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Regret Over the Wires
" Songs are souvenirs, for the peace that hasn't come and if it never does, better still that they be sung...."
...................................................................- The Little Things
Regret Over the |
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Regret Over the Wires
" Songs are souvenirs, for the peace that hasn't come and if it never does, better still that they be sung...."
...................................................................- The Little Things
Regret Over the Wires is visceral, elegant and honest. Matthew Ryan's first collection for Hybrid Recordings highlights a newfound vigor and commitment to the union of an often violent rock and roll with beauty, insight and humor. Produced by Doug Lancio (Patty Griffin), Mark Robertson (Those Legendary Shack Shakers) and Matthew Ryan, Regret Over The Wires was recorded and mixed in 30 days.
What follows is brief description of the motivation inside of each song. Matthew's
1. Return To Me - This song jumps from the past, to the present, to the hope of a future. It's about coming to terms with who you've been. It's a promise, a torch song, a confessional and an apology all at once.
2. The Little Things - This song exists where what's real and what's hoped for create heat. It's a kind of film noir where dreams taunt reality, as in, commuting to work, walking down the street, or simply waking up. It might be a personal declaration of independence.
3. Trouble Doll - I wrote this about a friend who feels everything. She is constantly at the mercy of the moment. Of course there is a consuming debt to be paid by living in that kind of hypersensitive air. I find her inspiring, brave and troubled.
4. Long Blvd. - I only wanted to get home. Hopefully mistakes become reminders of who you don't want to be. The simple imagery in this song reflects how cut and dry regret can be. Once again, it's a promise. I never wanted to waste her beauty, and I won't, even if it's only in memory.
5. I Can't Steal You - A song about vulnerability and trust. As two put faith in the future and each other, it seems to me that there is no greater possible reward or disappointment. It's hard not to resent those moments when all seems lost. And at times, it's even harder to value the peace it brings.
6. Caged Bird - I guess the silver lining is that "they" haven't figured out a way to transmit streaming sloganeering into our sleep. Some days it seems that there's traffic, cons and static everywhere.
7. Come Home - A sad song with a grin. After the hundredth visit with longing, well, at some point it has to become funny. Anything else would be madness.
8. I Hope Your God Has Mercy On Mine - I feel that every injustice and exploitation of modern living should be called out. I can't sit by and tolerate the lack of humanity in any horror or decision married to business or politics. Songs are my revenge. It is a hard reality when your life, well-being or means of living are downsized. And unfortunately, as we all know, even worse happens in the name of God, Politics, Ideology and Money.
9. Nails - A song about the disillusioned and the delusional. Ego and hope can be the cruelest comedians. 'Nails' takes place in a bar where local luminaries, hopefuls, hangers-ons and accidental extras of a local music scene hang out.
10. Sweetie - Doug Lancio wrote the music. Some time later, I wrote the words. I liked the way the guitar tuning made me feel. It made me feel as though any choice was mine to make. It's an accidentally heroic song. The character in 'Sweetie' is all beat up and crusty but still believes he has the luxury of options. I think that's as beautiful a notion as some of us can possess. I'm still not sure if he ever really knew the girl that he's going on about.
11. Every Good Thing - Again, a song that deals with the moment where the distance between what's hoped for and what's present is real. However, 'Every Good Thing' is about being a father. It's strange to find yourself sugar-coating the world to preserve something so delicate. It's a heartbreaking thing.
12. Skylight - After reaching an absolute low point, hope came in the form of a poem by Seamus Heaney. The poem was called "The Skylight." Before reading it, my life had become a 3rd person experience as viewed through a thick and distant television. Words can offer liberation and forgiveness. I tried to capture what "The Skylight" pulled from me with my own point of view, experience and music. It's a tribute to a piece of work and moment that I could have never expected nor conjured without the presence of real art.
A Brief History
November 7, 1971 - I was born in Chester, PA.
Around 1980 - I started listening to the radio and digging through the vinyl collection that my folks often spun from on weekends and evenings.
Around 1985 - I caught a bus to a Kmart in Ridley Park, PA. to buy my first U2 and Clash LPs. I also graduated from "air guitar" to a hockey stick.
Around 1987 - Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen started to make sense to me while listening to all the English noise and Replacements that I could get my hands on.
1990 to 1992 - My first basement band escaped from the cellar. I played my first gig at a club in Wilmington, DE called The Barn Door. There was another show, also in Wilmington, at a place called BJ's Bar. We broke up soon after.
1993 - I quit school and moved to Nashville.
1994 to 1995 - I heard Bob Dylan's version of 'Moonshiner' for the first time. It changed everything. I formed The Caustics. I started to figure out how to really write songs. The Caustics and I started to generate a buzz. Henry, Jake and Craig gave my songs a muscle and energy I had only imagined. We started packing houses and hoping for the best. Major Labels came knocking and things went south. We were courted too many times to mention. So and so called. So and so loves it. So and so passed. Disappointments and impatience didn't help. I wanted everything yesterday. I wanted to find the music I heard inside my head.
Late 1995 - Songs bent to a more sociopolitical air and they were pouring in. I felt like I was on the right track. I was writing almost every night. When I wasn't, I was out looking for experience. It was a feverish time. I put together a new backing band called The Fisher Kings and landed my first publishing deal. I wrote a good bit of May Day during this period.
1996 - Teresa Ensenat came to see a show at the Exit/In. There were a few other labels there. A small bidding war followed. I cut it short. I knew where I wanted to go. The people at A&M Records had stuck with me. I proudly signed with A&M. I couldn't believe that that old horn with those two letters were gonna grace my records. That was the same logo that I had noticed hundreds of times on the cassette of A Walk Across the Rooftops by The Blue Nile.
1997 to 1998 - I watered my lawn and May Day was released in October of 1997. David Ricketts produced it and friends from both The Fisher Kings and The Caustics played on it. It was an amazing experience to go through the process of making a record for the first time. I was in awe of the opportunity. While supporting May Day I appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman and Conan O' Brien, did my first tours of America and Europe, and stared out the passenger side of a van for a period of time that could have certainly turned a storm into a flood. All and all, it was an exciting time punctuated by moments of "where am I?"
1999 to 2000 - A&M Records was merged into Interscope Records. I was taken under the wing of it's soon to depart president. He tried to guide me through what was already a strange and difficult time. East Autumn Grin was written during and after the falling apart of a relationship. At the time, all romanticism seemed challenged to say the least. Nothing seemed permanent. This record reaches for the stars knowing full well that often, it's only hope and faith that keeps you suspended in any precarious situation. I produced it along with Trina Shoemaker. I tried to surround myself with musicians that would read between the lines. I love this record. It was made in an attempt to find the comfort in coming to terms with loss. Sometimes that's all you can do. Upon leaving Interscope, a month after it's release, I was offered $15,000 to put in my pocket or do a tour with. I chose to do a tour with Steve Earle. Watching him every night was an education.
Late 2000 to Early 2001 - I started working on a record in my garage on my 16 track. I played what I'd been messing with for David Henry. He suggested that we finish it over at his studio. Friends stopped by and played on it. David did all he could to shake some light into those songs. It was too soon though. My head was all thick with confusion and doubt. I was being driven by the need to keep moving and not the impulse to create music. In someways it's beautiful because it's an honest photograph of where I was at. But I moved on. I listened to Dylan's version of 'Moonshiner' quite a bit during this period. I'd put it on repeat and just lay on the floor.
2001 - I started writing different songs. Songs about revenge, karma, bad decisions and consequences. They worked as stories but operated in some figurative sense in relation to where I'd been (and where I hoped to look back upon one day). Clearly a collection was developing. I felt a strong pull to make Concussion. So I did. Richard McLaurin had a studio called Monkeyfinger right down the street. He helped me produce it. We recorded and mixed it in 8 days. The band and Richard's aesthetic were perfect for the muted beauty I wanted. In my mind, it's a perfect record. It sounds exactly how I felt. That summer was hot. It was slow and humid. I felt lethargic but driven. The fog was starting to lift. My wife and I had found that magic that seemed gone. All seemed to be turning. My head was feeling sharper. Thanks to Waxy Silver Records, Concussion was released in the early autumn of 2001. Ed Burns called and asked if I would record a version of 'Be Thou My Vision' as the closing song for his soon to be released movie, 'Ash Wednesday.' I did some headlining runs and opened tours for Kasey Chambers and Lucinda Williams for much of the 6 months.
2002 - Turned into a quiet year. I went through a period of deconstruction, took a vacation of sorts. Eventually, I put together a couple of collections of 4 track recordings and released them as DIY records (Dissent From the Living Room and Hopeless to Hopeful) via this website. I found it a relief that I could avoid the middle man if i wanted to. I could simply make my songs available for anyone who wanted to hear them. "It" felt easy again.
2003......So far - Regret Over the Wires was recorded in February and will be released this fall by Hybrid Recordings. In April, Concussion was released in the UK and much of Europe through Bjork's label, One Little Indian. I did a brief tour through the UK in June and I look forward to returning soon. On September, 9th, One Little Indian will also release Happiness in the UK and Europe only. It's a collection that was carved from the two DIY records that I mentioned earlier.
2004 - Well............we'll see. Stay tuned. The plot continues to thicken
Source: http://www.matthewryanonline.com/bio.htm |
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