A little bit about me, I'm a touring musician, a DJ, and a producer from the south side of Chicago. I'm most known for my work with local Chicago artists KAINA, Sen Morimoto, Elton Aura, Adam Ness, and Femdot, to name a few. I'm a firm believer in using my platform to push myself creatively while uplifting the message of those I work with.
Can you tell our readers about yourself? (Psst....Listen to his mix below while reading about him!)
I'm from the south side of Chicago, IL. and grew up attending various private schools growing up and started at Columbia College, in the South Loop area of Chicago, for a year. After that, I decided I would put a lot of time and energy into my craft as a creative.
Growing up in church, by way of my mom and my grandmother, singing in the choir every Sunday, I was very familiar with early gospel music at an early age. As well as the various genres of music I heard around the house from both parents, siblings, and friends.
I built this sort of portfolio in my mind of all types of music I enjoyed. On any given day, you could hear Anita Baker blasting from one room, Maze ft. Frankie Beverly blasting from another room, and maybe even some Missy Elliot pouring out of another room. I feel like I was constantly getting a taste of so many sonically appealing melodies, tones, and textures.
Tell us about a day in the life of Ryan, the musician.
A day in the life of Ryan, the musician, varies. Some days, I'm up early learning music for a rehearsal or a gig later that day, or I have some spare time to practice drums in general, and so I take advantage of that time. Other days, I produce and record drums from my home for various projects or leisure. Every day I'm doing something in music and enjoying every minute of it. In between drumming, I usually search and download music for different DJ events I may have within the month and organize crates within my DJ software.
Who inspires you?
I feel like a lot of people & things inspire me. Whether it be the friends I work and tour with, fellow musician friends in the music scene in Chicago, even family, I feel like there's constant inspiration all around me. Sometimes that inspiration gets translated into songs, or it fuels me as a musician and the way I approach music every day.
When did you discover music?
I discovered music at an early age. Probably around 3, maybe 4. We went to various church services or choir performances, saw legendary artists at different venues around Chicago, and watched and listened to many records and CDs scattered around the house. My life seemed filled with music all around me and I'm forever grateful for that.
How does it feel to be on stage?
It feels absolutely amazing to be on a stage, no matter what size it is. Getting to share my art, my knowledge of drumming, and my approach to music to a crowd of people is a feeling like no other. I love the adrenaline you get from walking on stage before an artist comes out. I love hearing the crowd cheer and clap from song to song, even seeing them dance to the music we're playing, such an amazing feeling. I'll admit, It sometimes can be a little scary, especially on big stages with like 600+ people watching you. It's all about breathing and going out there and just having fun at all times.
I know you play with various artists, can you tell our readers about that experience. It seems like a unique experience than I have heard.
Playing for various artists is so much fun! All the artists I play for are my friends, and they all individually have stories and sounds of their own. No two artists I play for are alike. I feel like this challenges me in the best way and expands my knowledge of music and my versatility behind drums. As a musician, you want to be versatile because it allows you to work in multiple settings of music, whether it be an R&B gig or an indie gig, even a jazz gig. Certain gigs call for certain sounds and textures, and I love that I get to experience that from artist to artist.
Who are some of your favorite musicians? Have you toured with them before? Who would you jam with if you could jam with anyone in the world, living or dead?
Some of my favorite musicians are Tony Williams (Miles Davis), Dennis Chambers (Carlos Santana), Calvin Rodgers (The Isley Brothers), Chris Dave (D'Angelo), Stanley Randolph (Stevie Wonder), and the list goes on and on. I've never toured with any of them but have seen some of them live at different concerts. The person I would jam with if I could jam with them would be Stevie Wonder. Stevie's probably one of my favorite musicians, songwriters, and composers ever.
Which artists have you gone on tour with? What was your most enjoyable moment?
I've toured with Sen Morimoto (Massachusetts born artist, producer, and musician) in 2018 for the Sooper Records tour and his Japan debut tour in 2019, Elton Aura (Chicago born artist and producer) in 2019 for Noname's "Room 25" tour, NNAMDI (Chicago born artist and producer) in 2021 for Wilco and Sleater-Kinney's tour, KAINA (Chicago born artist and producer) in 2019 for Cuco's "Para Mi" tour, Sleater-Kinney's "The Center Won't Hold" tour and will be touring with her for her "It Was A Home" tour this year. I've also played for Noname in Toronto for Anderson. Paak's "Best Teef In The Game" tour. I would say all of these tours have been the most enjoyable moments. I didn't think I'd be touring this music when I was younger. I knew I wanted to go on tour for sure, but never did I think it would happen in this capacity, but I'm forever grateful for my friends who have brought me along on tour with them.
What would you say if you could give advice to artists like yourself? And why is this advice important to you?
If I could pass on advice to artists like myself, I would say be authentic, have a positive attitude, and be disciplined. These are all important to me because people want to work with the person that's easy to work with and someone they want to be around. So, I always want to bring my best self into any opportunity I get. I heard someone say once, "Your talent will get you into doors that your ego will get you kicked out." No one wants to work with someone with a horrible attitude or someone who doesn't do the work the job calls for or someone who pretends to be something they aren't. Your character and work ethic get you in those doors you want to be in.
Is there anything else you want our readers to know about yourself, your passion, or the life of a musician?
I would want the readers to know that I started right where they are. I, too, had to go through 2 or 3 small gigs a month with barely any payment, working jobs outside of music to support myself and my art. You've got to keep going. The only way to reach that goal of yours is in whatever creative thing you're part of. You've got to keep pushing little by little. I network with people, go to a lot of shows, talk to a lot of managers of artists and venues, study other musicians and artists, listen to all types of music, etc. If you love something so much, you'll do all you can to nurture and grow in it. Stick with it!
Top three things you needed in yourself to be where you are today.
The top three things I needed in myself to be where I am today are discipline, a positive attitude, and a great work ethic.
"Continue being your truest self. If you're being your most authentic self, people will feel the purity behind whatever you do."
- Ryan Person, @RyanThePerson
Support Ryan Person:
Venmo: @ryanthepersonofficial
Comentarios