Ah, a brand new year and some brand new music to kick it off right. This is not to say that I don't enjoy the "... Returns" shows, but it really is nice to get some new blood on the show again, since that's what we're about here. Ryan M. Brewer is a recurring face and voice at the Wednesday Night Open Mic Night where I often scout for guests, since it's often difficult to meet and talk to bands at the bigger venes, especially while the next band is playing. I first came across Ryan about a year and a half ago when I heard this band called The Fallow and tried get them on the show. Two weeks ago a friend of mine recommended I check out Ryan's music, at which point I purchased a digital copy of his upcoming CD, and asked if he would be interested in sharing some of the tracks with us on a podcast. At the time, I was unaware that it was, in fact the same guy. It was an honest mistake, it turns out. Ryan M. Brewer shares many things in common with the other successful singer/songwriters we've showcased. He's hard working, prolific, struggling to get his voice heard, and diligently searching for the magic formula that turns locally successful indie musicians into James Taylors and Neil Youngs -- don't worry, if we knew what it was, we would tell you. What differentiates Ryan to me is the amazing diversity. On his debut solo effort, his music, voice, and playing not only take a 180-degree turn from his hard rock/southern rock work in The Fallow (some of which we play in order to showcase this phase of his musical output), but it also fan out effortlessly into an array of styles including music with a country-ish swing (Allegory), "lush" ballads (Sing You to Sleep), indie-infused folk (Innocence and Ignorance), and even spoken word (Like Robert Redford). In the end, the listener is left with only two questions: What CAN'T this guy do with his songs, and WHY isn't there more spoken word music being made?! Links referenced in the show: Ryan M. Brewer can be found here: Web Site | Facebook | Reverbnation | Twitter. Ryan was originally the primary songwriter for Shameless Self Promotion and The Fallow. Among his influences, he lists Five Iron Frenzy, Dashboard Confessional, and Tom Waits. Ryan holds a degree in English from Marian University. His eponymous CD is available for download and purchase on his Bandcamp page. Or you can buy it the night before the Super Bowl when he has his CD release party at the Elbow Room. The CD was produced by Nick Rapley, formerly the guitarist and songwriter for the band Apsara. He has contributed to singer Ben Clark's soundtrack album, Circus in Winter, as well as the sountrack to the film My Name is Jerry. He is an outspoken support of Presidential candidate Ron Paul. The track Like Robert Redford features the vocal talents of actress Ella Raymont. You can learn more about Ricky Lee Pots and his 6 for 6 series here. We make reference to the title track from Chad Mills' Make the Door CD, which by all rights should be the theme song for the entire Indianapolis music scene. You can catch him January 3th at Johnny Bueno's Pizza, which seems an unlikely place for live music, but that's no reason not to support them and, hopefully, encourage more local business to follow suit. He will also be playing Upland Brewery in Broad Ripple on January 27th.
