Andrew Ryan

Ryan 的奮斗史就像一部典型的華麗金屬或者朋克搖滾樂隊的發家史:一個年少有為的熱血青年離開保守破舊卻哺育他成長的家鄉小鎮，來到充滿挑戰且繁華的加你福尼亞，靠作為一個音樂家維持生計。而這正是Ryan所做的。只不過他的音樂融合了pop，jazz與傳統的彈唱，并非搖滾罷了。 Andrew的吉他彈唱干凈無痕，你在他的演奏中絕對找不到半點走音。他的嗓音利落優美，樸實誠懇。他說道：“我的音樂就是在講述一個個故事，我希望我能帶給聽眾從頭至尾的享受。并且，我想讓我的聽眾在聽完我的音樂后能記住它們，就像是記住他的美好回憶一樣……” 一段美好的記憶同時也是Andrew追求音樂之夢的靈感動力。作為一個牧師的兒子，他從小雖然遠離了 MTV ， rock, rap or pop 等這些音樂，但是他卻聆聽到更多細膩真摯而優美的藝人的樂章：James Taylor, Big Band Jazz, Frank Sinatra， Bing Crosby…….他的母親在他很小的時候就讓他在教堂演奏鋼琴，當然還有演唱。他承認，在他7歲時，他從某種意義上來說偷了他父親的吉他，并嘗試著自學。 Andrew 曾在高中自組了一個樂隊。在他發行了處女專輯《Summer & Fall》后他前往加你福尼亞尋求更大的發展。為了給新EP造勢， 他已在Laguna a、Hollywood 等重要場合進行表演。他的目標就是讓他的聽眾在聆聽的過程中忘記憂愁與煩惱，全身沉浸在他的音符里……！ His first musical composition was a love song for a neighbor girl. Although he can’t remember a thing about the song, Andrew does remember that the girl was definitely into it. He learned quickly that music impressed the girls. Nearly twenty years later, he’s still writing and singing songs, and many of his compositions still encompass the ideology of love. “They’re deeper and more mature now, the songs I write,” he says. “My music has always been about putting my emotions into melody and lyrics. Even when I was young, I would put exactly what I was feeling into the music I was creating. Today there’s no difference, other than I am experiencing different things in life and I have a different perspective now than I did then.” In junior high, Andrew decided to take his playing to a new level and enrolled in a guitar class for some formal training. This is where he discovered a true passion for jazz guitar which is evident with each song he creates. Each of Andrew’s tunes have a faint yet distinct jazz sound with softer vocals and lyrics focused on emotions and love. Once he hit high school, Andrew started to break away from his strict roots which is when he discovered a universe of rock, blues and other secular musical genres – a discovery he says was truly illuminating and amazing. Of all the new genres he was soaking in, blues became his favorite but he was also always drawn back to Big Band music, jazz and crooner tunes. Andrew’s newfound affinity of blues along with the familiar sounds of jazz shaped his personal writing, singing, and performing styles which is still apparent today. Andrew formed a band in high school, which later broke up when all the members left for college. On his own at college in Las Vegas, Andrew played the coffee house and lounge circuit. It was then that Divulge Records approached Andrew to do a record. Andrew’s first album – Summer & Fall – was recorded in Nashville in 2007, which led to live promo performances on radio stations. The disc drew the attention of producers from the legendary NPR program “A Prairie Home Companion,” and Andrew was invited to perform live on the show. A high profile gig at Sun Valley Lodge followed, along with more performances for NPR on various shows. Andrew moved to California after the release of Summer & Fall where he wrote and recorded a set of songs to be included on his forthcoming EP - Waiting for Paris. In preparation for his upcoming EP release, he has begun playing key venues in Laguna and Hollywood. His goal with each live performance, is to win over the audience and entice listeners to forget their cares and worries and simply get lost in the music. “Music is unquestionably a part of my soul and I really want people to connect with my writing and understand the feeling and meaning behind the songs. I want to ignite an array of emotions and memories for listeners with each and every song I create