamine.com/P7DC" target="_blank">P7DC</a> and <a contents="EF341SC" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.takamine.com/EF341SC" target="_blank">EF341SC</a> guitars.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/55020182018-11-06T12:11:18-07:002018-11-06T12:11:18-07:00November Tour Dates<p><a contents="" data-link-label="Shows" data-link-type="page" href="/shows"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/b9f577a04f0afeafa45b10ff1d28cf19633aceb5/original/november-tour-dates-2.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/54693872018-10-14T11:49:50-07:002018-11-05T11:33:28-07:00Shows with Kevin Griffin<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/a047ecd49d3490e28be1871c68378c4d03f7b48b/original/screen-shot-2018-10-14-at-11-43-54-am.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" />We're thrilled to be opening up for Kevin Griffin at his upcoming City Winery shows in New York City, Washington DC, and Atlanta. Kevin is the frontman for the band Better Than Ezra, and has penned countless hits for other artists as well. But on top of all of that, he's one of the most-fun artists we've ever had the pleasure of playing with (we had the honor for opening up for him in Denver in 2016). Check the shows page for details and ticket links!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/54683542018-10-10T11:25:00-07:002018-10-13T11:33:02-07:00FAR-West Official Showcase<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/34132262c72ce1d32dae70d11783a6ba88ea8ff5/original/6a01347fb35eac970c022ad3b0d0d0200b.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We are Official Showcase Artists at the 2018 FAR-West (Folk Alliance Region West) Conference in Woodland Hills, CA. We will also be playing a few late night 'guerilla' showcases as well. Hope to see some old friends at the conference, and look forward to meeting new ones!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/54506242018-10-01T10:04:11-07:002018-10-01T10:04:11-07:00California Shows<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/be30104a5606f949b6b4d4450aa72a8119a46d2d/original/california-shows.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/54364312018-09-20T08:25:06-07:002018-09-20T08:32:03-07:00Video: Yearbook (Full Album) on YouTube<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="Fk0wvRcC5Xw" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/Fk0wvRcC5Xw/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fk0wvRcC5Xw?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="338" width="600" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>The <em>Yearbook</em> whole album lyric video is here! <br><br>With our previous album, <em>Start Somewhere</em>, we found that listening to a whole album while reading the lyrics was actually a wonderful way to experience a record. So following in those footsteps, we're proud to present the long form YouTube video for <em>Yearbook</em>. </p>
<p>Click here to check out a <a contents="playlist of the individual videos" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0dXjsaBKJ0&list=PLDbkOJGvw7buqI4h_kkwO3aMdS2GvZs5O" target="_blank">playlist of the individual videos</a> from the <em>Yearbook.</em></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/54505952018-09-01T01:30:00-07:002018-10-01T09:28:07-07:00September Tour Dates<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/c77f2e4543c50b72486d699d183f02e6401e1548/original/img-0960.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/53627422018-07-26T10:14:47-07:002018-07-26T10:14:47-07:00AUGUST TOUR DATES<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/3beb89fc03b7bf8efc948fca44e31336e4a30332/original/august-2018tour-dates.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p>We're hitting the road again this August, including a stop at the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (where we were voted 'Most Wanted Act'<em> </em>last year!) Full details on all of the performances at <a contents="ryanhood.com/shows" data-link-label="Shows" data-link-type="page" href="/shows" target="_self">ryanhood.com/shows</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/53626422018-07-26T09:38:13-07:002018-07-26T09:39:32-07:00RYANHOOD OFFICIAL D'ADDARIO ARTISTS<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.daddario.com/DaddarioArtistDetails.Page?ActiveID=3777&ArtistId=47569&tid=1&ArtistName=Ryanhood&sid=ef30475a-8a52-4440-9112-ac0aa9d4e649" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/1eb600f60ff35d5158b06f176d2fdf7a65646d15/original/logo-daddario-4color-on-black.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>We're honored to officially partner with D'Addario, whose guitar strings we've used for many many years. We grew up seeing our favorite guitarists in posters and magazine ads for D'Addario strings, and now, to become official D'Addario artists ourselves is somewhat surreal. For those who are curious, Ryan plays EXP12s on his guitar and EXP75s on his mandolin, while Cameron uses EJ17s on his guitar and EJ88Ts on his ukulele.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/53588502018-07-23T15:59:32-07:002018-07-24T10:38:16-07:00Ryanhood Featured in Acoustic Guitar Magazine<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://acousticguitar.com/how-three-guitar-duos-work-together-to-create-tapestries-of-sound/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/8fdc434ca3f11e80db79b07468c9cddd4d414a39/original/ag309-1-grande.jpg/!!/b:W10=.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>We're honored to be featured in the Sep 2018 issue of Acoustic Guitar Magazine. The article explores the ways in which acoustic duos approach composing and arranging for two guitars. Here's a short snippet from the article:</p>
<p><em>“If you’re playing a second guitar part, a good question to ask is, will it be missed if it’s not there?” says Green. “You know you’ve come up with something good, something essential, when a song begins to hinge on your contribution, your additional voicings.”</em></p>
<p>Read the complete article <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://acousticguitar.com/how-three-guitar-duos-work-together-to-create-tapestries-of-sound/" target="_blank">here</a>!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/52683882018-05-31T14:06:42-07:002018-09-20T08:25:56-07:00Video: National Folk Festival in Australia<p><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="2xJn_DNEPok" data-video-thumb-url="https://img.youtube.com/vi/2xJn_DNEPok/mqdefault.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2xJn_DNEPok?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="360" width="640" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></p>
<p>Here's some beautiful footage from our performance at Australia's National Folk Festival this past April. We had a wonderful time during our first trip down under!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/52683662018-05-31T13:59:41-07:002018-05-31T13:59:41-07:00June 2018 Shows<p><br><a contents="" data-link-label="Shows" data-link-type="page" href="/shows" target="_self"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/376ee8b636e988031dcd552901c5e42e88e836f7/original/on-tour.png/!!/b:W10=.png" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a> </p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/50643002018-02-06T10:29:32-07:002018-05-08T11:08:01-07:00Ryanhood named "Discovery of the Year" at NYC's WFUV FM<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.wfuv.org/content/best-2017-staff-picks" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/bbc662a6eafe2987d5f302b2b013ebc2473e1da8/original/bestof2017staff.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>We are honored to have been named <strong>"Discovery of the Year"</strong> by WFUV's John Platt, who described us as "Two totally talented guys from Arizona, with fabulous harmonies and awesome musical chops." Thanks John!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/49979922017-12-28T20:26:39-07:002017-12-28T20:26:39-07:00Ryanhood to play Australia's National Folk Festival<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://folkfestival.org.au" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/151698fb34c154bc8c1af8ba4b64d0bb608c48a4/original/banner-1051490243-950x150.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a>We're thrilled to be making a trip Down Under for the first time to play an exclusive set at Australia's award-winning National Folk Festival. A five-day celebration of music, song and dance plus circus, spoken word and film, it's held in an idyllic village setting with roving entertainers, street circus, and stages of all sizes. We'll be accompanied by more than 200 international and national acts such as Greek legends Chrysoula K. & Púrpura, Serbia and the UK’s Faith i Branko and British contemporary bluegrass quintet Flats and Sharps. You can find tickets and more info via the festival’s <a contents="website" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://folkfestival.org.au" target="_blank">website</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/49475352017-11-24T11:34:44-07:002017-11-24T11:38:14-07:00Ryanhood's First Holiday Album, "On Christmas" Available Now<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/on-christmas" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/15113b62fc0a0ec89f4b0740f53726b466f47942/original/cover-ryanhood-on-christmas-web.jpg" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Our new album, <em>On Christmas</em>, is officially released into the world! <em>Tucson Lifestyle</em> had this to say: "At once catchy and yet profound, <em>On Christmas</em> explores a full range of emotions and material, providing ample opportunity for fans to discover new holiday classics." And you can read a wonderful review of the album at <a contents="For Folk's Sake" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.forfolkssake.com/reviews/36322/album-ryanhood-on-christmas?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter" target="_blank">For Folk's Sake</a> here. </p>
<p>Perfect for listening while hanging decorations, sipping tea, or driving to grandma's house, you can find it at <a contents="Bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/on-christmas" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a> (our preference), <a contents="iTunes" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/on-christmas/1314657839" target="_blank">iTunes, Apple Music</a>, and <a contents="Spotify" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://open.spotify.com/album/67mM9teRD70GjZoTnlLCZL" target="_blank">Spotify</a>. And for a limited time, everything in the online store is 20% off with the code "<strong>holidays</strong>"! This includes our new beanies and journals as well as CDs and t-shirts.<br><br>Merry early Christmas!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/49092642017-10-27T13:56:24-07:002017-11-20T11:50:53-07:00Ryanhood Named Best of Tucson 2017<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/best-folk/BestOf?oid=12477972" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/2c188deb61b41adfaa9bf13b3b007650e38b6038/large/bestoftucson.jpg?1509137559" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>We were named "Best Folk "in the <a contents="2017 Best of Tucson Awards" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/best-folk/BestOf?oid=12477972" target="_blank">2017 Best of Tucson Awards</a>. Whether they mean we're good at music, or just socially hospitable, we're honored either way! Additionally, we were first voted runner up for "Best Music Group", behind the legendary and mighty Calexico. Thanks for the love Tucson!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/47935122017-07-26T18:21:19-07:002017-07-26T18:22:37-07:00Grassy Hill Emerging Artists at Falcon Ridge Folk Festival<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://falconridgefolk.com/performers/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/e9100625d793aa3154bbd8fa23bfba15537f138b/original/picture-102.png?1501118348" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>We're honored to have been selected to play the Grassy Hill / Emerging Artists Stage at the 2017 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival. Among the Northeast’s most popular music festivals, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival, takes place August 4-6 at Dodds Farm on Route 7D in Hillsdale, New York. The festival features dozens of artists performing on several stages, a dance tent, children’s music and activities, and a wide array of crafts, food and other vendors.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/47152962017-05-19T09:55:57-07:002017-05-19T10:07:15-07:00Video: Surrounding Dillinger - Full Show [HD]<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5nwdbXjTXnY?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe></p>
<p> </p>
<p>The video for Surrounding Dillinger—a collaboration between Ryanhood and the Artifact Dance Project which debuted to rave reviews in March 2017—is finally here. The Arizona Daily Star says: "It’s contemporary dance. It’s theater. It’s a concert. And it is, simply, astounding." Ryan David Green and Cameron Hood are joined onstage by Ryan Alfred on bass, Paul Jenkins on piano and vocals, and Nadim Shehab on drums.<br><br>You can read more about <a contents="the creation of the show" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.com/home/blog/ryanhood-and-artifact-dance-project-collaborate-on-surrounding-dillinger">the creation of the show</a>, and the checkout the full review from <a contents="Arizona Daily Star" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://tucson.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/artifact-s-dillinger-brings-on-the-awe/article_7ff1e08b-3bc5-55d6-98db-07f8f92db092.html" target="_blank">Arizona Daily Star</a>.</p>
<p>[Please note: Logan Penisten dances the role of John Dillinger, following a foot injury to lead dancer Andrew Ranshaw opening night.]</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/47121782017-05-17T09:26:55-07:002017-05-19T09:33:44-07:00Video: "Is This The Time Of Our Lives?" Premieres at For Folk's Sake<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.forfolkssake.com/news/35608/premiere-ryanhoood-is-this-the-time-of-our-lives" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/6dac8648d6184623f6969623dc3f2008d4014804/original/screen-shot-2017-05-17-at-8-46-54-am.png?1495038299" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a></p>
<p>Alex Italics (who has directed several music videos for They Might Be Giants) created a stunning music video for our song '<a contents="Is This The Time of Our Lives?" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.forfolkssake.com/news/35608/premiere-ryanhoood-is-this-the-time-of-our-lives" target="_blank">Is This The Time of Our Lives?</a>'. Shot entirely on 8mm film, we couldn't be more impressed with how well it embodies the message of the song. Check out the premier over at <a contents="For Folk's Sake" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.forfolkssake.com/news/35608/premiere-ryanhoood-is-this-the-time-of-our-lives" target="_blank">For Folk's Sake</a> now!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/46696502017-04-13T09:27:20-07:002017-05-19T09:34:15-07:00Video: "Alright Tonight" Premieres at PopMatters<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.popmatters.com/post/ryanhood-alright-tonight-video-premiere/" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/da0e1efd74b87865de56ceb89c786405dfd61ed5/original/screen-shot-2017-04-13-at-9-16-59-am.png?1492100783" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a><br>The official music video for Alright Tonight has just premiered over at <a contents="PopMatters" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.popmatters.com/post/ryanhood-alright-tonight-video-premiere/" target="_blank">PopMatters</a>. The video is a collaboration with photographer <a contents="Taylor Noel," data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.taylornoelphotography.com" target="_blank">Taylor Noel,</a> whose 'Passing Faces' photo project includes highly candid, conversational portraits taken during long-form interviews where the subjects (including us) talk openly about daring to discover and reveal who we are underneath the clothing of our personalities. Check out the video <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.popmatters.com/post/ryanhood-alright-tonight-video-premiere/" target="_blank">here</a>!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/46559902017-04-03T09:28:47-07:002017-05-19T10:00:59-07:00Video: "Embers" Premieres at The Bluegrass Situation<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thebluegrasssituation.com/read/watch-ryanhood-embers" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/391991c6d3e1403ddb4bc591b2b1fb12def08545/original/thumb-ryanhood-yearbook-embers.jpg?1495213240" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a><br><br>The Bluegrass Situation premiered the brand new music video for our song <em>Embers</em> off of our new album <em>Yearbook</em>. They said, "With 'Embers', Ryanhood has a simple message: enjoy the moment and be present." Check out the video <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thebluegrasssituation.com/read/watch-ryanhood-embers" target="_blank">here</a>!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/46533732017-03-31T08:48:06-07:002017-03-31T08:48:06-07:00Ryanhood Featured on WTBQ's Hootenanny Cafe<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/9b495be0aa338edb25a2ce2067e0d0ba8c39e6dd/original/wtbq.jpg?1490975187" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>WTBQ's (93.5FM NY) Hootenanny Cafe Mini Concerts feature an artist every Sunday. Unlike most sets that offer one or two songs from a particular artist, this features one artist for a complete set. This is a great way for aficionados of folk music, bluegrass, contemporary singer songwriters, etc to hear some of today's exciting artists and really get an idea of what an artist is all about. The Hootenanny Cafe airs every Sunday at 8PM (est) on WTBQ. We are excited to be the featured artist for this Sunday's Mini Concert (4/2/17). You can stream the set online at <a contents="www.wtbq.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.wtbq.com" target="_blank">www.wtbq.com</a> and also during the week at <a contents="radionowhere903.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://radionowhere903.com" target="_blank">radionowhere903.com</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/46457732017-03-25T14:14:14-07:002017-05-19T09:39:15-07:00Review: Surrounding Dillinger is "Simply Astounding"<p>Surrounding Dillinger, a collaboration between Ryanhood and the Artifact Dance Project opened to rave reviews. The Arizona Daily Star says: "It’s contemporary dance. It’s theater. It’s a concert. And it is, simply, astounding." Read the full review <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://tucson.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/artifact-s-dillinger-brings-on-the-awe/article_7ff1e08b-3bc5-55d6-98db-07f8f92db092.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/46279592017-03-13T12:39:53-07:002017-03-13T15:28:34-07:00Ryanhood and Artifact Dance Project Collaborate on "Surrounding Dillinger" <img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/db8e3c7ed5122f511d7f769e8127b0ef6a9066a5/original/poster-surrounding-dillinger-web.jpg?1489429711" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><p> </p><br>We're excited to announce our very first venture into the world of modern dance and live theatre with a brand new production called, "Surrounding Dillinger." The show is a modern story ballet choreographed and danced by Tucson's premiere collaborative dance company, Artifact Dance Project, with Ryanhood performing original music live onstage throughout the show. Here's the story:<br> <blockquote><em>Hardened by a decade-long prison sentence for a minor offense, a newly-released John Dillinger assembles a likable but deadly gang of criminals to help him steal back the life he lost in a dazzling series of depression-era bank robberies. But with the newly-formed FBI hot on his trail and the shadows of his past closing in around him, Dillinger must make the ultimate getaway or lose everything, and everyone, he has come to love the most. In collaboration with musical folk-duo Ryanhood, Artifact Dance Project brings the story of Tucson’s favorite gangster into stark creative focus live on stage with "Surrounding Dillinger," playing March 23 - March 26 at the Stevie Eller Dance Theatre.</em></blockquote>
<p>Since this is a completely different type of show than we've done before, we'll explain how it's going to work. Without any spoken dialogue, Artifact will portray the events and relationships surrounding John Dillinger’s storied bank robbing career through dance, gesture, and movement, while we will "narrate" the inner worlds of the characters through our lyrics and songs. The show is made up of about half pre-existing Ryanhood songs including "Welcome You Into My Head," "Second City," "Mature," and of course, "Dillinger Days." And to create the rest of the show we wrote a series of variations around the show's torch song, "I Only Want The Same Things," reinvented a long-lost song called "Heart on Holiday", and borrowed several songs from some of our favorite local artists including Carlos Arzate & The Kind Souls, Sweet Ghosts, and Ryan's solo project, The Great Collision. </p>
<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/NVKNiFJMTi4?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe></div>
<p><br>Cameron co-wrote the show with Artifact's lead choreographer/artistic director Ashley Bowman, and the pair are also co-directing. Ryan is on board as musical director, and the show will run for four consecutive live performances at UA's Stevie Eller Dance Theatre March 23-26. Tickets are available at <a contents="www.artifactdanceproject.org" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.artifactdanceproject.org/performances" target="_blank">www.artifactdanceproject.org</a></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/46192452017-03-06T18:40:15-07:002017-05-19T10:05:17-07:00Review: "Yearbook" PopMatters<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/0d9685544552fa0220ed7f5613e31dc5da556fbb/original/popmatters.jpg?1488850738" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>International pop-culture magazine PopMatters took the time to review our latest album, <em>Yearbook</em>. Here's what they had to say: "Hood and Green expertly weave pop-sensible tracks that ride the alternative folk wave straight into a medley of musical influences... a compelling installment from the Tucsonans." Check out the full review <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.popmatters.com/review/ryanhood-yearbook/" target="_blank">here</a>!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/46192422017-03-06T18:34:54-07:002017-05-19T09:37:56-07:00Interview: Ryanhood Talk "Yearbook" at For Folk's Sake <p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/6477cf3b5ff9a139538f12cdcb68f96109460c22/original/forfolkssake.jpg?1488850308" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br>For Folk's Sake (a UK-based website that covers folk, country and roots music) did a pretty wide-ranging interview with us, discussing our past, present, and of course, our new album <em>Yearbook</em>! Check it out <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.forfolkssake.com/interviews/35246/interview-ryanhood-talk-yearbook-the-folk-duos-first-ever-independently-tracked-record" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/46139212017-03-02T22:34:36-07:002017-03-02T22:34:36-07:00Ryanhood's sixth studio album, "Yearbook" available now.<a contents="" data-link-label="Yearbook" data-link-type="page" href="/yearbook"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/53c1e92ebe0792aa5fbe68e30417cdee5da1fe5d/large/cover-ryanhood-yearbook-square.jpg?1488225967" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a><p><br>Recorded over the past year and half in bedrooms, living rooms, hotel rooms, and green rooms, we proudly present <a contents="Yearbook" data-link-label="Yearbook" data-link-type="page" href="/yearbook"><em>Yearbook</em></a>, a collection of songs about being young, growing old, and making peace with the passing of time. Filled with two-part vocal harmonies, and decorated with flares of guitar, ukulele, and mandolin, it’s an exploration of our collective scrapbooks, looking at the universal experiences of where we each come from, and who we choose to be in the world as a result.<br><br>Physical copies are available for purchase through <a contents="Bandcamp" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/yearbook-2" target="_blank">Bandcamp</a>, and the digital album is available to download via <a contents="iTunes" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/yearbook/id1203640499" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a contents="Amazon" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MUXL5U5/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, and <a contents="Google Play" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://play.google.com/store/music/album/Ryanhood_Yearbook?id=B6eufirvqvh4pyegw2kulqasuve&hl=en" target="_blank">Google Play</a>. Stay tuned for video premieres of each of the songs in the coming weeks.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/45891272017-02-13T20:18:40-07:002017-02-13T20:18:40-07:00Folk Alliance International 2017<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/1c96604cc279730d314615beefc189fc77cc1121/original/flyer-ryanhood-fai-2017-schedule-back3-copy.jpg?1487042218" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><p>We're looking forward to attending the 2017 International Folk Alliance this week in Kansas City, MO. We'll be performing a number of private showcases throughout the weekend.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/45833252017-02-09T13:40:32-07:002017-02-09T13:43:43-07:00Ryanhood in Richmond Magazine<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/f8e755d61db18c13bf30128830163432a661123a/large/a-e-spotlight-ryanhood-rp0117.jpg?1486672649" class="size_l justify_center border_none" alt="" /><br>Ryanhood was recently featured in Richmond Magazine, in an article highlighting the joys of attending and hosting "House Concerts". Check out the full article <a contents="here" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://richmondmagazine.com/arts-entertainment/music/in-home-concerts/" target="_blank">here</a>!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/45075982016-12-12T14:49:01-07:002016-12-12T14:51:57-07:00Video: "I Didn't Put Anything Into Your Place" - In the Moment (NERFA)<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n-OSiwfCd7c?rel=0&showinfo=0" width="560"></iframe></div>
<p style="text-align: center;"><br><br>We were invited to be a part of the “In The Moment” series at the 2016 Northeast Regional Folk Alliance. Here’s a clip of us performing the song “I Didn’t Put Anything Into Your Place."<br> </p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/44163122016-10-12T13:43:54-07:002017-01-15T13:37:41-07:00Ryanhood "Live at the Linda" on WAMC<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/9070e85b81019c9ca6246af4dbee7190e024bc99/original/linda-logo-color-white-bg.jpg?1476304832" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br> <p>Folks in the Albany area can hear us on WAMC's "Live At The Linda" show at 8:00PM ET tonight.<br>They'll be broadcasting the set we did opening for Anna Nalick last November. <br><br>If you're not in the Albany area, you can stream the show online here:<br>http://wamc.org/programs/live-linda</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/44152112016-10-11T21:03:02-07:002017-01-15T13:37:40-07:00New Ryanhood Star T-Shirts<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/merch/ryanhood-star-t-shirt" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/167b55164797fc5e0a59bf46ef29a9e5b9c3423a/original/t-shirt-ryanhood-star-display.jpg?1476244961" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></a><br><br>We are happy to announce that our new Star T-Shirts are now available <a contents="in the online store" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/merch/ryanhood-star-t-shirt" target="_blank">in the online store</a>.<br><br>Soft, comfortable shirts printed by Fed By Threads. <br>Made in America in sweatshop-free factories. <br>Every shirt uses organic & sustainable materials. <br>Every shirt feeds 12 emergency meals to hungry Americans via food banks. </p>
<p>Ships out within 4 days.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/43378842016-08-23T09:51:44-07:002017-01-15T13:37:40-07:00NERFA 2016<img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/df561c792b0f5a8c8efc526b0df22f0619823186/original/image-ryanhood-nerfa-2016.jpg?1471971059" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><p>We’ve been invited to showcase at the Northeast Regional Folk Alliance (NERFA) this November! We’ll be in the company of folk legends Noel Paul Stookey and Tom Rush, to name just a few. If you’re attending the conference, be on the lookout for us!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/42035772016-05-30T11:49:35-07:002017-01-15T13:37:40-07:00Video: "Welcome You Into My Head" - Sofar Dallas<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/i1EntyaR8Lc" width="600"></iframe></div>
<p><br>Here's "Welcome You Into My Head," from our first-ever Sofar performance, in the friendly city of Dallas, TX. You can read a brief write-up of the night at <a contents="Heavens to Audrey" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://heavenstoaudrey.com/2016/01/20/sofar-sounds-local-and-global-chapters-celebrate-200-cities/" target="_blank">Heavens to Audrey,</a> and enjoy a few photos below by William from <a contents="WJN Photo." data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.wjnphoto.com" target="_blank">WJN Photo.</a><br><br><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/a338c303ce1be30d2822526d7748f59b2ef9f934/original/sofar-08jan-13.jpg?1464634048" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/b775da7b2cc016247ca3b263e5a2945f84187996/original/sofar-08jan-29.jpg?1464634035" class="size_l justify_center border_" /></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Photo Credit: William Neal, WJN Photo</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/41405402016-04-17T14:16:52-07:002016-04-17T14:17:53-07:00Ryanhood on Folkscene<p>KPFK Los Angeles (90.7 FM) will be broadcasting a recent live performance of ours as a part of Folkscene on Sunday April 24 from 6 to 8pm. The program can also be heard on several other stations around the country. <br><br>More at <a contents="http://folkscene.com" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://folkscene.com" target="_blank">http://folkscene.com</a></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/40347922016-02-10T13:16:36-07:002017-01-15T13:37:40-07:00Folk Alliance 2016<p>We're gearing up for the 2016 Folk Alliance International in Kansas City, Feb 17-20! <br>Here's our showcase schedule: <br><br><a contents="" data-link-label="flyer-ryanhood-folk-alliance-2016-3.jpg" data-link-type="file" href="/files/226179/flyer-ryanhood-folk-alliance-2016-3.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/9ef31ab853e50eddb621fe78e8132219dfb5313b/large/flyer-ryanhood-folk-alliance-2016-3.jpg?0" class="size_l justify_left border_" /></a></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39690602016-01-01T10:49:06-07:002016-08-23T08:50:23-07:00"What Is Christmas?" on This American Life<p>We're so pleased that our original Christmas song, "What is Christmas?" was used in an episode of our very favorite radio show, <em>This American Life</em>, from WBEZ, Chicago, during our very favorite time of year! It caps off the third act of the episode, "Say Yes to Christmas." You can hear the episode below or on the <em>This American Life</em> <a contents="webpage" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/576/say-yes-to-christmas" target="_blank">webpage</a>. Coming up... more dates with the lovely Anna Nalick, and a new album in the works. STAY with us!</p> <script src="http://audio.thisamericanlife.org/widget/widget.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
<div class="this-american-life" id="this-american-life-576" style="width:600px; border:none;"> </div>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686152015-12-06T20:34:48-07:002017-01-15T13:37:34-07:00Single: "What Is Christmas?"<p><a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/what-is-christmas-single/id1063427694" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/50479a543ca4d19b2e886d7343d89e0464d5463a/large/cover-what-is-christmas.jpg?1451601487" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /></a> Our original Christmas song “What Is Christmas?” is now available on <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/what-is-christmas-single/id1063427694" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/What-Is-Christmas/dp/B018RVRR04" target="_blank">Amazon</a>, and <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/561Nh14sdygQGea2mWaPgn" target="_blank">Spotify</a>, and can also be heard in regular rotation on Tucson’s <a href="http://www.mixfm.com/listen-live/" target="_blank">94.9 MixFM</a> during the holiday season.<br><br><br><strong>Lyrics</strong><br><br>Is it all about your family like they say? <br>Letting go your worries for a day? <br>Is it a star on a tree<br>Or a present in a bow? <br>I don't know <br>Is there any bell that still rings true? <br>Tell me, what is Christmas to you? </p>
<p>Is it giving to the ones<br>You're holding dear? <br>Or getting what you've hinted at<br>All year? <br>Is it a mall or a manger<br>Or an angel all aglow? <br>I don't know <br>Is there any bell that still rings true? <br>Tell me, what is Christmas to you? </p>
<p>Staying sunny under feet of snow <br>Getting lucky under mistletoe <br>Wise men seeing stars <br>I'm putting lights up in the yard <br>That's what I do <br>Tell me, what is Christmas to you? </p>
<p>What is Christmas? <br>What is Christmas? </p>
<p>Is is all about a baby born to save? <br>God becoming man to show the way? <br>Is there a bell that still rings true? <br>Tell me, what is Christmas to you? </p>
<p>Staying sunny under feet of snow <br>Getting lucky under mistletoe <br>Wise men seeing stars <br>I'm putting lights up in the yard <br>That's what I do <br>Tell me, what is christmas to you? </p>
<p>What is Christmas? <br>What is Christmas? <br>What is Christmas? <br>What is Christmas to you?</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=1310&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686162015-10-26T18:52:06-07:002017-01-15T13:37:34-07:00Ryanhood On Tour With Anna Nalick<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/407e7700f63ecaa3055861995143aaf555c468ed/large/anna-nalick-2.jpg?1451521792" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /> We’re heading back to the Northeast, this time to play a run of shows opening up for platinum-selling artist Anna Nalick.<br>She’s awesome, and we’re psyched.</p>
<p>Nov 3 – Brooklyn, NY – The Shop<br>Nov 4 – Old Saybrook, CT – Katherine Hepburn Center<br>Nov 5 – Albany, NY – WAMC Performing Arts Studio<br>Nov 7 – Boston, MA – Café 939<br>Nov 8 – Londonderry, NH – Tupelo Music Hall</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=1304&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686172015-09-15T12:26:22-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:002016 Listening Room Festival<a contents="" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.listeningroomfestival.com/index.php" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/83f2d2f8bb787784cda6a6bed328c0cf969d537d/large/copyright-taylor-noel-photography-2014-155.jpg?1451522283" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /></a>
<p>We’ve been selected as featured artists at the 2016 Listening Room Festival in St. Petersburg, FL. We will be playing a week of intimate house concerts in Florida, culminating with a main showcase at the Palladium Theater in St Petersburg on April 3, 2016.</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=1289&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686182015-09-07T09:41:08-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00Video: Ryanhood on CBS Los Angeles<a href="http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/09/06/music-duo-ryanhood-discuss-upcoming-performances/"><img src="https://ryanhoodmusic.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/screen-shot-2015-09-07-at-9-40-09-am.png?w=440" class="size_xl justify_inline border_" alt="Screen Shot 2015-09-07 at 9.40.09 AM" /></a><br><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=1280&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" /> <p>Here’s a clip of our <a contents="recent&nbsp;appearance" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/09/06/music-duo-ryanhood-discuss-upcoming-performances/" target="_blank">recent appearance</a> on KCAL/CBS Los Angeles to promote about our upcoming show at Hotel Cafe.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686192015-09-05T14:58:48-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:002015 Fall Tour Dates<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/56b2b12aecfa0aa7dfa28d68074638dba7d2b759/large/flyer-fall-2015-dates4.jpg?1451522024" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /><br><br>We’ve got a big run of shows across the country coming up. Check it out, and spread the word</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" data-shortcode="caption" id="attachment_1278" style="width: 450px"> </div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=1277&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686202015-08-05T07:56:00-07:002016-08-23T08:55:58-07:00Video: Start Somewhere (Full Album) on YouTube<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Fukkf8tqwTE" width="600"></iframe>;</div>
<p>We made a long-form video of our album <em>Start Somewhere</em> in its entirety, featuring lyrics and footage from the road. It might just be the best way to listen to the album… check it out!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686212015-06-03T09:56:54-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00Ryanhood Playing With Howie Day<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/a64733daec3427ae5c0139871a70e4e6bffecd7c/large/11-ejmbo.jpg?1451521456" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /></p>
<p><br>We’re excited to open a pair of shows for platinum-selling artist Howie Day (hits include “Collide” and “She Says”). Howie’s on the road again with a sweet new record, and we’ll be doing a short string of shows with him in Colorado before heading down to the Albuquerque Folk Fest with fellow AZ folk/bluegrass five-piece Run Boy Run. Sounds like a fun week!</p>
<p>6/3 – Aspen, CO – Belly Up – w/ Howie Day<br>6/4 – Denver, CO – Soiled Dove – w/ Howie Day<br>6/6 – Albuquerque, NM – Albuquerque Folk Fest – w/ Run Boy Run</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=1249&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686222015-04-29T08:27:50-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00New Ryanhood T-Shirts!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/62bf09670abcaa43514e0a6597a9ce940d21604c/original/t-shirt-ryanhood-feather-display.jpg?1471967864" class="size_l justify_center border_" /><br><br>We are happy to announce our partnership with Fed By Threads Organics in producing some brand new Ryanhood T-shirts!<br>Why these shirts are awesome (and you should buy one):</p>
<ul> <li>Made in America in sweatshop-free factories</li> <li>Every shirt uses organic & sustainable materials</li> <li>Every shirt feeds 12 emergency meals to hungry Americans via food banks</li> <li>Quite possibly the most comfortable shirt we’ve ever worn</li>
</ul>
<p>Visit our <a href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/merch/ryanhood-feather-t-shirt" target="_blank" title="online store">online store</a> and pick up a shirt today while we still have your size!</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=1238&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686232015-03-30T11:15:28-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00Ryanhood on ABC Family’s "The Fosters"<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/0d41371afb6ada9d15028fe70ba398305b840415/large/1000-1x1.jpg?1451521038" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /><br><br>Our song <em>I Didn’t Put Anything Into Your Place</em> appeared in a recent episode of the television show The Fosters on ABC Family. You can read more about the episode, and where it appears <a href="http://blogs.disney.com/disney-playlist/2015/02/23/the-fosters-music-guide-the-silence-she-keeps/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=1115&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686242015-02-27T22:19:36-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00Ryan’s Acoustic Trio Show<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/9b12d1d330c4ffdec054e296e342b7049bcdb6c4/large/harlow-flier.jpg?1451520852" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /></p><br><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=1208&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />On March 15th, Ryan will be playing a special show in Tucson with a new acoustic instrumental trio he’s a part of. Click the flier for more details.Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686272014-10-13T20:45:30-07:002016-08-23T08:55:36-07:00Video: How to Play “Gardens and the Graves” on Guitar<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CocSFCRzcAQ" width="600"></iframe></div>
<p>Want to know how to play the Ryanhood song “Gardens and the Graves”? You’re in luck! Here’s a video tutorial by Cameron Hood.</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686282014-10-08T13:00:37-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00The Start Somewhere Tour - October Dates<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/9265385aa15712cd47f1886cce2a0cc611be9b66/large/flyer-ryanhood-fall-2014-east-1.jpg?1451522922" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /></p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=1096&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686292014-09-03T13:33:13-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00The Start Somewhere Tour – September Dates<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/641890bd252daa060f4877f3e7acb3e95a8273a9/large/flyer-ryanhood-fall-2014-west.jpg?1451523001" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /></p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=1094&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686302014-08-05T23:58:05-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00Photos: Tons of New Photos Added<div><iframe frameborder="no" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://ryanhood.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=PKg3Wf&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&speed=3&transition=fade&transitionSpeed=2" width="600"></iframe></div>
<p><br><br><a contents="The Ryanhood Photo Archive" data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://ryanhood.smugmug.com" target="_blank">The Ryanhood Photo Archive</a> has undergone a MASSIVE update! Want to see pictures of the very first Ryanhood concert, in which Cameron performed in shorts? Want to see us backstage rehearsing with Glen Phillips from Toad The Wet Sprocket? Want to see if there’s a picture of YOU standing there watching us street perform at Quincy Market? Start digging, it’s all there!</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=1082&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686312014-06-17T09:35:49-07:002016-08-23T09:03:21-07:00Video: "Always Love You" – Live from North Hollywood<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YJ2gEpgb2Ow" width="600"></iframe></div>
<p>Check out this special performance of Always Love You (from the album After Night Came Sun) recorded on June 8th, 2014 at Kulak’s Woodshed in North Hollywood!</p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686322014-05-20T16:13:20-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00The Start Somewhere Tour – Summer Dates<p><a href="http://artistdata.sonicbids.com/ryanhood/shows/"><img src="//ryanhoodmusic.files.wordpress.com/2014/05/flyer-ryanhood-start-somewhere-summer.jpg?w=440" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="The Start Somewhere Tour - Summer Dates" /></a></p>
<p>The Start Somewhere Tour rolls on with a weeks worth of dates in The Golden State. Spread the word!</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=967&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686332014-04-07T12:47:33-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00Review: Start Somewhere by Zocolo Magazine<p><a href="http://www.zocalomagazine.com/ryanhoods-return/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ryanhoods-return" target="_blank"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/bab7c79e260bd7f82ffceadd6c108d3a4fe8d36c/large/zocalo-magazine-april-2014-cover-350.jpg?1451523457" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /><br><br>Ryanhood Returns</a></p>
<p>“The album is powerfully genuine, and Ryanhood should be applauded for having the courage and sense of self to be so open-hearted in a hard, cruel world.” <a href="http://www.zocalomagazine.com/ryanhoods-return/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ryanhoods-return" target="_blank">Click</a> to read the full review!</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=951&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686342014-02-14T16:17:29-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00Ryanhood Named "Best Group/Duo" in 2014 IAMAs!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/2e6c5f2e0d6c865ff8c165541b576eaa05bbb00d/large/cropped-iama-logo.jpg?1451524085" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /><br><br>We are thrilled to have been named the "<strong>Best Group/Duo"</strong> in the <strong>2014 International Acoustic Music Awards</strong> for our song, "Sickbed Symphony"!<br>Click <a href="http://www.inacoustic.com/winners.html" target="_blank">here</a> to view all of the winners.</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=933&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686352014-01-05T20:25:54-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00The Start Somewhere Tour – Winter 2014 Dates<p> </p>
<p>Jan 28 – <strong>Salt Lake City, UT</strong> @ The Shred Shed – <a href="http://artistdata.sonicbids.com/ryanhood/shows/salt-lake-city-ut-the-shred-shed-jan-28-2014/1186434" target="_blank">more info</a><br>Jan 30 – <strong>Denver, CO</strong> @ The Walnut Room – <a href="http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/452291?__utma=1.1273752996.1384542178.1387311540.1387470893.3&__utmb=1.3.10.1387470893&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1384542178.1.1.utmcsr=google%7Cutmccn=(organic)%7Cutmcmd=organic%7Cutmctr=(not%20provided)&__utmv=-&__utmk=247362052" target="_blank">more info</a><br>Jan 31 – <strong>Albuquerque, NM</strong> @ Outpost Performance Space – <a href="http://www.ampconcerts.org/event/156476-Ryanhood-CD-Release-Party" target="_blank">more info</a><br>Feb 1 – <strong>Flagstaff, AZ</strong> @ Firecreek Coffee House – <a href="http://artistdata.sonicbids.com/ryanhood/shows/flagstaff-az-firecreek-coffee-company-feb-1-2014/1186046" target="_blank">more info</a><br>Feb 2 – <strong>Phoenix, AZ</strong> @ Crescent Ballroom – <a href="http://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/428707?__utma=1.180858139.1368391884.1386005653.1387471008.5&__utmb=1.2.10.1387471008&__utmc=1&__utmx=-&__utmz=1.1374610457.2.2.utmcsr=facebook.com%7Cutmccn=(referral)%7Cutmcmd=referral%7Cutmcct=/&__utmv=-&__utmk=259888266" target="_blank">more info</a><br>Feb 24 – <strong>Boston, MA</strong> @ Club Passim – <a href="http://www.clubpassim.org/club/ryanhood-cd-release-cahill-opens" target="_blank">more info</a><br>Feb 25 – <strong>New York, NY</strong> @ Rockwood Music Hall – <a href="http://artistdata.sonicbids.com/ryanhood/shows/new-york-ny-rockwood-music-hall-feb-25-2014/1163939" target="_blank">more info</a><br>Feb 26 – <strong>Philadelphia, PA</strong> @ Burlap and Bean – <a href="http://www.burlapandbean.com/events.htm#20140226" target="_blank">more info</a><br>Feb 27 – <strong>Lewiston, ME</strong> @ Bates College – <a href="http://www.bates.edu/activities/calendar/village-club-series/" target="_blank">private show</a><br>Feb 28 – <strong>North Adams, MA</strong> @ DPAC – <a href="http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/545251" target="_blank">more info</a><br>Mar 1 – <strong>Independence, MO</strong> @ Main Street Coffee House – <a href="http://artistdata.sonicbids.com/ryanhood/shows/independence-mo-main-street-coffee-house-mar-1-2014/1180901" target="_blank">more info</a><br>Apr 12 – <strong>Tucson, AZ</strong> @ Harlow Gardens – <a href="http://www.harlowgardens.com/event/ryanhood-in-concert/" target="_blank">more info</a></p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=916&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686362013-12-12T09:24:13-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00Review: Start Somewhere by Tucson Weekly<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/02cfdbce72f15cba3a9bf4bd78d3db0765a47cb3/large/tucson-weekly-logo.jpg?1451523785" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /><br> </p>
<p><a href="http://www.tucsonweekly.com/tucson/ryanhood-start-somewhere/Content?oid=3925852" title="Ryanhood: Start Somewhere (Tucson Weekly Review)">Ryanhood: Start Somewhere (Tucson Weekly Review)</a></p>
<p>On their fifth album—and after a few years of struggling with various obstacles—Cameron Hood and Ryan Green have pressed the refresh button.</p>
<p>And the opening track, “Red Line Reel,” acts as something of an introduction to the latest phase of the Tucson-based duo’s career. The spritely 1 1/2-minute instrumental track has the quality of a classic Leo Kottke composition, pastoral and intricate.</p>
<p>This leads into “How to Let It Go,” which unflinchingly confronts emotions such as jealousy, anxiety and hubris. Hood and Green purge such debilitating feelings, embrace being themselves and rediscover their artistic voices. Touchy-feely, sure, but Ryanhood bring a convincing intimacy to the song by placing it in the context of their trademark acoustic folk-pop sound, which will remind some listeners of the work of Dan Fogelberg and Simon & Garfunkel.</p>
<p>Speaking of sentimental, “Sickbed Symphony” allows a father to give death-bed advice to his sons, in the form of a musical metaphor, but Hood’s vocal delivery brings an affecting authenticity. Throughout, they play furiously together. Green’s melodic leads and solos often provide the highlights, such as on the glowing instrumental “Dillinger Days.”</p>
<p>-Gene Armstrong, Tucson Weekly</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=909&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686372013-10-31T17:03:25-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00The New CDs Are In!<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/e91233ae343e0bce98428c97fc9486e97c32f50f/large/sign.jpg?1451601762" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /></p>
<p>We spent our day signing and shipping copies of the new album out today. Order your signed copy of Start Somewhere and one of these beauties could be yours <span class="wp-smiley wp-emoji wp-emoji-smile" title=":-)">:-)</span></p>
<p><a href="http://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/start-somewhere" rel="nofollow">http://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/start-somewhere</a></p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=888&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686442013-10-24T10:06:30-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00Start Somewhere – Studio Photos<div>
<iframe frameborder="no" height="600" scrolling="no" src="https://ryanhood.smugmug.com/frame/slideshow?key=sSLKk5&autoStart=1&captions=0&navigation=0&playButton=0&speed=3&transition=fade&transitionSpeed=2" width="60000"></iframe> </div>
<p>Photos by <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TaylorNoelPhotography" target="_blank">Taylor Noel Photography</a><br>Order a copy of <a href="http://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/start-somewhere" target="_blank">Start Somewhere</a></p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=825&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686452013-10-22T11:56:04-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00An Open Letter To Friends Of Ryanhood<div>As you’ve probably noticed, things have been kind of quiet in the Ryanhood camp for the past couple of years. We come bearing good news: the quiet is ending. But before the big reveal, we feel like we owe you all an explanation for our absence. So, here’s the rest of the story…
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<div>It was 2009. We’d been going hard as a band for about 6 years, doing a ton of college touring behind our record <a href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/forward" target="_blank"><i>Forward</i></a>, doing some dates with Jason Mraz, and we were poised to make the leap to bigger and broader audiences. And by the looks of things, it was going to happen. We were finally about to release <a href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/the-world-awaits" target="_blank"><i>The World Awaits</i></a>, after three long years shuttling back and forth between LA and Tucson working with a grammy-winning producer. We won a <a href="http://azstarnet.com/entertainment/music/ryanhood-will-open-the-big-bash/article_27c790ae-9a7d-5ed2-bfb8-cc89f4aeb29b.html" target="_blank">contest</a> to open for Kelly Clarkson and Jay-Z at Arizona STADIUM, in front of a projected audience of 17,000 people! For fun, we wrote a song for Ellen, and she heard it, and sent out a <a href="https://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/status/1653471847" target="_blank">tweet</a>, which led to her staff calling us about appearing on the show! We reached out to some major artist management firms and they were impressed with our track record and momentum and agreed to meet with us to discuss management!
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<div></div>
<div>Then, piece by piece, the house of cards fell. Some unexpected developments led to our having to go $10,000 in debt at the last minute to release our CD. At the stadium gig, we started our set on time, but the doors opened late, and we only ended up playing to a few hundred people (we’d beefed up our merchandise for what we thought would be an audience of 17,000 and as a result, went another $6,000 into merchandise debt). <i>The Ellen Show</i> replaced most of their staff during a filming break, and when we followed up with them at the appointed time, no one on her staff knew who we were. We travelled the country and met with all of those management firms, presenting our “business plan”, trying to convince them we were worth believing in. One by one, they each passed on us.
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<div>It was really depressing. Not what we expected. It seemed as if everything we’d been working for was for nothing. We wrote an album about it called <i><a href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/after-night-came-sun" target="_blank">After Night Came Sun</a>, </i>and many would call it our darkest. About life falling apart, losing the meaning, dreams burning down. We thought the album was a sign of our re-emergence, but really it was more of a last gasp. In heavy debt, unable to land a manager or a booking agent, feeling like no one believed in us, we essentially stopped believing in ourselves. We took a rare gig here or there, primarily to pay down our debt, but mostly, we sat in silence, grieving our dreams, feeling like maybe we didn’t really have much of value to offer.
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<div></div>
<div>What we were too foolish or maybe selfish to see was that there <i>were</i> people out there who <i>did</i> believe in us, who <i>did</i> find meaning or joy in what we do… and if you’ve read this far, you might possibly be one of those people. And for that we THANK YOU so truly. Forgive us for taking you for granted.
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<div>But most significantly, we feel we learned something critical about who we are. We learned that we are artists who make art, singers who sing. That we are only fully alive when we are writing and singing and creating. Whatever comes as the result of the art we make is not up to us. Our purpose is just to be who we are and play what we play, to anyone who wants to look and listen.
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<div>It’s now the 10 year anniversary of our very first album, <a href="http://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/sad-and-happiness" target="_blank"><i>Sad and Happiness</i></a>. 10 years since we played on the streets of Boston. 10 years since we walked home in the rain and talked about our dreams.
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<div>So. Here we are. Getting back up. Starting over again. But with a new sense of gratitude for every ear that will listen.
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<div>We proudly present to you, our newest album, <a href="https://ryanhood.bandcamp.com/album/start-somewhere" target="_blank"><i>Start Somewhere</i></a>.
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<div>Please buy it, and share it. We are singing to you.
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<div>Gratefully Yours,</div>
<div>Ryanhood</div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=785&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686462013-10-16T19:08:28-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00Video: A Halloween Treat<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s-TPpX8ay3s" width="600"></iframe></div>
<p>In honor of the Halloween season, here is a blast from our past. Occasionally, Ryanhood disappears and these carnivaleros show up instead.</p>
<p>¡Presentando Los Guapos del Norte!</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=119&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686472013-10-15T15:53:09-07:002017-01-15T13:37:35-07:00New Press Photo… How Do We Look?<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/8917cd6ef7491950a3b193ad341ef0423d8d370c/large/press-ryanhood-start-somewhere1a.jpg?1451603266" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /></p>
<p>Here’s our new press photo, courtesy of <a data-link-label="" data-link-type="url" href="http://www.taylornoelphotography.com" target="_blank">Taylor Noel Photography</a>.<br>What do you think?</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=30&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686482011-06-17T08:43:55-07:002017-01-15T13:37:36-07:00Letter to Stephen Kellogg<p>I wrote an email to one of my favorite singer/songwriters yesterday, and it feels appropriate, given the upcoming holiday, to share it with you. Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers’ album <em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Glassjaw-Boxer-Stephen-Kellogg-Sixers/dp/B000RGSOJQ/ref=ntt_mus_ep_dpi_3" target="_blank">Glassjaw Boxer</a></em><em> </em>was one of those rays of light that we sometimes see (or hear) at exactly the right time. He’s honest in his dealings with family and the pursuit of fame, with his questions, doubts, and hopes.</p>
<p>In his song Father’s Day, he sings to his daughter about the closeness of their family, as well as the distance created by his perennial absence. “You’re like your mom, little girl/ and believe me that’s the best thing in the world,” followed by “I will always always love you, no matter what you do/ and when you’re growing up without me I will always be with you.”</p>
<p>Even though I don’t have any kids, these themes cut right in. And I think it’s because they help me to feel that I’m loved, especially when I, like all of us at times, struggle to believe it.</p>
<p>Here’s the letter I wrote to Stephen:</p>
<p>_________________________</p>
<p>Hello Road Warriors!</p>
<p>This is Cameron Hood from folk/pop band Ryanhood.<br>A song, and then a brief story:</p>
<p><iframe frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/17285524&color=e90000&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false" width="100%"></iframe></p>
<p>Last year, listening to the SK6ERS’ song Father’s Day while driving around in my car, I was struck with tears. I could feel for the first time what my dad had perhaps felt about me for so long.</p>
<p>All of the struggles he’s watched me undergo, the internal battle with self, the fight to hold onto hope, the wondering when life evens out, if ever. And always with him saying, “I will always always love you, no matter what you do.”</p>
<p>I didn’t quite crash my car, but I was highly moved.</p>
<p>I knew, at that moment, that the following Father’s Day I wanted to record a version for him, as if from his point of view, to me (hence the title of my cover, “Boy’s Life Version”). The regret over the broken home, and the constant love of a dad for a boy who was, in fact, born in the spring.</p>
<p>As a songwriter, I always want to know when my words and melodies have moved folks. In that spirit, I share my cover with you. Thank you, Stephen, for going to those places, lyrically and emotionally. You model for the rest of us what honesty can look like in real life.</p>
<p>Best,<br>Cameron Hood<br>ryanhood<br><a href="http://www.ryanhood.com/">www.ryanhood.com</a></p>
<p>ps… I tried to keep the SK twang out of my voice, but I think maybe it crept in just a little <span class="wp-smiley wp-emoji wp-emoji-smile" title=":)">:)</span></p>
<p>________________</p>
<p>I’m aware that so many of us have not had dads who loved and supported us, or who were even there at all. And so a song like this may bring a different kind of tears. The theme though is still the same: What happens when we learn to see ourselves through the eyes of one who love us? I hope we’ve all been loved once or twice in our lives well enough to see our goodness mirrored back to us. To feel that someone could know us, and yet still love us.</p>
<p>The hard part is learning to see all the good in us, with our own eyes (or ears).</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=759&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686492010-04-17T09:55:29-07:002017-01-15T13:37:36-07:00Advice For Musicians? – Part 2 of 3 (CH)<p><strong>What is the one thing you wish you had done differently which you learned by experience?</strong></p>
<p>This is an excellent question, and a very difficult one. My answer may end up sounding a bit touchy-feely for your tastes, but it’s my answer nonetheless.</p>
<p>I wish this: that I had asked myself “What do I want?” more often. I wish I had started asking earlier, “What EXACTLY do I want? Is THIS what I want? How close is this thing I’m doing right now to what I’ve dreamed of, hoped for?” And I wish I’d developed the courage to believe in my answers to those questions earlier on.</p>
<p>In other words, I wish I’d started to trust my intuition earlier.</p>
<p>Asking “Where am I going, and what do I really want?” is a powerful question, because it prevents you from getting swept along by others’ plans for you in the hopes that they have your best interest at heart. Not that everyone you meet is trying to con you. Not by any means. But you’re the only one who will truly know whether what you’re doing is a) what you’re made to do, b) a stepping stone on the way to getting there, or c) a completely tangential distraction. You have to keep checking in and saying to yourself, for example, “Okay, joining such-and-such group was a good decision a year ago… does it still make sense? Am I compromising my values to be a part of this? Is my heart in it? How can I put my heart in it?”</p>
<p>In my case, touring colleges made sense in the past as a good way to make a living as a band and begin to build a fanbase. But I ignored the voice inside that was suggesting that it was time to move on from that kind of touring. The voice, or feeling, or intuition, or whatever you want to call it kept softly persisting that, while the money was helpful, Ryan and I were actually burning ourselves out — on travel, hotels, touring, loneliness, playing “Stopless” for the 567 time — faster than we were really building a fanbase.</p>
<p>And burnout is not a bad thing all by itself. It happens to just about everyone at some point. The question is, what do I do with it? Will I listen to that voice, address my intuition and make a change? Or will I continue down the exact same path, seeking to please managers or booking agents or producers or fans at the cost of my soul?</p>
<p>You said that you seek to hone your musical talents for God’s glory, and I think that’s admirable. You may read my words and think, “He’s talking a lot about what he wants, what about what God wants?” And so my biggest piece of advice, should you choose to accept it, is to have the faith to believe that the voice of your deepest desire, your deepest intuition IS God speaking in you, to you, through you.</p>
<p>Listening to that intuition, even if you make mistakes (and you will), will still steer you in the right direction. And I’d say direction is more important that perfection.</p>
<p>So I said it would be a little touchy-feely. Stay-tuned for a much more rugged and manly entry. It will probably be about sports.</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=674&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686502010-04-14T13:46:16-07:002017-01-15T13:37:36-07:00Advice For Musicians? – Part 1 of 3 (CH)<p><em>Dear Mr. Hood,<br>
I have been enjoying your music for some time, and I love the way you mix intricate musical harmonies with meaningful lyrics. You may remember me from your show in Boston. I played violin for Back Into Blue.</em></p>
<p><em>I have been studying violin for 9 years, and also play guitar, piano, drums and sing. I am in high school, and I am considering colleges to continue my musical education. I write and record songs, and would like to hone and refine this skill for God’s glory. Could you give me some insight from your experience about these upcoming years?</em></p>
<ul>
<li><em><strong>What was the best decision you made in the pursuit of your music career?</strong></em></li>
<li><em><strong>What is the one thing you wish you had done differently which you learned by experience?</strong></em></li>
<li><em><strong>What advice would you give someone like me?</strong></em></li>
</ul>
<p><em>Thanks for the time and advice you might be able to give. Believe me, I will consider your words of wisdom carefully, because I need all the help I can get!</em></p>
<p><em>In Christ,<br>
Jonathan Wright</em><br>
<br>
Jonathan,<br>
I absolutely remember meeting you in New Hampshire and performing with you at Cafe 939 in Boston. Your email is timely in that your request forcefully nudges me to put into words what has been swimming freestyle laps in my mind for some time now. I found that I had a lot to say. Not a big surprise, coming from me! With your permission, I’m posting your letter and my response to the Ryanhood blog.</p>
<p>Sincerely,<br>
Cameron</p>
<p>———————————–</p>
<p><strong>What was the best decision you made in the pursuit of your music career?</strong></p>
<p>My first instinct is to say that Ryan is the best decision I’ve made in my music career. He has matched or exceeded every ounce of work, drive, and heartsweat that I’ve put into the pursuit of this dream. When I fall, when I lose heart, when I’m sick onstage or <a href="http://www.ryanhood.com/blog/?p=259" target="_blank">have lost my voice</a>, Ryan is at my right to carry on until I come back to life.</p>
<p>I played in a band throughout highschool and college called <a href="http://www.myspace.com/easycomusic" target="_blank">Easyco</a>, and though I loved our music, and loved the guys in the band (one of whom was my brother), we didn’t share the same ear for the kind of music we wanted to make, or the same sight for the direction we wanted to go. And since, of all the guys in the group I had the strongest drive to succeed at playing music, I became the leader. I felt alone in trying to pull this heavy thing, this difficult dream to the place I wanted it to go.</p>
<p>So, finding someone to share the load with, who complements my abilities and my flaws, was a revelation. Ryan is level-headed, business-minded. He has an easy way with people, and knows how to measure his words in a way that creates allies wherever we go. He has an ear for the <a href="http://www.ryanhood.com/blog/?p=543" target="_blank">production of music</a>, for the perfecting of harmony and rhythm. Conversely, I am exuberant, passionate, and creative, but also somewhat of a loose cannon. I contribute a lot of musical and visual raw material, but often struggle to complete, to tighten, to finish. And in this, Ryan has been my perfect counterpoint.</p>
<p>I make it sound like a dreamy, exciting process, and it CAN be that. But it is just as often slow and difficult. Our partnership tries our patience, our egos, and our communication skills. But having Ryan to walk beside has been overwhelmingly worth the friction and struggle of partnership.</p>
<p>It seems to me that if you’re a solo musician, or if you choose to play violin in an orchestra, or if you choose to pursue music in some form outside of the context of a band or duo, you might feel that this doesn’t apply to you. “Not everyone has a Ryan,” a friend said to me. But here’s the universal application: surround yourself with good people, encouraging people, people with similar visions, people who believe in the possibility of what you’re trying to do. Surround yourself with people who have that gift of being both brutally honest and deeply encouraging in the same breath. Find people who can do the things that you can’t, and partner with them.</p>
<p>The biggest gift Ryan has given me is that he’s always believed in the possibility of things. And it’s so incredibly important, especially when doors seem shut and nothing seems easy. A strong desire mixed with a strong sense of possibility may be the only things strong enough to get you through those times.</p>
<p>But I’ll say more about that when I answer your next two questions.</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=577&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686512010-03-20T13:21:15-07:002016-08-23T09:07:01-07:00Video: "Something More"<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QlzKoqNvxSc" width="600"></iframe></div>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686522010-02-02T12:07:05-07:002017-02-05T00:56:32-07:00How Ryanhood Writes And Records Songs – Part 4 of 4 (CH)<p><strong>It’s Always About The Songs</strong> – <strong>Part 4 of 4</strong></p>
<p>These days, I’m a lot more open and excited about the thought of my songs changing and evolving. I try to get a song as prepared as I can – I hone it and sit with it and make sure it’s as good as I can make it – and then I open it up to criticism and change. I tend towards certain songwriting habits, and I’m excited by the prospect of letting those habits get turned on their head by Ryan, a producer, fellow musicians.</p>
<p>Lately we’ve been talking about our next record and how we’d like to widen our production palette even more… play more instruments than before. More mandolin, piano… go in directions that make the listening experience different than what we’ve done previously. Up until now we’ve tended to stay pretty close to the 2 guitar, 2 voice format that you see live. And we’d like to broaden that substantially… to be as absolutely creative as we can be.</p>
<p>Yet regardless of how we produce a song – regardless of how many layers of piano or mandolin or the Tucson Boys Chorus we add – it will still be true that moving, well-written songs make the real difference.</p>
<p>So far I haven’t found anything quite like the feeling of satisfaction and creation that come with completing the puzzling, heart-and-mind-requiring process of songwriting. Some have come in the course of one night, while others have taken years to finish writing. But it’s definitely true that the process, the struggle, the work of writing a song is just as important and in many cases, just as fun, as listening to a finished product.</p>
<p>I’ll leave you with a live video of one of our newest songs, “After Night Came Sun.” It’s about struggling through a difficult process, trying to find your voice, and about truly celebrating it once you’ve found it.</p>
<p>Thanks for reading!<br>
Cameron<br>
ryanhood</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="480" height="295" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Wr7-uglY2kI?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></span></div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=566&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686532010-01-30T09:18:31-07:002017-01-15T13:37:36-07:00How Ryanhood Writes And Records Songs – Part 3 of 4 (CH)<p><strong>Adapt Or Die – Part 3 of 4</strong></p>
<p>Since I tend to write a lot of raw material, I know from experience that not all of it will make the cut. A lot of it will get passed over, or changed quite a bit from the time I write it to the time you hear it on a CD. So it’s helpful to me to stay open and be okay with the song going in a lot of different directions. There have been times where I was adamant that a song be played a certain way that just didn’t sound right to Ryan. And since we’re a duo, without him also believing in the song, it just wouldn’t get played.</p>
<p>Many times, many months later I’d think, “Why was I so particular about the chorus? Why did I demand it be played exactly in that way?” Over time I’d start to see that if I was willing to adapt a little, then the song would live, instead of going off to doggy heaven, never to be heard from again.</p>
<p>Maybe because I expect for my songs to change, I don’t get particularly attached to any particular vision for production. Ryan, however, is especially good at writing a song and hearing in his mind how it will sound in its finished form. He can hear the drum pattern in his head even though he’s playing with just an acoustic guitar. He can hear lots of different kinds of production quite well. Partly that’s due to the format of our partnership when we started. I’d bring fully-written songs to him, and he’d think of lots of cool things he could add to make them shinier, sweeter, stronger. Though it’s balanced out nicely over time, when we started I was the songwriter and Ryan was the producer.</p>
<p>Slowly, I’ve been learning to not get too attached to any one idea or sound. There are exceptions where I think a certain lyric absolutely “makes” the song, and I will fight for it. But overall, I’ve gotten more and more excited about how my songs may change with some good outside input.</p>
<p><strong>Example:</strong> My friend <a title="Carlos's band American Android" href="http://www.myspace.com/americanandroid" target="_blank">Carlos Arzate</a> and I wrote the song “Divides” together, and promptly made a recording of it. We wanted to keep it short and simple, with focus on the quasi-political words. I wrote a guitar intro and played a bunch of fun chimy, acoustic stuff during the choruses. As Ryan and I took the song into the recording process with producer Ross Hogarth, it changed dramatically.</p>
<p>Ross lengthened it, adding more choruses so that the listener could really have a “feast of choruses instead of an appetizer,” as he said. He also brought in heavy U2-style drums and guitar, and again he called for a bridge. Now, the addition of that bridge, (the “I’m not first/ I won’t be last to say these words/ I know it’s just a simple verse/ but sometimes it hurts” part) is one of my favorite moments in the song, and it almost didn’t exist!</p>
<p>Also, Ross suggested that we make the choruses uniform, saying the same words each time, so that, through the repetition of the “Be what you want to see” chorus, the song could take on the hopeful quality of an anthem.</p>
<p>If I’d held on to my idea for a short little lyrical tune, the song would be very different. Notice in the finished version that there’s a slightly different first chorus and a very different guitar intro.</p>
<p>Though “Divides” hasn’t emerged as a fan favorite, and though it was very difficult to record, it still stands out to me as one of our more majestic studio moments.</p>
<p><a href="http://ryanhood.com/demos/wordpress/Divides%20Demo%20Version.mp3" target="_blank">Click to hear the Cameron Hood & Carlos Arzate demo of Divides</a><br>
<a href="http://ryanhood.com/demos/wordpress/11%20Divides.mp3" target="_blank">Click to hear the Divides Final Version</a></p>
<p><strong>Another Example:</strong> On our previous record, <em>Forward</em> (<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/forward/id127340760" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ryanhood2" target="_blank">CDBaby</a>), there’s a song called “You Used To.” I flew to Boston during a break from school, recorded my guitar and vocals, and flew back to Tucson for finals. Meanwhile, Ryan “produced” the song. He brought in some Berklee musicians and had the drummer play a rolling pattern on the snare drum, had the bassist play an upright bass, and added some banjo himself. The next time I was in Boston and heard the song, I was amazed that he’d essentially turned it into a bluegrass song! I had never envisioned it that way, but I really liked it. A nice variation on the acoustic rock sound. The songwriting itself hadn’t changed, just Ryan’s production.</p>
<p><a href="http://ryanhood.com/demos/wordpress/07%20You%20Used%20To.mp3" target="_blank">Click to hear the countrified stylings of “You Used To”</a></p>
<p>Next up, the conclusion of this bloggish mini-series with some parting thoughts about the importance of good songwriting over good production, thoughts on how the process is as fun as the result, how the journey is as good as the destination, and a couple other smart sounding things like that.</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=560&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686542010-01-20T13:00:30-07:002017-01-15T13:37:36-07:00How Ryanhood Writes And Records Songs – Part 2 of 4 (CH)<p><strong>Songwriting After The Honeymoon – Part 2 of 4</strong></p>
<p>Often, I’m very passionate about a song when I first write it. But within a week or a month, the initial high of passion and creation will wear off, and I can sense weaknesses in the songs. I get bored by them. I’ll play them on my acoustic guitar for a friend, and I’ll find myself making excuses like, “Probably the drums will make this more interesting.” Or I’ll play half the song and say, “Yeah, you get the idea.”</p>
<p>If the song had really been working, I would’ve known it, my gracious audience-friend would’ve known it, and I would’ve played it all the way through, tapped my foot, and finished big; all with a giant “tell-me-I’m-good” grin on my face. So, when I play a song for a friend, or especially for Ryan, I feel all these signals internally that tell me at what places I’ve got more work to do on the song. It sounds simple, but I basically just pay attention to whether I:</p>
<p>a) Get bored<br>
b) Get embarrassed by the lyrics<br>
c) Don’t enjoy playing a certain part or start making excuses for it<br>
d) Smash my guitar and take up knitting</p>
<p>Another way we find those cues is to make a rough recording of the song and listen back. Sometimes what sounds good in my head doesn’t end up sounding good in my ears. The key, for me, is to not smash my guitar and quit the song and change careers. Instead, I try to hone in on what works well, and I look for advice and inspiration for changing what doesn’t work.</p>
<p>Sometimes, of course, there’s just not enough that I still love about the song to keep it around at all. Over time, a song like that will get strip-mined, with it’s chords going to one song, the verse lyrics going to another, and a little melody being used in some other song later, etc.</p>
<p><strong>Example:</strong> The chords for our song “Around the Sun” originally belonged in a song called “Mrs. Marie” which was an inspirational praise chorus to moms everywhere. Some good bits, some nice verses. I liked the idea, but ultimately I wasn’t sure if the song was sweet or silly. “If you don’t take time to shake some booty/ Everything will feel like doing duty.”</p>
<p>Really?</p>
<p>It just didn’t come out right, and it seemed unrelatable to most people outside of the cougar crowd.</p>
<p>Most importantly, though, Ryan never latched onto it. Instead he encouraged me to keep searching. We sat down, and he asked me to keep fingerpicking the opening chords, since we both felt those parts were really working. Meanwhile he opened my songwriting journal in search of some unused verse ideas. He found some rhymes and suggested a pattern for singing them, and when we got to the place where a chorus would go, our friend, songwriter <a href="http://www.thesunshinebrothers.com" target="_blank">Owen Plant</a> belted out a rough version of the chorus you hear now. He sang “moove meee round the suuunnn,” in that high Taylor-esque voice of his. It came out of nowhere, but the idea of being moved around the far side of the sun seemed to match the longing of our new verses, and we said, “Ah! That’s great! Do it again!”</p>
<p>So in this case, even though I was hesitant to abandon “Mrs. Marie,” the input of musicians I respect and trust brought out something far better than I was expecting!</p>
<p>For your listening pleasure, here’s “Mrs. Marie.” Check out the disconnect between the sad, seriousness of the verses and the silliness of the chorus. Also notice several vocal moments that were blatantly lifted from that song and inserted into “Around the Sun.” For instance: “Doing everything, everything/ for everyone else” became “When everything, everything/ everywhere’s just right.”</p>
<p>Sadly, one line I like, “Letting a love song belong on your lips/ you say you would if you could/ but someone has to watch the kids” didn’t make the cut. Will it ever live again? Maybe if <em>Desperate Housewives</em> needs a new theme song I’ll work this one back up. But I’m not holding my breath.</p>
<p><a href="http://ryanhood.com/demos/wordpress/Mrs.%20Marie%20Demo%20Version.mp3">Click to hear the “Mrs. Marie” Demo</a><br>
<a href="http://ryanhood.com/demos/wordpress/01%20Around%20The%20Sun.mp3" target="_blank">Click to hear Final Version of “Around The Sun”</a></p>
<p>Next up, how being open to a producer’s opinion can make a song come alive in ways you never thought of. After all, that’s why you hire a producer, right? Stay tuned…</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=556&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686552010-01-19T15:59:19-07:002017-01-15T13:37:36-07:00How Ryanhood Writes And Records Songs – Part 1 of 4 (CH)<p>Our friend and author of <em>He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not</em>, <a href="http://www.trishryanonline.com" target="_blank">Trish Ryan</a>, ran a blog series called “40 Days of Faith” and used our album, <em>The World Awaits </em>(<a href="http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-world-awaits/id314862354" target="_blank">iTunes</a>, <a href="http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ryanhood5" target="_blank">CDBaby</a>), as a bit of musical inspiration for dialoguing about her experiences during those 40 days. One of her readers won a contest to ask us the question of their choice. I put a lot of thought, and some cool examples, into my response, and so I thought it would be fun to share it with you. Her question is below, followed by Part 1 of my response.</p>
<blockquote><p><em>“I’ve always been curious about not only the process of writing a song, but the journey it takes once you get into the studio to record it. Like, if you start out as just you and your guitar, do you hear the other instruments in your head and imagine the possible arrangements, or does what ends up on the CD after producing and mixing sound very different than what you ever dreamt for that song? Is that a hard process (to let go of your initial version), or fun discovery? Does the degree of change depend on the song, or do most (or few) songs change a lot?”<br>
-Julia</em></p></blockquote>
<p>As you might expect, some songs make the journey from inception to production very much the way we imagined them, while others change tremendously. The two basic ways our songs end up different than when we first imagined them are changes in the “songwriting” itself, as well as changes to our vision for the “production” of the song. And often the two are closely intertwined.</p>
<p><strong>The Relationship Between Songwriting and Production – Part 1 of 4</strong></p>
<p>The Songwriting period tends to focus on the chords, melody, and basic song structure, with the the most common changes during the recording process being the addition of say, an extra chorus at the end, or a bridge or musical interlude to allow the song to breathe or to go somewhere different for a while.</p>
<p><strong>Example:</strong> Ryan brought “Mature” to me 70% written, and together we wrote the chorus, “I don’t want to/ turn me into/ something that I’m not…” And once we started making our record, our producer <a href="http://www.hoaxproductions.com/" target="_blank">Ross Hogarth</a> suggested the need for a more intense bridge… a place for the song to really peak. Ryan already had, “I forget who I am/ would you lend me a hand?/ I’m not myself,” but there wasn’t the emotional peak yet that you hear on the recording. So Ryan and I worked until we’d built the “I don’t understand this/ I’m letting go/ It slips out of hand/ And it’s gone” section.</p>
<p><a title="Hear the Mature Demo Version" href="http://ryanhood.com/demos/wordpress/18%20Mature%20Demo%20Version.mp3" target="_blank">Click to hear the “Mature” Demo Version</a></p>
<p>The Production of a song often refers to the instruments used to flesh the song out, what the overall color of the song is, where the background vocals go, how fast or slow the song is played… basically, all the interesting choices that make a song go from words and chords to a full-on listening experience. In the example of “Mature,” drums and bass were added; slight, chiming electric guitar was added for ambiance; cello brought out more soul-aching melodies; and the layering of multiple Ryans and Camerons (weird to say?) was added to the bridge. The idea was to enhance, with production, the same goal (an emotional peak) that we tried to achieve through the songwriting.</p>
<p><a title="Hear the Mature Final Version" href="http://ryanhood.com/demos/wordpress/06%20Mature.mp3" target="_blank">Click to hear the “Mature” Final Version</a></p>
<p>So that’s a basic framework for how songwriting and production work together. In the next post, I’ll talk more specifically about songwriting, including how to know if you do or don’t have a million-dollar hit on your hands, and what to do if you don’t.</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=543&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686562009-12-22T14:47:25-07:002017-02-05T00:56:32-07:00Guest Blog: "Misheard Lyrics, Friends, and the New DVD" By Amy Lapp<p>I got this email from one of our friends in Idaho. Her name is Amy Lapp, and fortuitously, it was her camera-phone recording of “Oh Ellen” that originally caught the attention of The Ellen Show. Amy and her friend Kris won the award for Driving Farthest to Attend the CD Release Show, (Pocatello, ID to Tucson, AZ), and I appreciate not only her enthusiasm about our DVD and live show, but her generally positive outlook on music and friendship. Here’s what she had to say after getting the official DVD video document of that incredibly fun night:</p>
<p>———————-</p>
<p>Cameron,</p>
<p>I just wanted to tell you that I just received and watched the new DVD and loved it! I started reminiscing about the roadtrip to Arizona that Kris and I took to see that show. It was a lot of fun, we saw some cool things, enjoyed the warmth and sunshine, and then concluded it all with an epic Ryanhood concert! Makes me want to do it all over again:) I enjoyed watching the few <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjlnNFSlJik" target="_blank">phone-videos</a> I took in the meantime, but the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsMqgx-huqk" target="_blank">DVD</a> is definitely better!</p>
<p>I also wanted to share a funny story about “Alright”. You know how you can start singing along to a song, and maybe you have a word or a line wrong, but you keep singing it that way because you don’t realize it? Then later someone points it out to you or you just suddenly realize what it really says.</p>
<p>Well, I apparently had one word wrong in the song “Alright”, but didn’t realize it until you guys said that you didn’t think those of us in colder climates could relate to this line: “Well it’s a hundred and ten/ BUT I’m with my friends”. I had been singing it “Well it’s a hundred and ten/ WHEN I’m with my friends”. To me this related to the saying – “Give it 110 percent!” – and I was thinking that things were so great when you were with your friends, it was better than 100 percent, it was 110!</p>
<p>So you see, my experiences with 110 degree weather have been very limited, but I still “got” the song. And now I think I sing it the right way, though recently I was singing “it’s negative ten/ but i’m with my friends,” because it’s Idaho, and it’s getting about that cold.</p>
<p>Have a Merry Christmas,<br>
Amy</p>
<p>———————–</p>
<p>Cameron’s Shamelessly Self-Promoting Note:<br>
If you haven’t seen the DVD yet, you can order it <a href="http://www.ryanhood.mybisi.com/products/DVDs_211593/?page1" target="_blank">here</a>. And you can check out the full video for the song Amy was talking about, “Alright,” below.</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe class="youtube-player" type="text/html" width="440" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5SMONuDLxI0?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></span></div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=536&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686572009-10-15T13:31:56-07:002017-01-15T13:37:36-07:00Guest Blog: "Start Somewhere – A Work In Progress" By Kathy Hart.<p>Today, Ryanhood performed at the Vineyard. A concert that showcased Ryanhood’s broad-based appeal to all.</p>
<p>I fell in love with Ryanhood during the 40 Days of Faith season at my church – the Greater Boston Vineyard – and I play their CD on a loop in my car, randomizing the sequence. Somehow the songs always speak to me.</p>
<p>In the crowd today were people of all ages, races, classes, ethnicities, and national origins. The dynamic duo played a song they called a work-in-progress – “Start Somewhere” – that to them was a song about the birthplace of their collaboration (which began in Boston, MA after moving Tucson, AZ). For me, as I looked out at the diverse audience, “Start Somewhere” spoke to me about all personal life journeys, which are all “works-in-progress.”</p>
<p>Ryan and Cameron delivered the song with the balance of strength, vulnerability, and authenticity that’s their signature as artists. As they sang, I reflected on the similarity between different kinds of beginnings. A birthplace. A birthday. Both ways of defining a commencement; the epitome of which is captured by the first two lines of Ryanhood’s “The World Awaits.”</p>
<p>Moving to a new place, on a fresh venture, echoes the newness of being born, with the weight of the past and the uncertainty of the future added in; all of which “Start Somewhere” voices beautifully.</p>
<p>————————</p>
<p>Cameron’s notes:<br>
For an in-depth review of this show, including photos and a full set-list, check out the <a href="http://www.rvtour.org/Cambridge_Vineyard.htm" target="_blank">Ryanhood Reader</a>, courtesy of David D.</p>
<p>We’ll bring you a recording of “Start Somewhere” as soon as we have something hi-fidelity enough to share. For today, (and we reserve the right to change anything we want!) here are the lyrics:</p>
<p><em>Start Somewhere</em></p>
<p><em>He was living in Boston in the morning when my plane arrived<br>
I hopped a red-eye straight from graduation day<br>
And we took the green line in past Kenmore and the Fenway<br>
Down to Qunicy Market where we gave our disc away</em></p>
<p><em>These memories, blur like the trees, behind the snow</em></p>
<p><em>If anybody told you, anybody told you<br>
What you gotta go through, what you gotta go through<br>
You have to start somewhere<br>
You have to start somewhere</em></p>
<p><em>We were playing the subways<br>
Where we laughed and learned to harmonize<br>
Under Downtown Crossing where you couldn’t hear the sound<br>
We had to face our fear no one would ever hear us<br>
But we learned to sing our song when no one was around</em></p>
<p><em>Now, the songs we sing, run underneath, the life we know</em></p>
<p><em>If anybody told you, anybody told you<br>
What you gotta go through, what you gotta go through<br>
You have to start somewhere<br>
You have to start somewhere<br>
If anybody doubts you, anybody doubts you<br>
What you will amount to, what you will amount to<br>
You have to start somewhere<br>
You have to start somewhere</em></p>
<p><em>Teaching songs at nighttime just to get by in the wintertime<br>
He found this girl and he just knew right away<br>
From Brookline into Back Bay, we all made our way to Cambridge<br>
Across the Charles, where my little brother stays</em></p>
<p><em>He is living at Next House, and we’re flying from the West Coast now<br>
For a sold out show at Harvard Square<br>
We step out on the stage</em></p>
<p><em>If anybody told you, anybody told you<br>
What you gotta go through, what you gotta go through<br>
You have to start somewhere<br>
You have to start somewhere<br>
If anybody doubts you, anybody doubts you<br>
What you will amount to, what you will amount to<br>
You have to start somewhere<br>
You have to start somewhere<br>
You have to start somewhere<br>
You have to start somewhere</em></p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=533&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686582009-10-08T16:42:15-07:002017-01-15T13:37:36-07:00Review: Live on Father's Day by Kerry Cowen<p><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/5fe8219542a3b75a9141cddfafc93c8bb0b2e31d/large/coverfathersday5.jpg?1451603494" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /><br><br><br>Kerry Cowen of Tucson, AZ reviewed our “Live On Father’s Day” CD for her music class. She agreed to share her lovely review with all of us as an official “guest blogger”.</p>
<p>—————————-<br><strong>LIVE ON FATHER’S DAY</strong></p>
<p>Tucson’s own <strong>Ryanhood</strong>, comprised of friends Ryan Green and Cameron Hood has found a delicate balance between sweet harmony and killer guitar riffs on their new album <em>“Live On Father’s Day”</em>.</p>
<p>Recorded on Father’s Day, 2009, the duo starts off with “Stopless”, a romantic ballad which showcases the echoes and harmonies that blend together effortlessly. This is followed up with “Appy Jam”, the shortest but by far the most energetic tune on the album. Ryan shows off his impressive picking skills on a most appropriately named groove. “Mature” is a beautifully crafted song, with a poignant message of self realization in it. The acoustic performance lends anticipation and wonder to each verse, and Cameron’s vocals are silky smooth and a perfect fit for this piece. The studio version of this song incorporates a stunning cello solo, but the guitar in this version is more than adequate.</p>
<p>Between songs we are treated to snippets of thoughts and comments on each track, giving life and meaning to each and every one. The sound captured in “Nothing But The Real Thing” is both groovy and folky, and is one to sing along and dance to. As the songs roll by, it’s like taking a journey of love, celebration, hope, desperation and promise, all in under an hour.</p>
<p><strong>Ryanhood</strong> has succeeded in making a record that transcends age, gender, and musical preferences. This is one album that everyone will enjoy listening to.<br><br>—————————-<br><br><em>This album is no longer available.</em></p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 110px"> </div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=529&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686592009-10-05T22:32:38-07:002017-01-15T13:37:36-07:00Legends Of The Fall (RG)<p>In nearly every major publication I’ve read lately, I’ve stumbled on photos of U2’s current 360 stadium tour.. and every one of them makes my jaw drop. They’re legendary.</p>
<p>If 10% of Tucson attended our concerts, we’d be performing to audiences of 100,000 people. It would be legendary. U2 would be opening for us.</p>
<p>We played a house concert in Malta, ID tonight to an audience of 17 people. It was legendary.</p>
<p>Malta, ID has a population of 171, and 10% of that population came to hear our music and our message – in the back room of the Cattle Country Steakhouse.</p>
<p>And while Bono was screaming, for 60,000 fans, we were singing about this “Long Wide Open” road that brought us to Malta… by request…for someone who drove 2 1/2 hours to be in Malta tonight.</p>
<p>I like nights like tonight… remembering that the journey can be just as fun as the destination. “It’s like the red tips on the petals of a yellow rose. Yellow for the wayfare, and the red for what may happen down the road”…</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=519&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686602009-10-02T09:35:45-07:002017-01-15T13:37:36-07:00Guest Blog: "Ryanhood Heats Up, Melts Chocolate Bar" By Michael Lin.<div class="bodytext">
<p>At our recent Boston College show, we asked MIT student and writer Michael Lin to write a concert review for this blog, which he did, and more.</p>
<p>The following review also appears online at MIT’s <a href="http://tech.mit.edu/V129/N41/ryanhood.html" target="_blank">The Tech.</a></p>
<p style="text-align:center;">——————————-</p>
<p>Ryanhood, formed by Arizona natives Ryan Green and Cameron Hood, gave a free concert last week in their second home of Boston to a small but excited crowd of fans and newcomers. Defined primarily by smooth vocals and slick guitar work, the duo performed a mixed repertoire of flashy jams and deep ballads that demonstrated why, in spite of not having a Wikipedia page about them, they continue to gain new fans with every show.</p>
<p>The Chocolate Bar is a chocolate–themed (<em>quelle surprise</em>) cafe on the southern limit of the Boston College campus, and Ryanhood was right at home in more ways than one. Boston and Cambridge venues have a special meaning for Green and Hood, who were hopping over from a tour in the Midwest in order to perform in town. Green studied music at our harmonious neighbor school, the Berklee College of Music, and Hood has personal family ties to MIT. The pair first began performing together full-time as street performers on the streets and subway platforms of Boston. In fact, their unreleased song “(You Have To) Start Somewhere” details their transformation from street performers into a real gigging band in three verses and makes mention of an MIT dormitory, a reference that reflects their personal, real life inspired songwriting.</p>
<p>The show opened with a few of the songs from Ryanhood’s newest album, <em>The World Awaits</em>, before opening the floor to requests from the audience. After a request for “Free Bird” was made (and indulged for about 30 seconds), the crowd called for songs throughout the evening. They started with one of Ryanhood’s older and arguably better-known, “Welcome You Into My Head,” a relentlessly fast number that showcases Green’s guitar talents. That Green has come to be known as “Maestro” (and is cheered on as such) serves to indicate his level of virtuosity.</p>
<p>During breaks in the music, Green and Hood bantered and improvised with one another and with the crowd, a skill they honed as street performers. They touched on topics like whether or not Green’s winning free video game rentals from Blockbuster was cool. The audience was asked to sing along when possible, with Hood taking charge when shyness was dominant, revealing a participatory aspect of Ryanhood’s live performances that isn’t always evident on their recordings.</p>
<p>After the end of the show, with an upbeat blowout finish called “Nothing But the Real Thing” and the aforementioned autobiographical “(You Have To) Start Somewhere” as an encore, the last request of the night was “Back Into Blue.” This is a rich love song on the opposite end of the spectrum from the rock-style jams that got the show started. Its emphasis is on sweet vocal harmony. Ryanhood performed it half an hour after the encore, with their guitars unplugged, the AV equipment put away behind them, and a dozen devotees gathered around a 10 foot radius around them — all they were missing was the guitar case waiting for dollar bills from passersby.</p>
<p>The show at the Chocolate Bar repeated my experiences from previous Ryanhood shows — an entertaining band dynamic coupled with guitar–centric songs from a playlist that offers more and more gems as it grows. If you’re interested in acoustic guitar, independent music, or bands that don’t mind manning their own merchandise table and connecting with fans, Ryanhood is performing in Cambridge again this Sunday at 3 p.m. at Cambridge Vineyard, as well as at Berklee’s student–run Cafe 939 in Boston on November 14.</p>
</div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=514&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686612009-09-24T08:02:35-07:002017-01-15T13:37:36-07:00Write For the Ryanhood Blog (CH)<p>One of Ryan’s and my goals for our blog — and our music at large — is to develop and encourage community; to develop a feeling like, “Yeah! Me too!” To that end, we thought it would be meaningful and fun to invite you to share your thoughts and opinions alongside ours, here on this blog.</p>
<p>We’ve gotten emails from people sharing the way songs have intersected with their lives, what they thought was the meaning behind the lyric of a song, or how Ryan’s guitar playing inspired them to want to rock their clarinet harder than they ever had before. Instead of just letting us know, we want you to tell those stories to everyone. If it’s meaningful to you, chances are good that it will be meaningful to someone else… here in this more-connected/ more dis-connected land of the internet.</p>
<p>Your blog doesn’t have to be exclusively about Ryanhood. Ideally, we’d like to know how you think this music fits into the larger world. Here are some topic ideas to start with:</p>
<p>– Review a show you went to.<br>
– Discuss what a song means to you, or common themes you notice among several songs.<br>
– What, if anything, makes Ryanhood unique in the world of music?<br>
– Post a creative YouTube video that features one of our songs.<br>
– Write about why do you like music in general?<br>
– Write your thoughts about the future of music?<br>
– Write about whether the internet is bringing us closer together, or inching us further apart.<br>
– Discuss whether you think Ryan had to take lessons from the Emperor and learn about “the dark side of the force” in order to play like he does.</p>
<p>Due to the volume of responses, we can’t post everything, and we reserve the right to edit for content and space as needed. However, we will read everything, and post as much as we can.</p>
<p>As C.S. Lewis has said, “Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: “What! You Too? I thought I was the only one.”</p>
<p>Email your blog post, including a title, to: <a title="faq@ryanhood.com" href="mailto:faq@ryanhood.com" target="_blank">faq@ryanhood.com</a></p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=510&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686622009-08-10T06:56:49-07:002017-02-05T00:56:33-07:00Funny Story From The House of Blues (CH)<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="344" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WbYful5YqRY?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="425"></iframe></span></div>
<p>The world changes.</p>
<p>We were at the House of Blues this week. We had a great show with the full band, Chris Giambelluca on bass and Nadim Shehab on drums. Well, I say “great,” because it was fun and light and memorable. Perhaps not so great because my voice started to lose itself and jump to other notes I did not want it to go to. Like I was 13 again.</p>
<p>“Sing, sing, squaaaawk, sing, sing.”</p>
<p>Anyway. Fun show. Playing with our friends, the Nikhil Korula Band. We walked in and they were sound-checking, we waved hello and set our gear down. We’ve played with them three times before, they’re great guys and we like to pal around; so naturally I felt like a jerkstore when I realized I’d forgotten the saxophone player’s name. I turn to Nadim:</p>
<p>“Hey, dude, can you do me a favor?”</p>
<p>“Sure.”</p>
<p>“Over the course of the evening, can you figure out the sax player’s name. I’ve met him a bunch of times already. I can’t ask his name again. But you can. Will you?”</p>
<p>He goes, “I’ll see what I can do,” whips out his iPhone, pulls up Nikhil’s myspace page, finds the list of band members and delivers, “Aaron Leibowitz.”</p>
<p>“Um, well done. Thanks.”</p>
<p>The world changes.</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=506&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686632009-07-31T15:58:22-07:002017-01-15T13:37:37-07:00Fear and Loathing in Las Marketplace (CH)<p>I’m at the kitchen table, rocking the laptop, calling A-list band managers while my younger brother is busy making calls to get a late-summer job.</p>
<p>He’s looking for work in chemistry, or perhaps as a pharmacy tech. Meanwhile I’m going through the metaphorical Rolodex calling music industry bad aces to get them to chat for a few minutes on the phone, or *gasp* come see us play live. And even though we’re clearly on different career paths, the story is pretty much the same.</p>
<p>What he hears: “Yeah, we’re not hiring right now… uh… I don’t think any of our locations are hiring. I think we’re laying people off… yeah… crap.” At which point I overhear my brother say, “Yeah… that’s ok… good luck keeping your job,” He regroups, and makes another call. “It’s a learning experience,” I say.</p>
<p>“Yeah, I learned nobody is hiring.”</p>
<p>No one has money right now, I think. And so the underlying similarity between my brother’s story and my own is undeniable. Most everybody is finding their pocket book thin.</p>
<p>“Oh, you’re looking for a job… yeah… how surprising. You and everybody else. Good luck. And by ‘good luck’ I mean, please don’t call here again.”</p>
<p>The music industry seems to be scrambling to figure out how to make money from a marketplace that has been nearly “de-monetized.” That is to say, what Yesterday paid $13.99 for at Circuit City, Today can get for free. When you add in the fact that the economy at large is still trembling in its Ugg Boots, what you get are a lot of companies, people, who aren’t particularly interested in taking chances.</p>
<p>It’s totally understandable.</p>
<p>But it does increase the “fight” in me. Surely there is a manager out there who is smart and capable and interested in using Ryan’s and my combined work ethic, tour schedule, and overall desire to “bring the music to the people,” to make himself or herself a lot of money.</p>
<p>We are not looking for anyone to save us or hold our hands.</p>
<p>We ARE looking to partner with somebody, to take something that we believe in, (from the core of our acoustic-rocking beings) to levels of growth and impact and community, and yes, money, that we have not yet reached with our dusty fingertips. So I regroup, and I make another call.</p>
<p>Here’s what I hear: “Yeah, no, sorry. Until you’re doing two million in sales on your own, I don’t know anybody who would even be interested.”</p>
<p>Again, it makes sense to me. There are mouths to feed. But if we go where we intend to go, with just our determination, and the determination and support of our own fanbase, we’re probably not going to call once we reach two million. I think we’ll probably just keep on going. Because we’ll have already learned to do it on our own.</p>
<p>That said, friends, don’t hold it against us if, in the coming months, we find a dedicated and skilled manager to walk with us. It will just make it possible to come see you more often!</p>
<p>We love you. We miss you. And we’ll see you out there on tour.</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=496&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686642009-07-29T10:56:41-07:002017-02-05T00:56:33-07:00Photos: Medium Reality Photo Shoot (CH)<p>So, I know what a “photo shoot” is, but what is “Medium Reality” and why do I care?</p>
<p>Weeeellllll, dear reader, so thoughtful of you to ask. <a href="http://mediumreality.com/" target="_blank" title="Medium Reality">Medium Reality</a> is the name of a recycled clothing line based in San Francisco with whom we recently traded our time as models (ooh la la!) for some really sweet urban-ish neckties. You can see our favorite shots from the shoot at the <a href="http://ryanhood.smugmug.com/gallery/9090059_sV5RN#605489012_YZBFW" target="_blank" title="Ryanhood Phot Galleries">Ryanhood Photo Galleries</a>. Here’s one I particularly like of us getting ready:</p>
<div class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 410px"><img src="//d10j3mvrs1suex.cloudfront.net/u/186934/cdafcafadbf6082590d6676099e6213588eaec44/large/fixthetie-x3.jpg?1451603998" class="size_xl justify_none border_" /></div>
<p>We were going about our merry way, when we were contacted by Rachel (who runs Medium Reality), who had spotted <a href="http://twitter.com/TheEllenShow/status/1653471847" target="_blank" title="Ellen's Tweet">Ellen’s Tweet</a> about us. She’s an Ellen viewer, she liked our song, saw that we wore sweet ties, thought to herself, “I make even sweeter ties, perhaps they will want to wear them,” and contacted us. And it just so happens that we love her ties.</p>
<p>So see, Ellen, you’re making love connections and you don’t even know it.</p>
<p>Love,<br>Cameron</p>
<p>PS… If you haven’t seen the video of our Ellen song yet, here ’tis:</p>
<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="295" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3YouST5KyrU?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="480"></iframe></span></div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=493&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686652009-06-25T10:36:12-07:002017-01-15T13:37:37-07:00Goodbye Michael Jackson (CH)<p>It seemed as though it was impossible.<br>
I thought he would probably outlive all of us.<br>
That after nuclear times came and went, Michael would be left alone with the insects and an impossibly blue sky. Wisdom suggests that we come to know who a man truly was by his end. It will be interesting to see what develops in the story of the death of this fantastically-talented eccentric.</p>
<p>I know this: when he started his show… bursting from underneath the stage through an elevator and trapdoor… he stole people’s breath away from them. And he had not yet even sung a note or danced a step.</p>
<p>I used to tape his songs off of the radio with my cousin and memorize the words; these are the verses that return to me right now:</p>
<p><em>They told me<br>
I’m meant to be faithful<br>
And walk when not able<br>
And fight ’til the end<br>
But I’m only human</em></p>
<p>Carry me, like the river Jordan, and I will then say to thee:<br>
“You are my friend“</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=487&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686662009-06-16T15:12:40-07:002017-02-05T00:56:33-07:00Change Your Blog, Change Your Life (CH)<p>According to Dr. Farvin Blogsalot, Ph. D. “unsearchable, slow-loading, untagged blogs have been clinically linked to an increase in ‘Screwthisimgoingtoyoutube Sydrome’ among young adults aged 3 to 79.”</p>
<p>Naturally, we here in Ryanhood want to do our part to battle the destructive forces of Screwthisimgoingtoyoutube Sydrome, so we have transfered all awesome and amazing blog content from myspace to <a href="http://ryanhood.com/blog" target="_blank">ryanhood.com/blog</a>. You know us, always wanting to lend a hand.</p>
<p>Our new blog is well-organized, tagged, and easily-searchable. Want to know in which videos Ryan plays mandolin? Search “mandolin”. Or want to read long diatribes where I rant about spirituality? Search: “spirituality”. Or simply want to know what it was like making “The World Awaits”? Then search “recording studio” and all blogs, vlogs, studio journals, and videos that have anything to do with the recording studio will appear.</p>
<p>“Wait, wait,” you say, “This is so complicated.” I know, I know. But you can do it. A little old-fashioned experience is all it takes to get healthy enough to say “no” to Screwthisimgoingtoyoutube Syndrome.</p>
<p>By the way, have you checked out our awesome collection of videos over at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/ryanhoodvideos" target="_blank">YouTube</a>?</p>
<p> <span class="wp-smiley wp-emoji wp-emoji-wink" title=";)">;)</span></p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=447&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686672009-05-16T14:28:11-07:002017-02-05T00:56:34-07:00Thank You Kelly Clarkson (CH)<p>So we played with Kelly Clarkson. Radical.</p>
<p>It was a giant stadium show, and all told, it was a fantastic experience.<br>
If you want to see some pretty cool videos from the evening, check out <a href="https://www.youtube.com/ryanhoodvideos" target="_blank">www.youtube.com/ryanhoodvideos</a></p>
<p>I want to add that Ms. Clarkson was sweet as iced tea. We hung out briefly and she made us feel right at home… put us very much at ease. We gave her a copy of The World Awaits, so here’s hoping that it becomes her new fav.</p>
<p><img src="//s3.amazonaws.com/twitpic/photos/large/7192061.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=0ZRYP5X5F6FSMBCCSE82&Expires=1247717809&Signature=cUET%2FR4mEARZyjyjllW7ZOR5g68%3D" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /></p>
<p>Thank you to everyone who voted in the contest. And to all who continue to work and hope and vote. We’re heading to the big stage. Come along with us!</p>
<p>Cameron</p>
<p>ps… did I mention that we played with Jay-Z, Third Eye Blind, and the Veronicas too? We did. <span class="wp-smiley wp-emoji wp-emoji-smile" title=":)">:)</span></p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=442&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686682009-05-15T19:26:18-07:002017-01-15T13:37:37-07:00An Emotional Dare… ooh Scary! (CH)<p style="margin:0;padding:5px;background-color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:small;">A huge lyrical theme of our new record, The World Awaits, is honesty. “This is who I am… better or worse.” We’re hoping that comes across in songs like “Nothing But the Real Thing,” “Okay,” and “Mature.” It’s a kind of vulnerability, founded on the notion that, when you show me the cracks in your armor, I will be inspired to show you mine. And in the telling, we end up closer to each other than before. </span></p>
<p style="margin:0;padding:5px;background-color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:small;">It’s something we try to do a lot when we’re onstage. And in the spirit of Ryanhood community, we want to throw it back to you.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0;padding:5px;background-color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:small;">Here’s the challenge:</span></p>
<p style="margin:0;padding:5px;background-color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:small;">Think of someone you might want to connect with. Could be a brother or sister, your BFF, a parent, a girlfriend or boyfriend, your pet turtle Raphael, if indeed it speaks. Ideally, choose someone with whom you can share music. </span></p>
<p style="margin:0;padding:5px;background-color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:small;">THEN… pick a song from The World Awaits that you connect with in a personal way. (Hopefully there is such a song on our CD!) and send your person an mp3 of that song… pass it to them… Tell them what it moves in you. (Hopefully not your lunch!)</span></p>
<p style="margin:0;padding:5px;background-color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:small;">What part of you responds to it? Something you hope for? Something you’re afraid of? Something you want to say to them? Or perhaps, there’s some part of you that comes out when you hear this song, that they may not have seen before. Share that.</span></p>
<p style="margin:0;padding:5px;background-color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:small;">We’re challenging you, our faithful friends, to use our songs as a new method of connecting with people that you love. So they can know you better. And maybe you will get to know them better too. Let’s see what happens! </span></p>
<p style="margin:0;padding:5px;background-color:#ffffff;"><span style="font-size:small;">We’d love to hear any comments from anyone who tries this. Tell us if it is fun, or dumb, or really cool.</span></p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=396&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686692009-04-04T19:33:18-07:002017-01-15T13:37:37-07:00Interview: AZ Night Buzz Talks The World Awaits with Cameron<h2 style="font-size:13px;font-weight:bold;">Ryanhood rock CD Release show at Rialto Saturday</h2>
<p class="posted" style="font-family:verdana, arial, sans-serif;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;font-size:12px;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;">04/04/2009 11:59 AM<br><em>Dan Shapiro</em></p>
<p>The appellation <a href="http://www.myspace.com/ryanhood" style="color:#000000;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Ryanhood</a> comes from the melding of Cameron Hood and Ryan Green, who are putting out their third full length album, <em>The World Awaits,</em> and celebrating the release with a party at the Rialto Theater on April 4. Every ticket includes their CD so there’s no reason not to go. Hood had this to say about the event, “No, really, THIS is the most important show. YouHAVE to come to THIS one!”</p>
<p>I remained skeptical until I recently heard the acoustic guitar duo, who sound like when Simon & Garfunkel met U2 in a park and The Edge taught Garfunkel to shred on guitar, while Nickel Creek drank coffee and rocked the bluegrass.”</p>
<p><em>Below, NightBuzz caught up with Cameron Hood to ask a few questions pertaining to playing shows in Tucson, burning yourself out in Tucson and burning Tucson down with fiery guitar licks.</em></p>
<p><strong>AZNB: I was surprised to see that you are living in Tucson because I haven’t seen you play out very much. Is it true that since you’ve moved to Tucson you’ve started playing less? What’s up with that?</strong></p>
<p>CH: Aw, you were missing us? That’s sweet.</p>
<p>We’ve found ourselves playing here at home every three or four months for a couple of reasons: One, we’ve been on the road! We spent eight months of last year driving around the country playing colleges and acoustic clubs. Along with that, we were in various stages of recording this new record in Los Angeles, so we just weren’t home very much.</p>
<p>Two, it’s nice to play only every once in a while, so each show feels like an event. This way, we avoid getting into situations again as we did in past bands when we’d play every week and end up burning out our audience.</p>
<p><strong>What are some of the pros and cons of living in Tucson vs. Boston?</strong></p>
<p>CH: Big city life was nice. In Boston you can get everywhere you need to go on train, by bus or with your 10 toes. And I thought Boston had a great heart, both literally and figuratively. It has this wonderful downtown with a giant park and ice skating and ducks. And we were really well received there as street performers, which can sometimes be a harrowing musical adventure.</p>
<p>One of the things I love about Tucson is that it just has these really good, down to earth people. Stay in our spare room and, ‘can we cook you chorizo and eggs for breakfast?’ kind of people. And we have Calexico! Plus, Tucson is sunny and warm and smells like orange trees. I don’t know, I can’t decide. Can I have both?</p>
<p><strong>You have a list of personal questions about music preferences on your MySpace page that you’ve invited fans to respond to. Did you learn anything from the answers?</strong></p>
<p>CH: Definitely. For one thing, even in the age of iPods and peer-to-peer file sharing, a lot of people still like to buy and own physical CDs. Partly as a response to that, and partly because we loved <em>Viva La Vida,</em> we printed our new album, <em>The World Awaits,</em> with these beautiful fleshy, cardboard sleeves, that are big and colorful. You kind of just want to keep opening and closing them, pulling out the liner notes and then putting them away again—and then cuddling with them.</p>
<p>A lot of people suggested blogs and magazines and apps, like Facebook, YouTube, Last.fm, and iLike. We’ve been going down just about every one of those roads, exploring every avenue, driving every… OK, I’m done. Basically, it’s a time where success and exposure is in our own hands as artists. If we’re waiting for a big label or manager or anybody to swoop in and do it all for us, we may be waiting a long time.</p>
<p><strong>Tell us a little about making your newest record.</strong></p>
<p>CH: It was hard. It was long. It was long and hard. And the result is awesome.</p>
<p>It took us three years. We struggled some with our producer, Ross Hogarth. He pushed us hard to get good performances, which was to his credit and our disliking. And we got back-burnered a couple of times so that he could take on some higher-profile engineering jobs. I remember once, there was an offer on the table for him to engineer the then-new Smashing Pumpkins album, and Ryan and I were praying, pretty selfishly, “Don’t let him get that job. Let him keep working with us.” He didn’t get it, so we kept recording.</p>
<p>But he had a tremendous talent, a crisp and full sound and an impeccable ear. He brought in some A-list musicians to play with us: Joey Waronker (REM, Beck) on drums, Sean Hurley (John Mayer, Vertical Horizon) on bass and Rami Jaffee (The Wallflowers) on organ and accordion. Ultimately, he helped us produce a great album.</p>
<p>I’m incredibly proud of Ryan and myself, both for our performances and for seeing such a long project through to such a beautiful completion.</p>
<p><strong>How tough is it to make a record that you want to market nationally?</strong></p>
<p>CH: That’s a great question. In the pop/rock genre, my opinion is that it comes down to songs. If you have good, hit songs, you’ll do well. If you don’t, you won’t.</p>
<p>I think that our heads have always been in the clouds a little bit. Since our first shows at apartment complexes and in subway stations we’ve been dreaming of taking our songs to bigger and bigger audiences. But I don’t think that has changed the way we write music, or the way we think about our songs.</p>
<p>This may be a little too neatly drawn, but as a general rule, I want to write songs that are lyrically very meaningful for me, and Ryan really wants to be moved by music and melody. So we have our own internal check and balance on each other before we ever start thinking about how marketable a song is. If I write a song that I think has great lyrics but Ryan thinks is musically boring, then either I find a way to dig deeper melodically or rhythmically, or the song goes to doggy heaven.</p>
<p><strong>What’s your biggest fear of the next record?</strong></p>
<p>CH: I think my fear is that we’re going to be in debt for a long time. But we were so incredibly lucky to have been supported in this, financially and otherwise — to have been allowed to make the album we wanted to make — my gratitude outweighs my fear. Gina, thank you.</p>
<p><strong>What are you going to do with the songs you wrote over the last couple years while making this record?</strong></p>
<p>CH: Not sure yet, but they’re reeaally good! We’re writing as a team now more than ever, and the results are better and richer than what we’ve written separately. We’ll be playing a couple of the newer-than-the-new-record songs at our release show on the 4th.</p>
<p><strong>Did touring slow down the record-making process or was it good to take a break?</strong></p>
<p>CH: Both. Everything that slowed the recording down was a frustration on one level. But on another level, it was great to get out from under the microscope of the microphone and just play and stomp and have lots of people sing along with us. That is good for the heart in a way that’s hard to describe.</p>
<p><strong>You have been known to call yourselves ‘Christians in a rock band,’ instead of ‘a Christian rock band,’ which is a distinction I get. Is it odd that people want to peg you as Christian Rock?</strong></p>
<p>CH: I see it like this: to one person, “Helpless Hopeless,” which is on the new record, is a song to God. But to someone else, it’s the story of a marriage, the story of commitment and vulnerability. And since I think people interpret songs the way they want to, I like that our songs are open enough for a lot of different ways of relating to them.</p>
<p>Ryan and I made a decision when we started that we wanted to be a band that tries to find hope, that leaves people with hope. So, there might be some hand-holding, some camp-fire singing-along at our shows. Call it what you will. We want everyone to come. We want everyone to listen. And we want to write about what’s true for us. So we’ll keep on walking that line.</p>
<p><strong>Do you plan on being acoustic forever or are you going to pull a Dylan and shock us with electricity?</strong></p>
<p>CH: I think Ryan wants to stay acoustic for a while, but in my mind we’re already Coldplay and Ryan is like David Gilmour playing some sweet electric guitar solo from the top of The Wall.</p>
<p><strong>You chose the Flight of the Conchords for the cover up. I bet that was great. How familiar are you with them?</strong></p>
<p>CH: We wanted to do something fun, and not take ourselves too seriously. I especially get grave and wordy, so it was good to sing about robots and amphibious ladies for a while. We watched every episode of the show, every You Tube video we could find. We even made a vowel pronunciation chart for the New Zealand accent, and practiced our bantering while we were driving through North Dakota. I especially like how “Girls” become “Gills.” There are some good videos of that show up at <a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3J5YW5ob29kdmlkZW9z" style="color:#000000;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">www.youtube.com/ryanhoodvideos</a>.</p>
<p><strong>How’d the show go?</strong></p>
<p>CH: You’ll have to watch the <a href="http://www.msplinks.com/MDFodHRwOi8vd3d3LnlvdXR1YmUuY29tL3dhdGNoP3Y9M1Z0R1lqUXVjV0k=" style="color:#000000;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">YouTube videos.</a></p>
<p><strong>Tell us a little bit about putting out your CD at the Rialto.</strong></p>
<p>CH: It’s the most ambitious show we’ve ever staged ourselves. People are flying in from around the country to come to it. I’m pretty sure you can still get tickets.</p>
<p><strong>Is anything going to happen at this Rialto show that hasn’t happened before?</strong></p>
<p>CH: Yes. Definitely! Every ticket includes a copy of our new album, <em>The World Awaits</em>. And we’ll have a full band behind us for this show, like we did when we recorded. We’re currently rehearsing with bass, drums, keys, and cello. I’ll be playing harmonica, and Ryan is going to bust some mandolin.</p>
<p>Also, it’s going to be reserved seating, which is wonderful news for our parents who’ve been standing at Club Congress for the last three years. Club Congress has been really good to us, and we’re excited to make them proud by going across the street and headlining a big show.</p>
<p>It’s going to be a big night for us. I hope Tucson feels about us like we feel about it. We’ve had this crush for a long time, and now it’s time for a proper date.</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=397&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686702008-12-22T06:06:10-07:002017-02-05T00:56:34-07:00Any Tweeters Out There? (RG)<p>Hey Friends,<br>
Ryan of Ryanhood here. We are just starting to use Twitter and I wanted to invite you guys on board.</p>
<p>Twitter is a free service for communicating and staying connected through the exchange of quick, short, and frequent updates. It’s very cool, and we think you should try it out.</p>
<p>Want to keep afloat on what we’re doing?</p>
<p>goto <a href="http://www.twitter.com/ryanhood" target="_blank">www.twitter.com/ryanhood</a></p>
<p>or</p>
<p>just send a text to 40404<br>
with the message:<br>
Follow Ryanhood</p>
<p>We’ll keep in touch with interesting facts like what city we’re in, what color ties we’re wearing…<br>
AND you’ll be the first to know when we upload new music or videos (which we just did at <a href="https://www.youtube.com/ryanhoodvideos" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/ryanhoodvideos</a>)</p>
<p>Any tweeters out there?<br>
Ryan<br>
Ryanhood</p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=431&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686712008-11-29T14:03:05-07:002017-01-15T13:37:37-07:00What Do You Know?… (CH)<p>…THAT WE SHOULD KNOW?</p>
<p>We’ve noticed some things: Record labels don’t rule the roost like they once did, and fewer and fewer of us are listening to mainstream radio. The old system is on it’s last legs, BUT people are listening to more music than ever… So, it’s time to get creative!</p>
<p>As we plan the release of our new CD “The World Awaits” we’d like your help in inventing creative ways to get this music to as many people as possible. So many of you have been expressing such overwhelming support for our songs, our sound, and our live shows, that we feel like it’s time to give you the chance to speak to us, and for us; to help us become what so many of you have told us we could become. We want to know the best way to get the word out, and we’d like you to tell us how. So, what do you know, that we don’t?</p>
<p>Tell us where you discover music, where we fit. What bands’ fans would also like us? What genre are we?! Here are some questions we’d love your input on… feel free to answer anything you think you could help with.</p>
<p>* What new music blogs, songwriter blogs, or guitar-player blogs do you check out that would be a good fit for us?</p>
<p>* What social websites do you visit that you’d like to hear our music on?</p>
<p>* What’s new that you know about, but we’re slow to learn about? (Twitter? widgets?)</p>
<p>* Where do you read reviews of albums and live shows that would be a good fit for us? (which specific sites that cater to acoustic music, folk… whatever YOU think we are. We write music, but we don’t always know what to call it!)</p>
<p>* Do you still like to buy physical CDs, to have them in your hands? Or do you just rip them to your computer and put them into your MP3 player?</p>
<p>* What aren’t we thinking of? What would you tell us if you had the chance?</p>
<p>Thanks for lifting us up!</p>
<p>Yours Troubadourly,<br>
Ryanhood</p>
<p>ps… if you’d rather reply via email, please write to <a href="mailto:faq@ryanhoodmusic.com">faq@ryanhoodmusic.com</a></p><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=429&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686722008-11-18T00:16:23-07:002016-08-23T09:08:11-07:00Video: "In Congress (I Was Wrong)" – Underground – NYC<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2K4Nyi7N1eo" width="600"></iframe></div>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686732008-11-17T23:46:59-07:002016-08-23T09:09:04-07:00Video: "Heart On Holiday" – Underground – NYC<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ATVgbdCyVw8" width="600"></iframe></div>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686742008-11-17T23:42:28-07:002017-02-05T00:56:34-07:00Video: "Something More" – Underground – NYC<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7qpHepDaNk0?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=393&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686772008-11-02T16:54:23-07:002016-08-23T09:10:14-07:00Video: Tour Vlog – 11/02/2008 – Peoria, IL<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/dD7zuwg2la4" width="600"></iframe></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686782008-11-02T16:32:43-07:002017-01-15T13:37:37-07:00Video: Tour Vlog – 11/01/2008 – Peoria, IL<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="T9ZCZO9SL1U" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/T9ZCZO9SL1U/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T9ZCZO9SL1U?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="500" width="910" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></span></div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=392&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686792008-11-01T23:40:01-07:002016-08-23T09:11:18-07:00Video: "The World Awaits" – Cup O' Joy<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UEurjYFGA08" width="600"></iframe></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686802008-11-01T22:58:46-07:002017-02-05T00:56:34-07:00Video: "In Congress (I Was Wrong)" - Cup O' Joy<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8qbjHwnGLYA?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=51&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686812008-10-24T10:35:29-07:002017-01-15T13:37:37-07:00Slideshow: Street Performing Montage<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe class="justify_inline" data-video-type="youtube" data-video-id="j_PGi8oAyXg" data-video-thumb-url="http://img.youtube.com/vi/j_PGi8oAyXg/0.jpg" type="text/html" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j_PGi8oAyXg?rel=0&wmode=transparent&enablejsapi=1" frameborder="0" height="500" width="910" allowfullscreen="true"></iframe></span></div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=390&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686822008-10-13T14:38:51-07:002016-08-23T09:12:26-07:00Video: Ryanhood Performs on Southwest Airlines<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2iVRRcMvpVs" width="600"></iframe></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686832008-10-05T13:05:34-07:002016-08-23T09:13:12-07:00Video: "Sad and Happiness/Cecelia"<div style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PlSZ9Sme-ik" width="600"></iframe></div>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686842008-10-03T22:33:18-07:002016-08-23T09:13:57-07:00Video: Tour Vlog – 10/01/2008 River Falls, WI<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x1DSVPWFOMg" width="600"></iframe></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686852008-09-30T16:14:51-07:002016-08-23T09:14:41-07:00Video: Tour Vlog – 09/29/2008 – Mitchell, SD<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9aVRHXl_Kik" width="600"></iframe></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686862008-09-28T17:07:24-07:002016-08-23T09:15:21-07:00Video: Tour Vlog – 09/27/2008 – Northfield, MN<p style="text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="450" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZceFTq1oAB8" width="600"></iframe></p>Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686872008-09-26T08:11:49-07:002017-02-05T00:56:35-07:00Video: Waukesha, WI<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0VTeo-Iv0KI?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="420"></iframe></span></div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=383&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686882008-09-22T22:36:21-07:002017-02-05T00:56:35-07:00Video: Stevens Point, WI<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qXWzGq2WRpM?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="420"></iframe></span></div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=382&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686892008-09-22T22:18:46-07:002017-02-05T00:56:35-07:00Video: Mequon, WI<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/z6thTSQowgw?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=381&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686902008-09-07T20:27:43-07:002017-02-05T00:56:35-07:00Video: Beloit, WI - First Performance of "Remy"<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aWNCw3S4vLE?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/380/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/380/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=380&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686912008-09-06T13:21:46-07:002017-02-05T00:56:35-07:00Video: Superior, WI<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KiHObIAKvso?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="420"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/379/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/379/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=379&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686922008-08-22T22:10:33-07:002017-02-05T00:56:36-07:00Video: Independence, MO<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j4m4zETJBIM?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/378/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/378/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=378&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686932008-07-24T22:02:42-07:002017-02-05T00:56:36-07:00Video: Stopless (Drury University's "Uncut")<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3h-5w_9uaTI?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/376/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/376/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=376&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686942008-05-23T12:48:53-07:002017-02-05T00:56:36-07:00Video: "The Comfort Station" – Making Of<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8JSJOgxXLEU?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/375/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/375/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=375&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686952008-05-13T13:05:26-07:002017-01-15T13:37:38-07:00Homebound Hair (CH)<p>Hello friends, old and new!</p>
<p>I’ve been quiet for a long time. And you may, along with news correspondents and pundits everywhere be wondering: Why write now? For what critically important reason is Cameron Hood choosing to break his bloggish-silence? Since I’m sure you where losing sleep over it, I will now reveal my answer:</p>
<p>I’m writing to congratulate myself. I’ve done it! I’ve completed the task set out before me. This was not a task assigned to me by anyone other than me. It was a harrowing path that I alone chose to walk. It’s been difficult. It’s involved a lot of traveling, a lot of shows, a lot of training, a lot of skillful finger-performance. And it’s involved a lot of Redken Rough Paste Hair Styler.</p>
<p>The earth-shattering subject I’m addressing is not my involvement in Ryanhood’s massively successful Spring tour, though it was the stage upon which my heroics were performed. Instead, I’m talking about something even bigger and longer: my hair.</p>
<p>At tour’s start, way back in January, I vowed that I would not cut my closely shorn locks until I returned home to Tucson’s beloved shores. And here, on the eve of my return, I am contemplating the utter greatness of my achievement. Just look at where I started:</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/294449513_iwQf8-M-1.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="337" /></p>
<p>In this photo you can see me trying to pretend I’m not taking a picture of myself in the bologna aisle in Texas. And now compare that with my current, Emo-Rockers-Would-Be-Proud-Of-Me-Except-For-My-Enthusiastic-Thumbs-Up stylings.</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/294449527_HNSsr-M.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="360" width="480" /></p>
<p>In this photo, you can see the mists of Spokane Falls rising up to applaud my fantastic achievement. “Hurray for our hero!” the splashes seem to say. Listen, can you hear them?</p>
<p>In all, well at least in some seriousness: today we go home to Tucson for the first time since January 9th. We’ll still be playing some shows in California and Washington throughout May, and there are some cool public and private events going throughout the summer, but today we return to the city of our birth. And there’s something exceptional about that. Even more exceptional than the amazing and stupendous achievement of my hair growth (which is hard to imagine, I know).</p>
<p>During our tour, we’ve been introducing Gardens and the Graves with a story about how people who grow up in Tucson generally can’t wait to graduate high-school and leave. “We gotta get out of this town.” Not that there’s anything wrong with Tucson, per se. But there’s this restlessness that grows in teenagers who grow up in a town famous for retirement communities. “What am I missing by staying here? What could my life be if I left town… if I didn’t play it safe… if I risked a little bit?”</p>
<p>And here at the end of four plus months of seeing the country and playing for thousands of good people and driving 13 hour days and staying in different hotels every night, we’ve begun to feel that pull, begun to say those once-foreign words: “We gotta get back to that town.”</p>
<p>Summer in Tucson has rain. Monsoon rain that makes Tucson’s arroyos (dry rivers, or washes) become real, live rivers. You know, like the kind they have everywhere else in the country? The kind with water in them. And there are thunderstorms, with lightning, and wind that blows the contents of your trash can all over your street. Simply delightful.</p>
<p>I am glad to go home. And in a few months, I will be glad to go to Wisconsin, and Michigan, and the Dakotas, and Minnesota, and Iowa, and many other places with secrets and mysteries and beautiful storms all their own. In a few months, I will be glad again to leave, to go. Where? I don’t know. And, mmhmmm, already I’ve reached my quota for self-quoted poetry. But with hair this cool, how could you help but quote yourself? I mean really. Who’s with me?</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/386/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/386/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=386&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686962008-05-05T12:23:28-07:002017-01-15T13:37:38-07:00Just A Hello (RG)<p>Well. I must confess that I collapsed under the pressure of keeping the blog up to date on the tour. It would be a lot easier if we had someone else to do the driving! I’m writing this one on a 13 hour drive from Ohio to Oklahoma. We have internet in the car now though, which is a treat (providing we have a cell phone tower nearby). We’ve played in 24 states on this tour. It’ll be 25 after our shows in CA later this month. But the pace has slowed considerably in these last few weeks. It’s nice to have some time to breathe again.</p>
<p>I just wanted to say hi, let you know we are alive and well, and give a big thanks to the people who have cheered us on along the way. Thanks for believing in us.<br>
See you again before you know it<br>
Ryan</p>
<p><img src="//photos-c.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v198/162/24/506601450/n506601450_499594_8459.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="453" width="604" /></p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/355/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/355/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=355&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686982008-04-04T09:58:03-07:002017-02-05T00:56:36-07:00Video: Welcome You Into My Head – MCPHS<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rCWlEHIeNqw?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/370/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/370/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=370&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39686992008-04-04T09:56:20-07:002017-02-05T00:56:36-07:00Video: Stopless – MCPHS<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hua4BBM8nMg?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="420"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/369/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/369/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=369&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687002008-03-17T12:18:21-07:002017-01-15T13:37:38-07:00Ryanhood, Men In Tights (RG)<p>A very creative show flyer, no?<br>
<img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/266993350_X3kB8-L-0.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="600" width="618" /></p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/353/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/353/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=353&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687012008-03-08T12:59:23-07:002017-01-15T13:37:38-07:00Tour Journal – Weeks 7-8 (RG)<p>Hi Friends,</p>
<p>I though that we’d have seen it all by week 7 of the tour, but no….</p>
<p>This is the WORLD’S LARGEST SNOW-WOMAN!<br>
Check out the little snowmen next to it for perspective<br>
<img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/263490099_tkYgV-M.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="404" width="540" /></p>
<p>We’d seen this place on the map, but only dreamed of the day when we’d actually get to drive through it….<br>
<img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/263489853_XDCck-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p>AND FINALLY</p>
<p>We’ve seen A LOT of hotel rooms in our day, but never before had we walked into a room to find this….</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/263489878_RiKVt-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p>Where’s the rest of the toilet?</p>
<p>Oh, here it is…IN THE CORNER!</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/263489864_2GhTY-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p>Exactly whose pants are on Cameron’s bed?</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/263489929_m3wYG-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p>And since when do hotel rooms come with complimentary bread and beer?</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/263489894_4TChn-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p>Ah the fun of life on the road. Catch up with you soon!<br>
Cheers<br>
Ryan</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/368/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/368/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=368&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687022008-02-26T23:26:49-07:002017-01-15T13:37:38-07:00Tour Journal – Weeks 4-6 (RG)<p>Ok, so I just couldn’t keep up the pace of getting these things updated weekly…so for this installment we’ll have a GREATEST HITS photos of the last few weeks. YES we have been continuing to rock the country, and here are the photos to prove it…</p>
<p>this is me</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/259234775_3AE92-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>this is cameron</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/259238205_qSBRV-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>this is a nature-made ice sculpture</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/259234827_UeugU-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="225" /></p>
<p>this picture is not doctored</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/259234816_NCmuh-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>this is our first house concert<br>
<img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/259234749_gWBvY-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /><br>
this is our windshield cracking</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/259235724_RZjLb-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>these are some tie-wearing friends from NACA<br>
<img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/259234782_K3ugY-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /><br>
this is a pretty rockin photo from New York the other night</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/259234767_L5KZR-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>ok, now you’re all caught up <span class="wp-smiley wp-emoji wp-emoji-smile" title=":-)">:-)</span><br>
See you soon!<br>
Ryan</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/348/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/348/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=348&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687042008-02-06T23:14:55-07:002017-01-15T13:37:38-07:00Tour Journal – Week 3 (RG)<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251389385-M.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="234" width="480" /></p>
<p>Hey Guys,</p>
<p>Sorry for the late update (I’m aiming to get these up every Sunday, but ran a couple of days late this time around). We ate at a lot of uniquely-local restaurants on in Michigan..I think that will be this week’s thematic-link.</p>
<p><strong>Show 9 – </strong>Allendale, MI (Grand Valley State University)<br>
We were welcomed by snow as soon as we got to Michigan. But better yet we were once again welcome by students in neckties.</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251633472-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>Special thanks to them for making us feel at home during the first of our 5 shows in Michigan.</p>
<p><strong>Show 10 –</strong> Adrian, MI (Siena Heights University)<br>
Adrian is a tiny little town, but we still managed to schedule two nights in a row there. We also found a pretty cool Mexican Restaurant called El Chapulin (the grasshopper…who knew!?)</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251389505-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>Don’t forget dessert <span class="wp-smiley wp-emoji wp-emoji-smile" title=":-)">:-)</span></p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251388718-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>Oh yeah… the show…</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251392456-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p>Everyone was very kind to us, and bought lots of CDs…thank you! And just when we thought it was over, we found a ping pong table across the hall. Cameron was tired, so I crushed him <span class="wp-smiley wp-emoji wp-emoji-smile" title=":-)">:-)</span></p>
<p><strong>Show 11 –</strong> Adrian, MI (Adrian University)<br>
Another show in Adrian! Since we didn’t have to travel, we had the whole day to hang out in Michigan so we spent some time rehearsing in the lovely guest house the college let us stay in.</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251391051-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p>Then we headed to the movie theater with that extra CD money from the night before and saw JUNO.</p>
<p><img src="//www.reelmovienews.com/images/gallery/the-juno-movie-poster_292x410.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="410" width="292" /></p>
<p>Loved it. Then it was show time. We had a great opener, a duo called Katie and Pat, and they really warmed things up fantastically for us.</p>
<p><strong>Show 12 – </strong>Grand Rapids, MI (Aquinas College)<br>
We ate dinner at YESTERDOG.</p>
<p><img src="//yesterdog.com/assets/assets/front-yesterdog2.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="180" width="252" /></p>
<p>Apparently this hot-dog joint inspired the one in American Pie. It was cool to eat at a local hotspot, but not actually that cool to eat two chili-cheese dogs right before a show.</p>
<p>When we got to the school, I was giddy to find another ping pong table. I tried to get a ping pong match going before the show, but Cameron was distracted by Galaga (and probably still recovering from his last defeat)<br>
It was getting really snowy at this point in the week…we weren’t sure if the show was going to happen. But hot diggity the room was FULL for our late night 10:30pm show.<br>
<img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251391489-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>GREAT crowd…great show…<br>
Plus we made a great new friend.</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251391893-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p><strong>Show 12 –</strong> Sault Ste. Marie, MI (Lake Superior State)<br>
I suggest looking at a map, and discovering just how far north this is. It’s not even physically connected to Michigan.<br>
Hence the bridge.</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251394615-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p>And the road<br>
<img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251394765-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p>And the parking</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251394102-S-1.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="225" /></p>
<p>We sampled the local white-fish. And mostly just focused on not crashing our car.<br>
We did play a show too <span class="wp-smiley wp-emoji wp-emoji-smile" title=":-)">:-)</span></p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251389872-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p>We spent Superbowl Sunday with some friends in Port Heron, playing a little geetar and eating a bbq pork sandwiches.<br>
<img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/251392235-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p>There ya have it!</p>
<p>Yours Troubadourly,<br>
Ryanhood</p>
<p>PS…RECORD UPDATE…we are done with all of our vocals and guitars for the new record. The final touches are being put on right now by our producer, which include bits of organ, percussion, etc. We are flying out to LA Feb 14 and 15 to comb it over together, and hopefully move into the mixing phase from there. Thanks for sticking with us, it’ll be worth the wait!</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/346/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/346/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=346&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687052008-01-28T23:03:26-07:002017-01-15T13:37:38-07:00Tour Journal – Week 2 (RG)<p>Buenos Dias,</p>
<p>Week two was a good one, featuring a good mix of business and pleasure.<br>
We’ve seen some pretty creative advertising for our shows so far, so I thought I’d start by sharing a couple of them.<br>
This from the Wichita show (below)</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/248359784-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>And who could forget this one from Albuquerque</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/248361157-M.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="450" width="338" /></p>
<p>So back to the shows…</p>
<p><strong>Show 6 –</strong> Fort Hayes, KS (Fort Hayes State University)<br>
They have a beautiful brand new student center that we got to play in. So we were stoked when we got there and saw the great stage/lighting.</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/248357800-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>As we re-strung our guitars before the show, I saw the news about Heath Ledger’s death on TV, which tripped me out. Then I drank about half a bottle of a Naked Juice Protein drink…</p>
<p><img src="//www.foodfacts.com/images/items/thumbnails/082592722157.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="100" width="100" /></p>
<p>…and spent the rest of the night, including the show, so dizzy I could hardly keep my eyes open. I found out from a grocery store worker the next day that this batch of drinks had just been pulled from the shelves! Doh. In spite of my absent mindedness, the show went off without a hitch, and the crowd was great.</p>
<p><strong>Show 7 – </strong>Wichita, KS (Wichita State University)<br>
We actually got to tour the city a bit, and get a feel for it, including a workout session at the local YMCA. Then of course we headed straight for the WORLD’S FIRST PIZZA HUT</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/248359720-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>It was actually started by Wichita State students in an entrepreneurship program. It doesn’t serve food anymore, but the campus food court did, so we partook. Fittingly, the show was a lunch-time show so we rocked out while people raised their Diet Cokes in praise.</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/248368899-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>We had the night off, so we headed to Kansas City, where the band LUCA, some Tucson based buddies of ours, happened to be touring that night. There’s nothing like some familiar faces when you are 1000 miles from home</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/248358108-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>We enjoyed the cold-weather reunion, and got our desert-rock on that night.</p>
<p><strong>Show 8 – </strong>Marietta, OH (Marietta College)<br>
This is Phil</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/248358985-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>He’s the man. We knew he meant business when we met him. He hooked us up with the Marietta hoodies you see us in. He runs a tight ship over at Marietta College, and we had a great show as a result. It’s a tight knit, small college where everyone lives on campus and the atmosphere and reception were fantastic.</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/248615547-M.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="360" width="480" /></p>
<p>I even decided to break out my new little friend</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/248358540-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>But the fun didn’t stop there. Cameron and I headed directly into an after-show ping pong battle. A serious battle, where both combatants were left sore when all was said and done. However, there can be only one winner. And I will let you decide who that was…</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/248375327-S-0.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>We are in Michigan all week this week. It’s cold now. There’s snow now.<br>
But we also got a GPS today finally, so at least we won’t get lost and stranded.<br>
I don’t believe the unit came with a Deer Avoidance feature, so we’ll try to stick to driving in the daylight hours.</p>
<p>Until Next Time…<br>
Musically Yours,<br>
Ryanhood</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/344/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/344/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=344&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687062008-01-20T22:53:21-07:002017-01-15T13:37:39-07:00Tour Journal – Week 1 (RG)<p>Greetings from the road! I have felt compelled to document this tour, perhaps because it’s so massively long that I must dissect it into digestible portions.</p>
<p>We’ve got some new tricks up our sleeve this time.<br>
Cameron’s brought his harmonica</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/245403902-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="225" /><br>
And I’ve got my tambourine and shakers in tow:</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/245403914-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="225" /></p>
<p><strong>Show 1-</strong> Albuquerque, NM (Winning Coffee Co.)<br>
We weren’t sure what to expect, since we’d never seen the venue before, and the venue doesn’t normally host concerts, but man were we pleased with the results! The owner essentially let us convert the coffee shop into a venue, and a full house turned out to see us play! (And naysayers tried to tell us Albuquerque is dead in January!)</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/245782613-S-2.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="283" width="400" /></p>
<p>This was an absolutely fantastic start to the tour, and a special thanks to all those who brought friends out to see us for the first time!</p>
<p><strong>Show 2 –</strong> Kansas City, MO (Main Street Café)<br>
The venue was difficult to find, but once we found ourway inside this converted icehouse, we were amazed to find a huge, beautifully decorated, high-ceilinged performance space. We shared the night with 3 other bands, and were treated to an audience of around 100. A great venue with a great cause, we hope to return there sometime later in the tour.</p>
<p><strong>Show 3 –</strong> Lawton, OK (Cameron University)<br>
The entire programming board wore vintage neckties with show info puffy-painted onto them to spread a buzz about the show that day!</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/245782638-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p>They took great care of us here, and we even got to sign our first acoustic guitar after the show!<br>
<img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/245782587-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="299" width="400" /></p>
<p><strong>Show 4 – </strong>Tyler, TX (UT-Tyler)<br>
Noon-time shows are notoriously difficult to grab people’s attention at, with food being around and all. However, this was probably our best-ever lunchtime concert. The performance space was bright and sunny, and people sang and smiled with us all the way through.</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/245403962-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="302" /></p>
<p>Plus we got onion rings. What more could we ask for?</p>
<p><strong>Show 5 –</strong> Walla Walla, WA (Whitman College)<br>
This one took some work to get to…3 flight segments and a 3-hour drive in a rental car. However, it was more than worth it when we stepped on stage to find an enthusiastic audience of 150 people. Walla Walla, knows how to love on acoustic music. This show really meant a lot to us, and we will certainly be back. They give us big heads.</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/245670799-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>We hit the road at 5:30AM the morning after the show to catch a flight to LA to attend the NAMM music trade-show. However, at about 6:15AM, and at about 60mph, a deer ran across the road right in front of us, and we had no chance of avoiding it. We collided and spun off into a ditch. The deer flew about 25 yards in the opposite direction. Fortunately, aside from some backaches, we are okay. The rental car is probably totaled though.</p>
<p><img src="//ryanhood.smugmug.com/photos/245403982-S.jpg" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="300" width="400" /></p>
<p>I’m left remembering how the rental clerk persuaded me to upgrade the vehicle to a size larger, and how that may have very well made the difference in the outcome of the situation for us. We missed the trade show, and we’ve been forced to slow our pace down for the weekend, which feels good. We’ll pick everything back up again on Tuesday in Kansas!</p>
<p>Tenaciously yours,<br>
Ryanhood</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/342/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/342/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=342&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687072008-01-07T12:41:00-07:002017-02-05T00:56:37-07:00Video: Mrs. Robinson/ Ms. Jackson Mashup – Club Passim<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WEW95-pE39o?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="420"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/11/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/11/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=11&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687092008-01-07T12:13:43-07:002017-02-05T00:56:37-07:00Video: Ryanhood Promotional Video<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7YJbDbCgVeE?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/8/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/8/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=8&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687102008-01-07T12:12:37-07:002017-02-05T00:56:37-07:00Video: Studio Update – "Sooner or Later"<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j5ZdTrHCmOw?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/7/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/7/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=7&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687112008-01-07T12:11:54-07:002017-02-05T00:56:37-07:00Video: Around The Sun w/ Owen Plant – Club Passim<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/V--tt9QaGhg?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/332/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/332/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=332&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687122008-01-07T12:10:06-07:002017-02-05T00:56:37-07:00Video: Los Guapos Del Norte<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s-TPpX8ay3s?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/331/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/331/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=331&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687132008-01-07T12:09:25-07:002017-02-05T00:56:38-07:00Video: Studio Update - "Halloween Edition"<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0njOSVbt68A?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/330/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/330/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=330&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687152008-01-07T12:00:53-07:002017-02-05T00:56:38-07:00Video: Dear Prudence – Club Passim<div class="jetpack-video-wrapper"><span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe allowfullscreen="true" class="youtube-player" frameborder="0" height="278" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y1QxRLW-JLc?version=3&rel=1&fs=1&autohide=2&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&wmode=transparent" type="text/html" width="440"></iframe></span></div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/329/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/329/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=329&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687162007-12-21T22:51:03-07:002017-01-15T13:37:39-07:00And So It Goes (RG)<p>Hey Guys,</p>
<p>I travelled to LA on Monday, to finish the last of the vocals on the record (all that remains are my parts on Okay and Stopless. Cameron’s are all done). However, after just one afternoon of singing ‘Okay’, my voice was gone. When I awoke the next day, and it was even worse. I went to a doctor, and found out I had a fever and viral laryngitis.</p>
<p>Back home to Tucson I went, silently, dreaming of what could have been a step towards the completion of the album. And on my Southwest flight home, my iPod was snatched, from right under my nose (the perpetrator leaving only it’s empty case underneath my seat). Fortunately I’ve got an old iPod Mini to get me by.</p>
<p>And so it goes! It’s still a beautiful time of year. And being home is never a bad thing. I’ll be doing my best to recuperate quickly, and let’s all hope that the opportunity to return to LA and finish the job comes quickly and healthily! In the meantime I hope to see some of you next week at the annual Christmas show.</p>
<p>Cheers to you and your families, Merry Christmas and Bon Ani!<br>
Ryan</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/340/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/340/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=340&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687172007-09-23T22:45:26-07:002017-01-15T13:37:39-07:00Sex And Reggae (CH)<p>But mostly reggae.</p>
<p>Since we just got finished with our tiny tour, and we are on the eve of re-entering the studio, it seems like the best time of all to write a little bloggy blog blog.</p>
<p>First, a math question:<br>
If two trains are traveling towards each other at a speed of 130 km/hr, and train A contains Owen Plant, and train B contains Ryanhood, what is the most precise expression of the energy created by their collision?</p>
<p>The answer is: One million awesomes. (Feel free to check the math on that. I was fortunate enough to get to sit in on a math class at MIT with my younger brother while I was in Boston, and even though it was mostly beyond me, it DID get me thinking.)</p>
<p>So, the tour: Owen Plant. Man, oh man. This guy can SING. If you’re lookin’ for a boy with a voice…</p>
<p>Each night we followed roughly the same order. Owen played between 2 and 5 songs, with Ryan guest harmonizing on the last couple. Then he turned the show over to us and we played between 3 and 6 songs, after which he rejoined us for a powerhouse, all-star jamboree… usually between 6 and 9 songs.</p>
<p>Owen’s been playing songs from his three solo records as well as some sweet songs from his new band, The Sunshine Brothers. One of the songs we performed together as a part of our all-star guitar throw-down was called, “Sex and Reggae.” This is fun because, when else are you going to hear Ryanhood singing the words, “It’s all about sex and reggae,” at the top of our lungs?</p>
<p>Our set included a smattering of songs from each record. Usually we did, “Can I Kiss You?” “Army,” “Stopless,” and the new song, “Back Into Blue.”</p>
<p>I was hanging out with a dear friend in Tucson at the start of the summer, and I sang him “Back Into Blue,” in my living room. He memorized the words and music and took the song to New York state where he was a camp counselor for kids from all over New England. He taught it to a bunch of his campers, who then liked it and learned to play it… all unbeknownst to us. So we were happily surprised when we got requests on this tour to play a song we thought no one had ever heard! In addition, we’ve had requests here on myspace for a posted recording, even though no recording even exists for this song as of yet. Well, one DOES exist, and it’s got guitar and cello and Maestro and me, and it’s awesome, but it’s not yet fully finished, and so, as yet, remains very unavailable to the public.</p>
<p>Other songs we’ve been playing live include, “The World Awaits You,” “Gardens and the Graves,” and the newly revamped “Helpless Hopeless.” During our rock-your-socks trio segments we played “Nothing But The Real Thing,” “Welcome You Into My Head,” our cover of Jars of Clay’s “Show You Love,” and the face-melting “Around The Sun.”</p>
<p>What kind of tour would it be, and what kind of songwriters would we be if we didn’t capitalize on each other’s gifts and write a song together? (Note: This question is rhetorical and does not have a factual answer like the math problem above.) Hence, I believe we may have written our finest song. The tune is called, “Rubia” and sounds like… something amazing. Folky, poppy, slightly bluegrassy, with some great lyrics about not missing the moment. Since I love lyrics, here’s a sample:</p>
<p>“Light fall on the trees/ rainfall on the street/ city in the dark/ help me win the heart/ of Rubia.”</p>
<p>New York City cast a spell on me again, almost as much as this beautiful girl in a green and white dress who walked by. The question is, did I miss the moment, or was I a man of action? You’ll have to wait to hear the song to find out! Won’t be out until the next next record, though. But you’re patient, right?</p>
<p>Speaking of patience. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for hanging with us for so long. We have taken so much longer to make this record than anyone would have guessed. And we fear at times that we’re trying your patience too much.</p>
<p>By the time you read this, we’ll be back in the studio. It’s my hope that you’ll keep on spreading the music any way you can. If you ever think of us during the day, send some prayers up, and some good thoughts our way. We’re going to finish this thing, and it’s going to be worth the wait.</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/338/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/338/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=338&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687182007-04-16T22:40:23-07:002017-01-15T13:37:39-07:00Everybody Feels The Wind Blow (CH)<p>Tucson is a place for flip flops, a place for shorts, and Tshirts. Nobody really brings jackets or scarves to carnivals in Tucson. That’s all I’m saying.</p>
<p>In Tucson, the town of our birth, there’s almost nothing as beautiful and pleasant as a spring night spent out of doors and under the stars. So when the wind began blowing bitterly and coldly last week just as we were setting up for an outdoor show called Spring Fling, most everyone was caught completely unaware.</p>
<p>Pretty early on in the show, I checked in with Ryan to see if the seemingly eternal flame in his fingertips had been cooled. Amazingly, even though he could have pierced my septum with the icicles on his knuckles, he was still able to play all of his guitar solos.</p>
<p>I was going to suggest to our audience that if they were cold, they could scoot closer together and closer to the stage and we could all keep each other warm. But when I looked up at them, they were already standing close together, close to us, dancing and clapping to keep warm. And they stayed the entire length of our set, figuring if we were going to play, they were going to stay for it. And we were figuring, if they’ll stay, we’ll play for them.</p>
<p>And in that way we all kept each other warm, even though we had flip flops and thin shirts.</p>
<p>————————————–</p>
<p>I guess I don’t know what else to do to stay warm, when a bitter and cold wind blows through a warm place like Blacksburg, Virginia. Maybe all you can do is stand close by someone else and cry and shake your heads together.</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/337/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/337/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=337&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687192007-01-18T22:33:36-07:002017-01-15T13:37:39-07:00What's Goin' On (CH)<p>Realizing that Ryan and I have been flying under the radar as of late, we thought it was high time we let you know how our recording is going, what the songs are sounding like, and what we think of it. So without further ado:</p>
<p>– We began recording in late summer, and we worked on and off up through Christmas. We’re roughly 70% of the way finished. (Slow and steady wins the race, right Mr. Tortoise?)</p>
<p>– We have completed bass and drums and main guitars for 11 of the 12 songs we’re planning to include.</p>
<p>– We’ve sung what are called “scratch” vocals for all of them, in order to find out which harmonies work, where different melodies are needed, etc.</p>
<p>– We’re currently back home in Tucson rehearsing our acoustic butts off, making sure that we know exactly what we want to sing when we get back to LA to begin recording again.</p>
<p>– The songs to be included are as follows (though not in playing order):</p>
<p>o THE WORLD AWAITS YOU – an upbeat waltz, inspired musically by Coldplay and lyrically by the struggle to teach the ones you love, like kids or younger brothers and sisters, where to begin making sense of the world. A very difficult song to write.</p>
<p>“Some get a silver spoon/ some get a name/ some get hated-on/ thrown away”</p>
<p>o STOPLESS- what is, to us, a classic Ryanhood song. We’ve been performing it for the last two years, and it was first available on the recording, On The Radio. All I can say, is that Ryan and Ross (Hogarth, the producer) found the PERFECT way to take this song to the next level. It’s a long, steady build, with drums and bass exactly where you’d want them.</p>
<p>“How pointless is my point of view/ until I reach the point of you?”</p>
<p>o AROUND THE SUN- an up-tempo, minor-key plea for balance between a life-lived in the moment, content, and the longing to see and feel more. We co-wrote it with Boston-turned-Los Angeles singer/songwriter Owen Plant. You can see an acoustic, video version right on the front of our myspace page. Ryan has worked out some extra harmonies, and we’ve thickened up the choruses by having us both sing all the way through. Preeeettty niiiice.</p>
<p>“Don’t you want to stop/ taking personal offense/ and stop talk, talk, talking about love in the future tense?”</p>
<p>o NOTHING BUT THE REAL THING- a Mraz-ish rant about the myriad ways we fake each other out, in order to present a strong, capable, good-looking front. At heart, a sort of love song, about peeling back layers of yourself to another person. Full bass and drums and a bunch of hooks. First available on the live disc, Live At Fiestas ’06, though some lyrics have changed since then. But only for the better. Maestro plays all the guitar, so live, I’ll be dancing and prancing around with nothing but a T-shirt on… and a microphone.</p>
<p>“It’s hard to be/ everything you wanna be/ and to try to do it honestly/ but I know you/ and nothing but the real thing will do.”</p>
<p>o OKAY- Second in the, Who Am I? Series (kidding, no such series exists, except on this record, in our minds). Okay is as tight and tense and hard hitting as a pair of acoustic guitars can be, with the drums joining in for a Led Zeppelin chorus. After we’ve finished the singing, Maestro’s going to unleash a guitar frenzy on the bridge of this song, the likes of which have never before been seen.</p>
<p>“I’ve got Godiva/ Mercedes Benz/ I’ve got fame and Benjamins/ I’ve got the sex, I’ve got control/ and a hole the size of you inside my soul.”</p>
<p>o MATURE- Third in the imaginary Who Am I? Series, following Nothing But and Okay. The crowning achievement. Brooding and very acoustic, with hypnotic drums. Currently, Ryan and I are trading the singing on the verses, so we take turns telling a story about being a little bit lost on the road, and dealing with fears about forgetting who we are and where we’ve come from. A spooky and meaningful song with excellent, Ryan-penned lyrics.</p>
<p>“I don’t want to turn me into/ something that I’m not/ keep me close in mind and body/ you are all I’ve got.”</p>
<p>o ALRIGHT- “Me and Sergio can make a microphone out of anything.” A funky, uplifting party about small things like eating good food and driving around with friends in the 110-degree Tucson heat. I guess it’s the answer to Mature, a balance to the touring life. Maybe the anti-thesis of Okay. Musically inspired a bit by Jack Johnson, a bit by Dave Matthews, and reworked to great effect by producer Ross Hogarth.</p>
<p>“We will all run out of bread/ we will all run out of sugar/ we will all run out of wine/ that’s fine/ it’ll all come back in time.”</p>
<p>o HELPLESS HOPELESS- Ross maintains this is the best song on the record. It’s been my favorite of our songs for a long time, and I was a tiny bit disappointed with the way it came out on Forward. Don’t get me wrong, I love a lot about it, especially the mood, but I don’t feel like we made the definitive recording of it, like we did with, say, Army. I’m pleased that now it will get a second chance to live. The drums are more consistent, with a steady 2 and 4 feel (drummers, are you with me?), and we’ve rearranged some of the lyrics and choruses. You can be alarmed if you want to, but I really really really like it this way.</p>
<p>“Today is a day/ for letting go/ of promises I’ve broken/ and words that I have spoken/ when really, I don’t know.”</p>
<p>o BACK INTO BLUE- A beautiful, Ryan-sung song about leaving home to go on tour a month after getting married. There’s a lot of imagery sung over a nice, slow-bounce. But it’s the melody that wins all the Grammys here. No drums on this one, but probably an upright bass and we’ve been plotting to have some cello. I’ve been singing the bridge, which is funny because Ryan wrote it for HIS girl, but I just go to my own place when I sing it, and we both think it sounds good.</p>
<p>“I’ll have you with me/ and there won’t be anywhere we have to be/ you are the ocean and I am the moon/ wading out in your waters/ I’m fading back into blue.”</p>
<p>o DIVIDES- The mother load. An intense, rocking, lyrically to-the-point song that we wrote with Carlos Arzate, singer of American Android. Rhapsodizing on Mahatma Gandhi’s exhortation to “Be the change you wish to see in the world,” we sang, “Be what you want to see.” A moving rocker, Divides features U2/Larry Mullen Jr. style drumming and some of the highest notes, sung for the longest periods of time that Maestro and I have ever done. This song just about defeated us in the studio. Not that it’s particularly hard to play, but I found myself struggling greatly to record my guitar parts in time with the drums. After great duress, Ryan, Ross, and I pushed through it, though, and I’m intensely proud of the results.</p>
<p>“This world divides us all between/ who we are and who we can be.”</p>
<p>o BORN TO RUN TO YOU – the ballad that will probably close the record. First available on On The Radio, it’s a sweet song, told in reverse, about a girl who made up her mind to believe in the love that she hoped for, even though she couldn’t see it yet. No drums here. A couple of acoustics, maybe some mandolin and maybe some violin, to complement Ryan’s beautiful guitar solo. It’s the only song that has a completed vocal, since we opted to have yours truly sing it and play it at the same time. Seems like you’d expect, huh? But recording is strange sometimes. I dug so deep trying to sing with the right emotion that I almost threw up. Mmmm…romantic.</p>
<p>“It took a lot to get there/ she measured distance in days/ while she wondered from miles away/ ‘Is there such a thing/ as a love meant to be/ and if so is one meant for me?'”</p>
<p>The goal for this record has been to make it sound like Ryanhood, as in, Ryan and Hood, with both personalities shining through. I think we’re really making that happen. What we didn’t want was to make a super-produced record with me singing and Ryan getting lost somewhere in a big, soulless backing band. I think that Ross has very successfully steered us clear of that, and in fact, steered us into a really interesting, very personal, very strong musical place. If we keep on putting the work in until it’s finished, though it may take a while yet, this will definitely be our finest record to date. Thanks for being patient with us.</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/336/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/336/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=336&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687202006-10-26T22:26:59-07:002017-01-15T13:37:39-07:00My First Time (CH)<p>…having to seal my finger-tips up with super-glue, that is! My normal, guitar-player calluses (which come and go) have definitely gone on my left hand, as the result of performing Stopless for 5 hours in the studio yesterday.</p>
<p>The ..B.. and ..G.. strings were digging a hole in my left middle finger, so I pulled out the old super-glue, and gave myself a protective plastic coating. It makes me feel very tough, and industrial, and ingenious.</p>
<p>Uggggggggggggggg….</p>
<p>Apparently Ryan and I suck at the guitar pretty bad. I didn’t used to think that was the case, but apparently it is. We’re taking a million years to make this record. And let me tell you something: we’re not getting any younger. Soon, it’ll be curtains for us, I say, curtains.</p>
<p>The studio is a hard situation. Not only is it like a microscope or a super high-resolution lens, but it’s also like trying to draw a picture of a cougar, with a girl you like looking over your shoulder. How are you supposed to just draw naturally and let your artistic whims go wherever they will? “She thinks I suck at drawing cougars! She thinks I shouldn’t have drawn his beard like that!” These sorts of worries plague your mind. And even though the studio is a time for playing what you’ve already written and arranged, as opposed to “just feelin’ it,” it’s still hard to just sit down and PLAY the guitar naturally. I get all worked up. I lose all semblance of any mojo I might once have had.</p>
<p>I like when blogs are funny. That is, I like reading blogs that people write FOR their audience. I aim to make mine more that way. I fear I fall too far into the, “Let’s talk about my favorite subject and yours: ME!” camp. I like serious blogs too. But not necessarily hyper-emotional, hyper personal-blogs (you say, “Sure Cameron, have you even READ your own blog on your personal myspace? Beyaaaaaa!!”) So anyway, I’ll try to keep things light and froofy and funny.</p>
<p>A question: How does one keep it froofy? Is it akin to keepin’ things jiggy? Can you get jiggy for Christmas? Perhaps froofy is like a petticoat. Perhaps it’s like dryer-sheets. Or like static-cling. Perhaps like a sock stuck on the inside of your pant leg making you feel extra comfortable. Could it be that froofy is like a mixed-drink involving fruit flavors that kids would like, but hard alcohol that would make them stagger through a McDonald’s Playland shouting, “What it IS Ronald? You never come ’round no more!”? Perhaps it’s like Imogen Heap. Or is that “Froufy?”</p>
<p>A bad idea is mistaking super-glue for contact-lens solution.</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/335/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/335/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=335&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687212006-09-22T21:41:51-07:002017-01-15T13:37:39-07:00Recording Studio – Vol. II (CH)<p>The Greene Room Recording Studio, 11:30 PM. Ryan’s playing the chords for ‘Back Into Blue’ in the main studio, while I sit in the control room next to Ross, typing.</p>
<p>A friend just asked me yesterday, ‘You’re here. Can you believe it?!’</p>
<p>At times I pinch myself (mentally, of course. Why would I really pinch myself? Have you ever pinched yourself? . . . and not like a love-pinch, but like a real ‘wake-me-up-when-the-biscuits-are-done’ pinch? Hurts.) Anyway, at times I pinch myself and think about how were living out what we dreamed of in high school . . . how we’re professionally recording songs we wrote at the edge of our beds and on our friends’ couches . . . how even though we’ve made records before, we’ve never done ANYTHING like this.</p>
<p>But as a balance to that, I also think that this is just the next logical step. I know all the things that came before this . . . all the work and preparation and long drives, the hundreds of times we’ve played these songs live or in rehearsal, the battles over song-structure and lyrical-choice, the sheer number of phone calls involved in setting this up, the horrific loss of blood, the nightmares, the humanity, oh the humanity (emmm?) . . . and so anyway, it is right and appropriate for us to be here.</p>
<p>‘Shayzzuss . . . you’re clacking away like a monster,’ Ross says to Ryan. ‘Give me one more take.’</p>
<p>And Ryan understands that Ross means he’s playing too percussively and that he should minimize the amount of string-sound, and maximize the amount of chord-sound that’s coming from his guitar. Ryan and I have started calling this the NPS ratio, or the Note Per Strum ratio. I have a high NPS ratio, while my volume doesn’t vary much, which can be boring-sounding. Ryan has a lower NPS ratio, though he’s a much more dynamic player.</p>
<p>And Ryan also knows that even though Ross says, ‘Give me one more take,’ he may actually be performing that part of the song twenty-six more times before it’s right.</p>
<p>Performing a song like ‘Back Into Blue,’ or ‘Born to Run to You,’ (which I attempted unsuccessfully earlier) can be a humbling experience. These studios have excellent microphones. And that’s like saying, ‘These photographers have extremely high-resolution cameras.’</p>
<p>It’s like being naked with the lights on, and then a photographer comes in and sets up and tells you to be perfectly at ease. And that’s difficult because you know that when you look at the photo proofs you’ll be able to see all your imperfections and extra pounds all zoomed-in-on and up-close. You can imagine that’s great for the old confidence.</p>
<p>Songs like ‘Alright’ are easier because there’s a drummer and a bassist to hide behind. There’s the extra challenge of playing perfectly in time with what they’ve already played. But little freckled notes and slightly sagging tunings have the luxury of being concealed among those backing tracks.</p>
<p>So click click goes the musical camera of our life. (heh heh. Who’s writing these puns? They’re fired!) And we want to make our mamas and papas and Ginas proud, so we’re gonna be naked and uncomfortable for quite awhile. But it’ll be good in the end.</p>
<p>‘I was waiting for you to look at me and tell me it wasn’t good,’ Ryan says, still working on Back Into Blue, an hour later. ‘Well it wasn’t,’ Ross says, ‘It was all, ‘Blaaannnggg!’ Give me one more.’</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/328/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/328/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=328&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687222006-08-06T17:01:44-07:002017-01-15T13:37:39-07:00A Brief Debriefing (RG)<p><img src="//x.myspace.com/images/spacer.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="30" /> <!--- blog subject --></p>
<p><!--- blog body --></p>
<div id="pBlogBody_152988999" class="blogContent">I can hardly believe that I’ve spent six 13 hour days in the studio so far this week. Probably because all I can remember doing is sitting in my cozy little isolation booth, singing and playing into two expensive microphones, staring through the thick glass at Bob Glaub and Joey Waronker in the big room, and Ross Hogarth overseeing it all from the control room. Cameron is in a booth next to me, but we can’t see each other. We all wear headphones and communicate very effectively through them. In fact it’s a feeling much more intimate than a stage. It feels sort of like being in a cockpit, with your squadron around you. I guess that makes me Goose. Cameron’s gotta be Maverick. Or maybe he’d be Kenny Loggins.
<p>I will say it feels like the ‘big time’ being here. We are working with SERIOUS record makers. Guys who are really freakin good at what they do. And right now they are trying to make our record really good. Getting to work with them makes me feel big for a second, but then I remember that next to them, I am but a little shivering hatchling, with pieces of my own shell in my hair.</p>
<p>Other reasons it feels like the big time:<br>
*There is a gate that opens when we drive up and say our name. And I think that one time it even scanned Cameron’s retina.</p>
<p>*The studio has a runner, who will help with anything we need (get food, goto the post office, etc).</p>
<p>*Everyday is like Groundhog Day, and the kitchen is restocked with food and drinks, and my little recording booth has fresh bottles of water in it sitting in the exact same place.</p>
<p>*I get a headache every time we play Tony Hawk in the lounge because the screen is so big.</p>
<p>*Hootie recorded here</p>
</div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/324/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/324/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=324&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687232006-08-02T17:00:48-07:002017-01-15T13:37:39-07:00Recording Studio Vol. I (CH)<p><img src="//x.myspace.com/images/spacer.gif" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="30" /> <!--- blog subject --></p>
<div class="blogSubject">>>>>RECORDING STUDIO VOL. I (CH)</div>
<p><!--- blog body --></p>
<div id="pBlogBody_151365345" class="blogContent">I’m sitting on a black couch, with our producer Ross in front of me. Ryan is to my left in an ergonomically perfect studio chair, and our bass player, Bob Glaub sits between him and Ross. We’re listening to drum and bass tracks for the updated, re-felt version of Helpless Hopeless. It feels really really good.
<p>To be honest, I was pretty much against it even being on this record. I was wary, because we’ve changed the arrangement of it, which means that weve changed aspects of the song in relation to the order of verses and choruses as well as the instrumentation. The intro to the song is different, one small half-verse is gone, and we now go straight from the ‘wrapped myself around mama’s feet’ lyric into another chorus. So some things are missing. It’s true. And I was worried that this newer version wouldn’t sound or feel as good as the version weve already put out, on Forward. How pointless would that be? Ugggg.</p>
<p>But Ross has been very much behind this song, and he’s believed in it, so I’ve had to exercise faith in his vision for this song. And I think its paying off. Other parts of the song are a lot more beefed up, such as the fact that we’ve made a musical feast out of the guitar part that happens in the version you know, right after ‘warrior, yeah yeah yeah’ (amazing lyrics, I know). And it kicks butt. But more than that, the feel of the song . . . the groove . . . just FEELS really good. So I’m now very much in favor of it being on the record. I am also in favor of taking my foot out of my mouth at this time. Thank you.</p>
<p>This studio is fabulous. See pictures <a href="http://ryanhoodmusic.phanfare.com/album/94438">here.</a></p>
<p>Each time I enter my little isolation booth, I scoot in behind the microphones, take a swig of water, slip on my headphones and get going. All four of us musicians have our own little mixing consoles. This might not mean very much to you. But if you’ve ever been to a show early and seen the band soundchecking, and they’re all saying, ‘Uh, Ted, could I get some more of my guitar in my monitor [the live equivalent of headphones] . . . uh, actually that’s too loud . . . could I get a little less?’ – – – then you understand how nice it is to for all four of us to have personal control over how loud each instrument is in our own headphones. Very nice, friends, very nice.</p>
<p>I’ve got the click track, which sounds like a metronome playing a simple beat, in one ear and the actual drums in the other ear. Being the rhythm guitar player, it’s my job to listen to both the click and the drums and not rush too fast or slow down to the point where it steers the drummer off course. I do this while singing and trying to emote in such a way that the band feels the urgency or relaxation of a given verse or chorus and plays accordingly. Very often, I get excited and rush the section, which makes the drummer speed up a little to keep up with me. However he’s also got to stay right in time with the incessant clicking in his ear. This is hard for him. He feels like he’s being pulled in two directions . . . like Stretch Armstrong. So Ross tells me to settle down a little. So I do. I’m very talented at settling down a little.</p>
<p>I’ll leave it for Ryan to tell you about the studio experience from his perspective. We see the world with two completely different sets of eyes, so the things he notices will probably be very different from the things I see. Our visions are very often complementary. And that’s good. It’s like teamwork. . .like Mulder and Scully . . . or how in The Sixth Sense, Haley Joel Osment was good at seeing dead people, and Bruce Willis was really good at solving crimes or something. Very complementary. So if anyone ever asks you how solving crimes through the use of paranormal sight relates to Ryanhood and folk rock, you’ll know what to say.</p>
<p>?</p>
<p>More to come.<br>
Love,<br>
Cameronhood</p>
</div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/321/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/321/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=321&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687242006-07-29T16:57:49-07:002017-01-15T13:37:40-07:00It Takes Some Work To Make It Work (CH)<p>It’s been stormy and rainy and windy and lightningish outside for the past three Tucson days. So beautiful.</p>
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<p>Most places I’ve been to or lived in like the rain less than Tucson does. But I’m going to wager half of my M&Ms and guess that it’s because Tucson has well over 300 sunny days a year. So, here, a cloudy day is a scarce resource. And what is scarce is usually very valuable.</p>
<p>Tomorrow we return to Los Angeles. Monday we set up. Tuesday, we begin, finally begin, cutting a record. I don’t say ‘making a record,’ because Ryan and I have been ‘making this record’ for a long time. Insomuch as weve been writing these songs and testing them out live, and then going into Woolly Mammoth Studios in Boston to record 30 demos, and then going to LA to play them for our producer (Grammy winner Ross Hogarth (can you say SWEEEEEEEETTTT!!!!!)), and then going back to Allusion Studios in Tucson to rerecord a bunch of the songs with the changes Ross suggested, and then sending many demos across the internet with many miniscule changes, waiting for Ross’s subsequent suggestions, then repeating the process, and then going again to LA on several occasions to rehearse the songs with our little band of studio musicians… insomuch as we’ve done that, we’ve been making this record for a long time.</p>
<p>But Tuesday we actually begin to lay it down permanently, for posterity.</p>
<p>Bob Glaub is playing Bass. A fantastic and appropriate bass player who’s worked with a jillion amazing people, including Tracy Chapman, Jackson Browne, and Leonard Cohen, and who, on top of that, is a perfect gentlemen. We were working with Brian MacLeod on drums. But opportunity knocked, or rang, as it were, when he got a phone call from Michael Jackson’s people asking him to fly to the Middle East to write and record for the King of Pop’s new record. As a result we’ve been rehearsing with Joey Waronker. Please do as we did, and resist the urge to feel like he’s a replacement drummer. Mr. Waronker has recorded with R.E.M., Beck, Elliot Smith, Tonic, and seventy-five million other outstanding musicians, and brings a very unique, very appropriate feel and groove to our songs. I think you, and we, are going to be very pleased with the results. He’s a fantastic guy, and I want to tell you that I’ve enjoyed Mexican food with him on several occasions. All occasions were tasty, and conversations were fun and flowing.</p>
<p>So, let’s go make a record. I believe in these songs. A lot of you guys have shared with us what they mean to you, and Ryan and I are both beginning to believe that this recording is going to have something very, very, special, very unpronounceable about it. May it be so.</p>
</div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/318/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/318/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=318&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687252006-07-24T16:54:41-07:002017-01-15T13:37:40-07:00A Word About Pirates (CH)<p> </p>
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<div class="blogContent" id="pBlogBody_148102689">Ahoy Marshmallow Mateys! I am pleased (I being Mr. Cameron Hood, of the acoustic rock music group Ryanhood) to announce that I have started up my own myspace page.<p><a href="http://www.myspace.com/cameronhood">http://www.myspace.com/cameronhood</a></p>
<p>I’ve been thinking about the very personal nature of a lot of the blogs that I’ve put up lately, and coupled with some friendly advice, I’ve decided the best idea is for me to put the bigger, more-personal, often non-musical thoughts on my own… er… space. The main reason for this is just because most of these blogs have pretty much nothing to do with our band or our music. Makes sense, right? Ryanhood stuff on the Ryanhood page, Cameron stuff on the Cameron page.</p>
<p>I will continue to post more Ryanhoodish blogs right here, as will Ryan.</p>
<p>One big perk that I see, even with one eye hidden by an eye-patch, is that having my own page will allow me to upload non-Ryanhood, and pre-Ryanhood songs for the listening pleasure of any who are interested.</p>
<p>Also, to put it bluntly, I plan in advance to be bad about answering personal messages. So don’t feel bad if I don’t write back. I want to use the page as a posting-point more than as a second email. I love reading all the general comments, though, as well as any comments you might have about the blogs. And, ever so truly, I will treasure them like a pirate treasures his booty.</p>
<p>Thanks for sticking with us, for wanting to read our blogs, for listening to our new music, and for continuing to point your friends in our direction. That is how this ship will be built.</p>
</div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/315/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/315/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=315&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687262006-06-27T16:48:30-07:002017-01-15T13:37:40-07:00You Made It, Kid, You're On The Road (CH)<p>It’s three AM, we’ve just pulled into the Pasadena Royale Best Western, right outside of Los Angeles. We played a 30-minute opening spot for Steel Train at an all-ages club called Modified in Phoenix, AZ, and after we finished, hung out, and loaded up the car, we set out on I-10 West for Los Angeles.</p>
<p>I’m pretty sleepy.</p>
<p>But I was thinking of something. Surprise surprise. I was thinking maybe I have a split personality … not quite like Two-Face, from the Batman comics, where half of his face has been corroded by acid, and is therefore evil, and the other half is a reputable lawyer … not quite like that. Actually it’s not a split personality at all, I was just looking for inventive ways to talk about Batman and his varied foes.</p>
<p>Anyway, here’s what I mean. I loved being at home these past couple of weeks. After two years in Boston, and a ton of travel and a ton of hotel rooms and airports it was just nice and regular to be in Tucson again. I just got moved into a new place, with a new roommate, who is a good friend, and also our guitar tech, and also destined to be, if you ask me, a punk rock legend. Hes called 5ft2. It’s a good move to name your band after how tall you are.</p>
<p>Anyway, I was saying. We’ve been having a great time hanging out, watching movies, chit-chatting and the like, he’s turning me on to Malcolm X, and I’m getting him into Martin Luther King, Jr. Its a pretty sweet trade. Not that either of us are big academic authorities on either of these men … just fans.</p>
<p>So we’ve been hanging out, and it’s been good. And I know it’s been good for Ryan to be home too. So I was dragging my feet a bit on the packing and preparation for this little mini-tour. I don’t know, sometimes leaving home for long periods of time — that is, touring — isn’t as illustrious as maybe Jackson Browne or The Eagles or Willie Nelson have made it sound.</p>
<p>But once we loaded the guitars and T-shirt bag and Cds into the car, we said our goodbyes, and got an hour down the road, I found that it wasn’t at all hard for me to slip into a different frame of mind … the frame of mind that doesn’t get upset about spending hours in airports or spending numberless nights in nameless hotels. And that’s nice.</p>
<p>So in the words of Steel Train — who for the record, if you don’t know, and haven’t heard, can be imagined as being like the very best sweet and rootsy moments of the Grateful Dead mixed with the energy of the pop/punk generation — we did two shows with them — anyway, in the words of Steel Train:</p>
<p>Send your dad a note<br>
you made it kid<br>
you’re on the road!</p>
<p>It’s a good reminder, because when I think about little tiny things, which I do, like I said, a lot, I forget bigger pictures. I forget that I’ve dreamed of all this for a long long time. Thanks dad, and mom, for telling me it probably wasn’t going to be a good idea, but that you’d stand behind me anyway.</p>
<p>Ah, I get so dramatic. I love it. It’s a pretty good move to be dramatic when you’re a singer.</p>
<p>Give yourself an early Christmas present and pick up a copy of Steel Train’s Twilight Tales From the Prairie of the Sun, or even just download the sweet, sweet tune Better Love. I bet you’ll be humming it tomorrow.</p>
<p>Speaking of which … how will I ever get to tomorrow if I never go to bed tonight? Good night moon.</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/310/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/310/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=310&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687272006-05-13T16:37:27-07:002017-01-15T13:37:40-07:00Eleven Days and Six Socks (RG)<p>Sometime ago, one of our fans in Tucson mailed a CD to their friend in Bothel, WA. This friend, a local Bothel guitar teacher, liked what he heard. He drinks coffee at a place called the Lyons Den. Last week, while getting coffee at that establishment, he noticed a flyer that said Ryanhood was coming. Tonight came, and he was there, with his son, and he even made a request for Separate. And this is awesome. So Good job! to our Tucson friend for passing along our CD, and Good job! to Cascadia College for making flyers, and Good job! Lyons Den for putting them up! Its amazing when this whole machine actually works. Please feel free to try this at home!</p>
<p>Speaking of home, we’ve been gone for a little while. 11 days to be exact. (Somehow I didn’t get the memo and I packed only 3 days worth of clothes, which has been ridiculously annoying; Cameron, if you are reading this, you may not want to sit next to me on the plane home tomorrow). In the middle of our time away, we spent two more long days in LA to work some more on the record (friends in LA, please don’t be upset we didn’t visit this time through, we are on-call 24/7 on these trips and haven’t had time to leisure about yet). We holed-up in a Hollywood rehearsal space, and ended up rehearsing right next door to Sum-41. I felt like I was inside of an episode of some E! Celebrity Sightings show. So far, we’ve worked up arrangements on about 9 songs for the record. There’s going to some beautiful hand-drumming on this record, and the use of full drum set is sparser and wiser. Stopless is sounding friggin awesome. I’m hoping its the lead-off track.</p>
<p>So in addition to our San Diego debut next month, we now have a show at the esteemed Hotel Café in Los Angeles the very next day. This is an amazing opportunity to launch things in Cali, and we really hope that people will rally together and start something big there! Spread the word! Were coming!</p>
<p>So one of my favorite candies in college used to be Starburst Fruit Twists (Licorice). And then they became Starburst Red Twists (Licorice) and they were still my favorite. And then they discontinued them. So I wrote an email to Starburst, dreaming that they would send me all the leftovers. But they just wrote back saying that they were ‘re-evaluating’ or something. More than a year later I found a three small packs in a store in Chicago. Which was sort of gross, because it meant that they had been on the shelf for a very long time. But I still bought all three packs. I ate them very slowly. Earlier this week while shopping in the produce section of a grocery store in Spokane, I spotted something called ‘Kenny’s Juicy Twists’. I am eating them now. And really liking them. It takes me right back to college. And the dentist.</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/302/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/302/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=302&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687282006-04-24T16:29:00-07:002017-01-15T13:37:40-07:00I Dream That Me and You (CH)<p> </p>
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<div class="blogContent" id="pBlogBody_113917102">I dream that me and you<br>Will go up on our roof<br>In the evening<br>To get a better view<br>We watch the sunset in the yard while<br>Im watching all the cars drive<br>Left and right<br>Making wrong turns at the light<br>And sometimes getting tickets<br>But getting back onto the road<br>And as the stars climb<br>The lattice of the sky<br>We know that its our wide world thats turning<br>And we think of how our little lives<br>Measure up to Time<br>With a moon thats been for ages<br>Spinning in the pages<br>Of dust and space<br>And reflections of the light<br>Overwhelmed I am<br>Sitting on my sleeping bag<br>But in the quiet you look at me and sing<br>You were born to be here<br>You were born to say<br>What nobody will say<br>If you dont<br>You will long to see clearly<br>To have it in your hands<br>But its far too big a plan<br>For you to hold<p>So lets go up on the roof<br>Only me and you<br>And in the quiet we will ask God what to do</p>
</div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/295/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/295/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=295&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687292006-04-20T16:26:18-07:002017-01-15T13:37:40-07:00News – Nine Questions<p>PUBLISHED ON APRIL 20, 2006:<br>
<a title="TUCSON WEEKLY" href="http://www.tucsonweekly.com/gbase/Music/Content?oid=oid:81297" target="_blank">TUCSON WEEKLY</a></p>
<p>By STEPHEN SEIGEL</p>
<p>Nine Questions with Cameron Hood and Ryan Green.</p>
<p>Tucson natives Cameron Hood and Ryan Green constitute Ryanhood, a duo that has garnered a faithful following across the country largely via college and university gigs. On Friday, April 21, Ryanhood, along with The Year of Acceleration, inaugurate Hotel Congress’ Outdoor Concert Series at an all-ages show starting at 6 p.m.<br>
<strong>What was the first concert you ever saw?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hood:</strong> Green Day, Mesa Amphitheatre. Someone threw a boot at Mike Dirnt. It hit. It hurt. They were done.</p>
<p><strong>What CDs are in your changer right now?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hood:</strong> Switchfoot, Nothing Is Sound; Derek Webb, Mockingbird; The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers audio CD; demo mixes from the new Ryanhood CD. <strong>Green:</strong> D’Gary, Mbo Loza (Madagascan guitar genius I just found out about); 92.9 The Mountain Live in Studio C; 5ft2, Live at KXCI; Bruce Hornsby, Hot House.</p>
<p><strong>How many total albums do you own (CDs, vinyl, cassettes, 8-tracks)?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Green:</strong> 300-plus CDs.</p>
<p><strong>Do you download music, and if so, legally or illegally?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hood:</strong> I buy from iTunes. Though sometimes Ryan’s got a CD, and I borrow it …</p>
<p><strong>What was the first album you owned?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hood:</strong> Boyz II Men, Cooleyhighharmony. It’s so hard to say goodbye to Boyz II Men. No wait, it was an old Star Wars episode on a 45. … Am I that old? <strong>Green: </strong>On cassette, I think it was Boston (self-titled). However, my first CD was MC Hammer, Please Hammer Don’t Hurt ‘Em.</p>
<p><strong>What song would you like to have played at your funeral?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hood:</strong> How about U2, “Where the Streets Have No Name,” then Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers,” then singing and salsa dancing and a guacamole-eating contest. <strong>Green:</strong> “Flying” by The Beatles.</p>
<p><strong>Musically speaking, what do you love that your friends don’t know about? What’s your favorite guilty pleasure?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Green:</strong> In high school, I used to listen to almost exclusively progressive rock. I still listen to my old Dream Theater albums on long flights–it gives my brain a better workout than a crossword puzzle.</p>
<p><strong>What band or artist changed your life, and how?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hood: </strong>U2 were honest, emotional, epic and overblown. Preachy, perhaps. I know Bono’s got a big mouth, but he walks the walk.</p>
<p><strong>Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?</strong></p>
<p><strong>Hood: </strong>Midnight Oil, Earth and Sun and Moon. <strong>Green: </strong>Naturally, Too High to Die by Meat Puppets.</p><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/292/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/292/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=292&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687302006-03-13T16:19:25-07:002017-01-15T13:37:40-07:00Home, Ho-o-o-o-o-ome…Maybe? (CH)<p><!--- blog subject -->Having started things off right on Interstate 90 out of Boston, with U2’s “Beautiful Day,” and having listened to “The Fellowship of the Ring”, as read by Rob Ingles over 16 Cds (yes, I only made it through the first book…what?!…a guy’s gotta have some time for silence and some time for listening to great songs from yesteryear), and having paid $32.15 in highway tolls (particularly in New York and Indiana…[you states are pretty tricky, huh?…whatamigonnado?…drive around New York state?…]) and having logged over 3,150 miles (including a jaunt from Chicago to Bloomington to pick up my little brother and watch him kick booty in Scholastic Bowl [which is like Team Jeopardy, but for smart people] and then a drive back to Chicago for fun and a visit to a visiting friend, then back to Bloomington then on to St. Louis), having visited my dad and family in Kansas City, having spent only $17.23 on Red Bull and coffee, having promised with my debit card to pay $318.24 to various gas stations across the country, having negotiated snow in Indiana, rain and sleet in Illinois and Missouri, flatlands and boredom in Kansas and Oklahoma (sorry, Kansans and Oklahomanomians), powerful winds in New Mexico (I somehow avoided being spellbound in the so-called “Land of Enchantment,” though it was more beautiful than I remember it) and having somehow avoided any car crashes or mishaps while irresponsibly taking pictures of every state’s Welcome-To sign (this is not a good idea, for it involves caring more about road signs than about the semi-trucks that approach quickly in your rear-view mirror), while stopping often to pee and to buy toffee peanuts, I sailed into Tucson, Arizona at 2:00pm on the 6th day, in time for soundcheck and a spot at City Limits opening for Ringside (with Balthazar Getty from TV’S “Alias,” and Weezer’s Brian Bell), before eating a caeser salad and some strawberry waffle, drinking some water, talking with some friends, and going home to my older brother’s house for sleepytime.</p>
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I would like to thank the following things:<br>
Mapquest.com<br>
Red Bull<br>
Family<br>
Hampton Inn and Tammy<br>
Subway<br>
Toffee Peanuts<br>
J.R.R. Tolkien<br>
John Paul Jackson<br>
And the disgusting bathroom at the Sunoco (or is it Citgo?) on Cicero Ave. near Midway Airport in Chicago. (I was going to make it the only item in a nothanks list, but if I don’t give it love, it will only feel bad about itself, and will never gather the strength to change itself into a topoftheline restroom facility).
<p>I’ve posted a collection of pictures that are boring to most people besides me at:<br>
<a href="http://www.ryanhoodmusic.phanfare.com/album/42430">CAMERON’S BIG ADVENTURE</a></p>
<p>Now I’m in Tucson, and I don’t know what to do. I’m tired of leaving. I was born in this town, but it doesn’t feel like home to me. Yet.</p>
<p>A million I love you’s to any and all who read our journals and who listen to our music and who write song quotes on their notebooks or put links on their pages or who pray for us or who speak kind words about us at right times.</p>
<p>And God, thank you, from my heart, for safe passage and plenty to eat. I wish I knew you better.</p>
</div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/289/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/289/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=289&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhoodtag:ryanhood.com,2005:Post/39687312006-03-04T16:14:46-07:002017-01-15T13:37:40-07:00Big Ideas and Long Roads (CH)<p>“Sonador, When you ran the earth shook and the sky opened and mere motrals parted…”</p>
<p>– Dreamer</p>
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And Cameron and Ryan got teary-eyed during the in-flight movie. Something about those big words. Those big ideas…And from a movie about a horse and a little girl. Not a subject or a film I expected to be moved by.
<p>Tomorrow morning I move from Boston to Tucson. I drive the whole way. Boston to Cleveland to Chicago to Kansas City to Santa Fe to Tucson. Roughly.</p>
<p>Just me. Well, me and my Lord of the Rings Audio book. 52 hours of fun my friends, 52 hours of fun. I plan to take some pictures along the way. I’ll put some up on the photos section of Ryanhoodmusic.com when I’m done. I’m speaking in short sentences. It’s ok. Sometimes short is sweet.</p>
<p>“Renewed shall be blade that was broken, the crownless again shall be king.”<br>
-Lord of the Rings</p>
<p>And I remember that somehow the story is bigger than my little life and my big drive and the friends I leave behind in Boston and the family I gain in Tucson. And I remember that life isn’t really a story about ME at all. Though I do play a part in it. How big, or how earthshaking a part I play in it, I’ll leave it up to the Earthmaker to decide.</p>
<p>Life is a big idea. It’s too big for me. But I’m aiming to live it, best I can.</p>
<p>Late night short sentence musings about big ideas and strong horses and long roads and endless stories and moving the whole earth with love the size a single kind word or a smile to a stranger.</p>
<p>“Beneath the noise below the din, I hear your voice it’s whispering, in science and in medicine, ‘I was a stranger, you took me in'”<br>
-Miracle Drug</p>
<p>Next time I’ll make more sense. And next time I’ll once more be a son of the desert. But this time I like my ramblings. Good night moon.</p>
</div><br><img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/categories/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/286/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//feeds.wordpress.com/1.0/tags/ryanhoodmusic.wordpress.com/286/" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" /> <img src="//pixel.wp.com/b.gif?host=ryanhood.com&blog=59325747&post=286&subd=ryanhoodmusic&ref=&feed=1" class="size_orig justify_inline border_" alt="" height="1" width="1" />Ryanhood