If you missed our previous feature article about Rian Music, be sure to check that out.
I was fortunate enough to get a few moments of Rian’s time for this follow-up interview spotlight. We discuss his latest music, technology, challenges and more.
Full Q&A along with links and music below.
Where are you located? What is your style of music?
We are in the San Francisco Bay Area. We work at Pajama Studios in Oakland California with Mr. Jim Gardiner, an award winning Composer, Engineer, Mentor and Producer. Our genre could be called pop or a pop/rock blend. It’s influenced by reggae, funk, rnb, jazz, hard rock, metal, and country.
That’s quite a list. How did this style and sound you have created come to pass?
The Bay area music scene’s legacy is eclectic and has had a big influence on our style and sound. Many genres coexist here and create fresh styles and sounds. Originality and free creative self expression is key. Artists like The Grateful Dead, Santana, Jefferson Starship, Doobie Brothers Journey, En Vogue, 2pac, Sheila E, Metallica, Tony Toni Tone, Green Day, Primus and newer artists like H.E.R. or Fantastic Negrito all share a common characteristic. They each had a unique creative “voice” with an identifiable sound. They are musical pioneers, most of which still perform today. Our sound is a blend of our favorite styles, whether that be a funky guitar lick, 12 string acoustic guitar folk/country strumming, double octave metal guitar rhythm, an edm crossover latin influenced beat or pocket rock backbeat. The goal is creating accessible music that people flow, relate to and blend sounds to build a bridge and crossover genre’s.
What specifically led you down this musical path; how was this creative team assembled?
Years ago I met James while tracking songs with country artist Miko Marks in 2007. James has a special way of creating flow around him and a relaxed space that is very conducive to making truly special art. When James and Rian met we all reviewed songs from “Open Space” a previous project Rian and I created years ago. We all just really enjoyed the experience of listening to music, swapping ideas, creating new ones. Rian always had songs to present and was definitely a driving force in having future vision for the project. He founded Rian Music and has truly risen up to a different level and I appreciate his hard work to be a force in this movement.
In the 90s Pajama Studios staff and their clients had a phrase they would say when a new track had extra swag and vibe; “Pajama Jam”! We definitely have a few Pajama Jams in the catalog of music and to this day I’m still in awe of the Pajama Family legacy and that we get to work with someone who has such an immense depth, knowledge, patience, and creativity as Jim Gardiner. Ideas are welcome in a very inspiring environment. Many talented guest singers have performed on these tracks such as Yue (Maria) and Zita Zalai. Their contributions to the tracks are felt deeply as well.
It’s common in music to be working in a large team with a specific rigid directive. That approach can have aggressives schedule of pre production, then tracking, mixing, master, promote, tour etc. We took a totally holistic approach and let the music come in a natural way. No forced time pressure, stress, demands, just pure raw creativity. That led to a very airy, connected and seamless vibe for us.
..and what motivates you to keep going?
First and foremost it has always been and continues to be a very fun and rewarding project. I truly never worked in an environment where the vibe in the room lands onto the tracks so effortlessly. I may walk into a session prepared to lay a few notes of guitar fill work and end up doing 3 layered acoustic tracks then guitar lead, or sing a quick backing support vocal track. Anything is possible. It’s such a great way to work. Expect the unexpected. Also I particularly like the lyrics on many of these tracks. Rian hails from Cork Ireland and you can definitely hear his celtic/irish poetic influences and it makes it fun to create and support music with a purpose as opposed to just common pop songs. Especially in times like these where people are searching for connection and meaning rather than superficial cheese. I truly appreciate this music and having something real to look forward to as we rise up from these heavy days. People need to be uplifted and smile. Props to both James G and Rian for being such awesome open minded creative partners.
How is this new release different from previous ones? Were you trying to accomplish anything specific?
This is the first release of multiple tracks from different era’s we’ve ever done. It celebrates a group of works over a period of time that are very special to us. The goal is to share them and present them in a way to take our listener’s on a musical journey. In an era where singles or limited project type releases are common to create momentum for an artist, collections are unique and we thought it would be impactful on an artistic level. I think in this day and age the idea of challenging listeners and presenting them with unique formats has been forgotten so we’d love to revive it. We would love nothing better than to inspire people, lift up their spirits and connect with them.
Name one challenge you face as an indie musician in this oversaturated, digital music age?
One of the main challenges is stated in your question. Oversaturation. Standing “out” above the crowd or the flood of available art that exists can be a definite challenge. While most press about this subject focuses on the new “digital age” where you can have free online access to platforms and an advantage to being able to tap into audiences, that also means that the world is flooded with content and it can be hard to decipher what is unique and what is repetitive. They don’t give out awards for “average” art but it seems like we are surrounded by certain forces that wish to celebrate mediocrity and encourage copycat or parity in music.
How has technology helped you (since we know it does help)?
The best part of the online experience today is that it’s such a vast world and now there’s been decades for musical platforms, youtube clips, news articles etc to be filtered in cyberspace and ferment like wine. So now the truly enlightened influencers in the music area are more adept at connecting with artists and it’s a great thing. We can connect, create, share, and thrive together much easier than in the past.
What was the last song(s) you listened to?
Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra. It was at the end of an episode of Ozark on Netflix. Had to hear it again. What a voice. Just watched Justin Bieber’s Youtube series and checked out his new single Yummy. Real music is a state of mind, and heart. I avoid thinking of it as limited in an era or one sound etc. Sinatra inspires me, Bieber does too.
Is there any particular track on this Rian Music 4th Street Release that has special meaning or significance to you?
Hard for Me is a deep track. Some songs the minute you hear them, they hit you. That one has been a favorite, especially the chorus and effects on it. James is a magician with voicings, instrumentation and arranging. Love the driving beat that dances with a very simple acoustic 3 note guitar lick. Rian’s singing style on this one is telling such a deep story he’s almost lightly narrating while singing. Singing a story rather than just a song. It’s powerful stuff and you can feel it..
Which do you prefer? Vinyl? CDs? MP3s?
Vinyl has great audio depth. It’s different than digital formats so there is something to be said for an lp on a tube analog home receiver. DJs, Musicologists and Audioheads know what I mean. It’s very warm on the bottom end in particular and has depth. Less clarity though of certain harmonics in music. Still it is a lot of work and takes space to store lp’s and gear.
These days our ears are tuned to “digital detail” as we’ve had decades of these sounds to permeate our listening experience. Any format such as cd or mp3 or FLAC is the same category for me. I accept any of these. I will say cd’s in the right set up are a bit punchier and have more depth. An important detail is the recording format. My favorite format is AAD. For those listeners who may not be recording geeks, the three little letters on the back of cds will say either ADD, AAD, DDD, etc. That means Analog or Digital in a three letter format. The first character is the Recording type, second is the Mix type, third is the Mastering type. Analog recording, Analog Mix, Digital Mastering is my favorite combination. Certain works in the 70s/80s etc were done this way and are gems such as Steve Winwood Back In The High Life or Pink Floyd The Wall. With AAD you can hear digital clarity but analog warmth underneath (tube mixing boards used, analog devices like keyboards etc).
How about this one…. Do you prefer Spotify? Apple Music? Bandcamp? Or something else? Why?
Itunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Soundcloud, Pandora, Google Play. Not to be dodgy but I think there’s too many options. It’s be nice if there was more focus on the listener than the platform. The way a new artist is presented can dictate a lot. On one platform you can be buried in a sea of bad video game music and so so remixes of vintage tracks and on others you can be highlighted based on different algorithms. I feel like some fresh ideas and direction is needed here for listeners to be able to have a wider scope of the music that’s available. I do use soundcloud, and spotify actually so certainly not into tech snobbery. Soundhound is my go to for capturing tracks I hear to get late. Soundhound to capture tracks I hear so I can review them. Always finding new interesting music that way.
Where is the best place to connect with you online and discover more music?
www.facebook.com/rianmusic1, www. Instagram.com/rianmusic1 ., www.soundcloud.com/rianmusic1 www.Youtube.com/rianmusic1 , or website @ http://www.rianmusic.com
Anything else before we sign off?
Sure. Check out our Newly released Album “4th St.” Out now on all platforms and drop us a comment on Facebook, Instagram or Youtube.
