Ryan Glenn Makes The Most Out Of Every Moment

 

Ryan Glenn photographed at Second Rodeo Brewing in the historic Stockyards in Fort Worth,TX

“Distinctive and authentic, Glenn keeps things fresh while proving age is no barrier when it comes to maintaining a traditional sound.” Helen Jones - Americana UK

 

North Texas singer-songwriter Ryan Glenn's unique style and sound has been compared to a wide range of music icons, spanning from Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly to Hank Williams and Johnny Cash and even Bob Dylan. One thing is for certain, his live show is an experience that is anything but typical. Blending the best of Rockabilly, Texas Blues and Country, Ryan Glenn & The Honky Tonk Heat offers a variety of musical styles presented with energy and precision. The band's original approach to classic music has landed them on stages all over Texas from Gruene Hall to the State Fair of Texas, where audiences are surprised to learn that this accomplished entertainer is merely 21 years old.  

Ryan Glenn's first full length album Faraway Rose

Ryan and his band released their first LP "Faraway Rose" in April of 2021, produced by Dallas music icon John Pedigo and featuring guest appearances by Joshua Ray Walker, Ken Bethea (Old 97's), Jaret Reddick (Bowling for Soup), Kevin Geil (Two Tons of Steel) and others. Currently the band is in production on their second album, this time with producer Tim Lightyear at the helm, scheduled to be released in 2023. 

I met with Ryan before his performance at Second Rodeo Brewing in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards where he told me what was going on in his world.

Alan Mercer:  Ryan, when did you start playing music?

Ryan Glenn:  I started playing music when I was around 15 years old.

AM:  And you were already recording by the age of 17?

RG:  Yes sir, I released my first record in 2019 when I was 17 years old.

AM:  That isn’t the easiest thing to do. Can you give me a little background on how it all happened?

RG:  I’ve always been into music, and I’ve always loved music. I feel very grateful and lucky and privileged to be born in a family of musicians. My grandmother has been a musician since the 1970s when she was real young. My mom and my stepdad have both been musicians since they were real young, so I’ve been submerged in this culture and environment my whole life.

AM:  You have total support and that makes a big difference.

RG:  Yes sir, I am very blessed.

AM:  When you recorded your first EP, did you have someone backing that project?

RG:  I was in high school so my parents helped me with it. I was working for it and saved up money in a savings account. We just used the home studio of my bass player at the time. It was 4 songs that I wrote and a cover of the Queen song, ‘Another One Bites The Dust’.

AM:  It’s unlikely that a person my age would be able to relate to a 17-year-old musicians songs, and yet I was totally blown away by your music and I realized it had nothing to do with age. How did you blend the rockabilly sound of yesteryear with a modern contemporary sound of today?

RG:  I think what it is, is I just listen to so much music. I have so many different heroes and influences. I have my big heroes in the Rockabilly field like Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins and Eddie Cochran, who I love. Then I also have heroes like Aerosmith and Queen and heroes in the Punk field like The Clash. ‘London Calling’ is one of my favorite albums ever. I love Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. I also love newer music. Billie Eilish has some great music. I grew up listening to 90s Alt-Rock too.

AM:  I hear the Punk and Alt-Rock influences and I hope they never leave you.

RG:  No sir, they won’t.

AM:  When did you record your first full length album?

RG:  We recorded it in 2020. We hit the studio a few weeks after I graduated from High School. I graduated during the pandemic. Everyone else was getting ready for college and I went into the studio to make a record.

AM:  That sounds so cool. How did it make you feel to be making a record as opposed to going to school?

RG:  Actually, in a way it did feel like going to school. I fell in love with the studio, and it led me to an internship at Audio Dallas under Paul Osborne and later on becoming a full-time assistant engineer for local producer Tim Lightyear. It was like getting my education in many ways, and besides all that it just felt natural. My friends who wanted to be nurses went to nursing school, my friends who wanted to be business majors went to a business school, and I wanted to be a musician, so I made a record. I honestly haven’t spent that much time out of the studio since!

AM:  What kind of reaction do you get from people when they hear your recordings?

RG:  I like to think it’s pretty positive. I’ve been featured by different news sources a few times. I was on NPRs 20 Under 20 when I was still a teenager. I’ve been played on some of the local radio stations. I feel like I get a positive reaction but there is a lot of not knowing how to classify me as an artist. I think that’s the biggest thing. People are struggling to figure out what kind of music I am making. For a while that really bugged me because I want people to know what they are listening to. Then I realized that when Elvis was making music nobody knew how to classify him either.

AM:  Not knowing how to classify you means you’re good.

RG:  I appreciate that.

AM:  You are an innovator and moving forward.

RG:  Thank you. When I realized that not everyone is able to describe what my music is, I realized that it meant I was able to make any kind of music I wanted. I can make what feels natural.

AM:  I would say your music best fits in the Americana genre. Do you agree and if so why or why not?     

RG:  That’s typically how we tend to brand ourselves just because of the wide range of “Americana” artists there are. Many of my friends in the business that classify themselves as Americana, really fit more into categories of rockabilly, Texas blues, or Western swing. It’s a really eclectic genre and covers a lot of ground.

AM:  Your song ‘Piper’ is mind blowing! It’s the perfect song to open the album.

RG:  We knew when we were tracking it that it would be the best song to start off with. Even now, in 2023, we still open all of our shows with that song. It’s a fun song and we have a lot of fun performing it. It gets you hyped up. It works on the band as well. It might be a slow night, or I might be tired from doing a whole string of shows but when we play that song, we are in it.

AM:  I want to talk about your cover of ‘All Of Me’. I’ve never heard it done by anyone the way you do it. Who came up with that arrangement?

RG:  That was me. I love doing songs by the people who influence me but I don’t like doing it the way they did it.

AM:  Who was the influence for it?

RG:  Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.

AM:  Are you familiar with Jazz music?

RG:  I love jazz music. I have jazz players in my band. My steel guitar player and my fiddle player and my drummer all have jazz and classical backgrounds.

AM:  Is there any Western Swing in your repertoire?

RG:  I love that stuff. I’m a big Bob Wills fan and Two Tons of Steel is one of my favorite bands in the world. Kevin Geil from that band has been a mentor to me.

AM:  Have you got your third album recorded yet?

RG:  We’re working on it right now. 2 of the 5 songs from the EP are finished.

AM:  You are smart to do an EP again. People aren’t listening to albums as much right now.

RG:  No, with social media, people’s intake of content is so limited. People can’t digest big albums like they used to be able to.

AM:  When do we, the public get to hear the new music?

RG:  We want to have the first single out in a few months. We want it out very soon.

AM:  Are there any plans to tour outside the Dallas/Fort Worth area?

RG:  For sure. We went down to Houston last month and we are going to be in Marfa for Spring break. We are going to be going down south more. 

AM:  Do you have time for a personal life?

RG:  No, I spend all of my time practicing or playing shows and I also work in a studio. I spend a lot of time in the studio.

AM:  Your live shows are gaining a reputation as superb. Do you do your own booking?

RG:  I do my own booking. I wear a lot of different hats. I’m blessed to have the family I’m in. My parents have been booking bands their whole life. My dad actually plays in my band with me. He’s my bass player. I never feel like I’m doing it by myself. I wear a lot of hats but so does everyone else in my family. I always have support and I always have people on my side. I know not everyone has that so I count my blessings.

AM:  Your family is clearly an important part of your life and career. Can you believe how blessed you really are?

RG: No sir I really can’t, and because of that I used to find myself taking it for granted a lot. I don’t think I’m ever going to fully understand the sacrifices my family makes for me until I have one of my own. I’ve grown up a lot, and I recognize it more lately than ever before. I try to make the most out of every opportunity with them, so many people don’t have the privilege of a family, much less one who serves as a support system. I try to make the most out of every moment and try to pay the blessings God gives me forward every chance I get.

To learn more about Ryan Glenn and see where he is performing visit his website https://ryanglennband.com/