New Music Thursday

Ryan Hicks is a singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer from Regina, Saskatchewan. He cites Ron Sexsmith, Father John Misty, and David Bowie as influences.

Hicks makes melodic, cinematic, alt-pop music; as if Paul McCartney, Brian Wilson, and Fleet Foxes made music for David Lynch. Fittingly, he took part in a songwriting class taught by Fleet Foxes’ vocalist Robin Pecknold. His wistful new song, “No Life For Me,” was prompted by an exercise that sought inspiration from the line, I wish I dated a painter. Rather than romanticize a muse, Hicks wondered and realized, “Does the painter approach everything in their life as premeditated, each action anticipating a reaction to manipulate the partner?” That idea of a ‘perfect’ life is no life for me.”

Award-winning singer/songwriter, actor, and best-selling author Emm Gryner has forged many groundbreaking moments in music, from playing keyboards in David Bowie‘s band, then starting her arena-level rock band, Trapper. Now, she’s reinvented herself and is making music that she hopes will connect with fans who enjoy the iconic music from the 70s and 80s.

In the pandemic, all that mattered was getting back to joy. Knowing life could end at any minute inspired me to think back to the happiest times in my life – listening to the radio and hearing all that amazing soul and pop that I grew up with. I knew I had the chops to replicate it and the life experience to channel love into the song.

That leads us to a little story about her first single, “Valencia.” Along the Pacific Ocean there is a place called The Graveyard Coast. Here, many ships saw their demise including one called “Valencia” which shipwrecked in 1906 killing all 100 people onboard including women and children. Due to thick cloud cover, the ship could not follow the stars that night and sank into cold waters, later spawning mythical tales of skeletons rising from the dead, finding parties on lifeboats in the moonlight.

On this same coast, Emm lost her then-husband. When he returned, he wasn’t the same, nor was the life and family as she knew it. Emm likened the death of her marriage to this lonely shipwreck, though somehow after time she knew she would be able to rise again, like those mythical tales of ghosts and parties in the moonlight.

Ryan Wayne is a Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He first came to recognition as a founding member and songwriter in the critically-acclaimed, award-winning band The Warped 45s (Pheromone Recordings).

“Wherever You Land” started as a hypothetical letter to the late great John Prine in the wake of his death in the early days of the pandemic. His new single brings forth the message that life is precious. None of us are exempt from the fates of illness, old age, or dying. There is beauty in the small things.

In early 2022, after several years away from touring and recording, Ryan suffered two strokes. As part of the healing process, Ryan was drawn back to the music world and began the final production and mixing on a series of self-produced songs with Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Patti Smith, Daniel Lanois) that will comprise the record, Crow Amongst the Sparrows (2023).