<a href=”http://ryantennis.bandcamp.com/track/coming-home” data-mce-href=”http://ryantennis.bandcamp.com/track/coming-home”>Coming Home by Ryan Tennis</a><br /><br />
<a href=”http://ryantennis.bandcamp.com/track/wake-me-up” data-mce-href=”http://ryantennis.bandcamp.com/track/wake-me-up”>Wake Me Up by Ryan Tennis</a>
Ryan’s Website: http://www.ryantennismusic.com/
“This is a no-bullshit city,” Ryan Tennis says of his native Philadelphia. “If your music isn’t genuine, people won’t buy it.”
He’s calling from inside a Philly studio, where he and his group, the Clubhouse Band, are recording their first full-length album.
“At the same time,” Ryan continues, “Philly is a great city for musicians.” He appreciates his hometown more after honing his songwriting chops at open mic nights in San Diego. After playing football for Davidson College and coaching his old high school football team, he moved to San Diego to get out of dodge and pursue music full-time.
He began making his mark holding house concerts with his cousins once he returned home. “There are a lot of great players in Philly,” Ryan explains. “A lot of hanging out, jamming going on.” Dubbed the Clubhouse Concerts, Ryan and area musicians gather in Ryan’s backyard and entertain audiences with short sets and longer jam sessions lasting until two or three in the morning.
“My artistic vision has always been to develop a sense of community gathered around great music,” Ryan shares. He serves his folk with a side of funk, a unique blend heavily influenced by his hometown.. “Philly has a strong folk scene, but the music also has a strong sense of groove.” Call it “roots ‘n’ roll.”
Ryan’s classic songwriting skills are on display in two choice cuts, “Wake Me Up” and “Coming Home.” The former is a carefully-crafted, rootsy rumination on appreciating simpler pleasures and seemingly insignificant moments. A lush arrangement of guitar, piano, and muted horns bring forth the song like the mind draws up old memories.
In contrast, “Coming Home” is a stomping celebration of returning to one’s roots. The tune marches forward on the legs of heartily-strummed guitar and persistent percussion. It sounds like a song Ryan might have written while traveling home from San Diego.
“I try to write songs that relate to whatever people are going through. Like with this new record, I want to make an album that people love to listen to, that doesn’t take itself too seriously – you know, music that makes you feel good.”
And that’s no bullshit.
.Greg
