No rest for the weary!

WHEW! The past 3 weeks have been a whirlwind of activity for us and it's not going to get any quieter in the days ahead. SNC was back in NYC to rehearse, film a concert for PBS, and begin discussions about our new holiday album, "Chrismas Cheers." Let me break those down one-by-one for you:

1. Rehearsals. There's something very cool about waking up, grabbing breakfast at a NYC deli, and fine-tuning music all day with your 9 friends. We rehearsed at Chelsea Studios in Manhattan and were joined by two outstanding new members of the SNC family, our choreographer/movement coaches Ross and Jim. We couldn't have put on the PBS show without them and appreciated their dedication to seeing that we looked as sharp onstage as possible. Highlights from rehearsals included owing the group 10 push-ups for every mistake one made, seeing songs grow from their earliest stages to their onstage performance, and the grade-A drinking water at the studio. I don't care what they say about you, NYC Drinking Water, you're alright in my book.

2. PBS Concert. What a great time! Snaps to the Angel Orensanz Foundation for hosting us. Home of the oldest synagogue in the city (4th in the country), the venue was incredible. With its Gothic architecture and awesome lighting, it served as the perfect setting for a very fun show. We can't wait to see the edited footage and hear the audio. Show day was pretty long and tedious, full of lighting cues, tech run-throughs, and blocking notes, but we couldn't have been happier with the outcome when all was said and done. Thanks to the crew, stylists, and everyone at the label who made us look and sound good! Cheers to our fantastic special guests in the audience, the PBS crew & Kathy, and our friend Jermaine Miles for giving us a booming intro before we took the stage.

3. "Christmas Cheers." Without giving too much away, let me say this: despite the lack of sleep and time at home, SNC is excited and eager to be back in Bloomington, IN, home of Airtime Studios, to finish work on our newest project. This album will be a festive, upbeat collection of songs that will be a great complement to "Holiday Spirits" ((hopefully...we'll leave that up to you to decide). We're also hoping the sessions will allow time for a killer SNC cornhole tourney or two ;)

On the homefront, "Holiday Spirits" is happily anticipating the arrival of his younger brother and is looking forward to having a new friend he can boss around and rough-house with. Sorry, everyone, sorry. With whom he can rough-house.

More details to come as we move forward...thanks for your support and kind words of encouragement!

(Christmas) Cheers,

Ryan

New SNC Tour Dates Announced

Hi, everyone -

Straight No Chaser will be singing in over 50 cities this Fall & Winter! Check out the tour schedule and contact LiveNation, TicketMaster, or your local box office to get your tickets. See you on the road!

Cheers,

Ryan

Join RA on Twitter!

Hi, everyone -

After an exhausting (but exciting) time in NYC w/Straight No Chaser, I'm back in Indy teaching guitar & voice @ Michele's Studio and eagerly anticipating SNC's summer schedule. We're releasing an EP of 6 songs in the upcoming months and will have promotional appearances on the schedule to get the word out! Thanks to those of you who supported our debut album, Holiday Spirits last Christmas, we're looking at a 50+ date tour (!) this fall & winter. Keep an eye out at for more details. Hopefully, we'll be in your neck of the woods.

I've joined the wonderful world of Twitter (perhaps like some of you, I was reluctant at first) and have enjoyed "tweeting" back and forth with new/old friends. If you're a member, stop by sometime and say hello on my page.

Off to go enjoy this beautiful Spring day!

Cheers,

RA

STRAIGHT NO CHASER

After 9 months of keeping it under my hat, I'm finally able to make it official:

Straight No Chaser is back! After 8 million YouTube views of The 12 Days of Christmas last December, the original SNC was signed to Atlantic Records earlier this Spring.

On Tues., 10/28, we are releasing our a cappella Christmas album, Holiday Spirits, under Atlantic Records! (That's me, second from the left!)

You can now pre-order Holiday Spirits on iTunes and Amazon. Well...what are you waiting for?!

Thank you for your support, as always.

Much love,

Ryan

Why I do what I do.

Written late the other night...

I sing, play my guitar, write songs, arrange music, and perform all for the same reason: I don't know any other way, really. What's been amazing (literally) this year is a clearer understanding that I am doing what I should be doing and that's 100% OK. Doors have been opened and opportunities placed in front of me that scream out the shadows - mere blueprints - of a design brilliantly created by the One who holds the final product firmly in His hand. I don't know why I feel "normal" when performing, feeling the grit of strings against my fingers, or letting lyrics marinate in my head, but I do, and I'm beginning to realize that that feeling is just the one I'm meant to feel.

Pleased at 1:09 AM on a couch in Dave's studio in the sticks. Missing home & Lauren more than I have time to write about, but content with the master plan, nonetheless.

"Live from Malibu" available on iTunes!

Hola, amigos -

So many of you asked for it and I was more than happy to oblige. My newest album, "Live from Malibu," is a 100% live, acoustic collection of 13 original songs and available (as of today) on iTunes!

Go download it in 3, 2, 2.5...1.

Spread the love & enjoy,

Ryan

PS - for all you Indy-types, tonight's show at Higher Ground will blow your mind, guaranteed. ROLL OUT. Not that I have anything to do with it; instead, my two close friends Ryan Brown & Jonathan Faber are guitar virtuosos and are ready to rock your faces off...are ready to perform a show that off which your faces will be rocked. Sorry, everybody, sorry.

NEW RELEASE: Live From Malibu

Hello, friends & honorary Valentines -

I'm happy to announce the release of my third album, which I've entitled Live From Malibu, after the Young Life Malibu camp property in British Columbia, Canada that I performed at during Summer 2007. Disclaimer: the term "album" is somewhat of a vague term in this case, as LFM is available only in digital-download form via CDBaby and iTunes (coming soon!). Sorry to all you phonograph/vinyl/8-track/cassette/CD-philes out there for any inconvenience this may have caused. (Gotta keep up with the cutting-edge technological trends and developing consumer behaviors of the industry, Mama always said.)

That's a lie. Mama never said that. However, it's true nonetheless.

Live From Malibu features 12 live, acoustic tracks from my weekly concerts at camp, 4 of which are previously unreleased original songs (this is known as a "perk"). I have to hand it to the high-schoolers that were at Malibu with me; they told me they wanted a live, acoustic album from me, they got a live, acoustic album from me. If I received one email through MySpace or Facebook inquiring "How can I get a copy of your concert from Malibu," I received a gazillion. I don't even know what a gazillion is, per se, but I'd guestimate I received at least one of them in email form from kids from all over once they returned home. Yes, I use the word "guestimate" whenever I can.

The dialogue typically went like this:

Malibu-goer #457: "Ryan! Ummm...hey, listen, we really like your CD and everything, but you really need to put something out that's just you and your guitar."

Malibu-goer #458: "Seriously, though."

Me: "Wow. Thanks, you guys. You know, you're like the 457th and 458th persons to tell me that this week."

#457 & #458: "Well, it's true, so you should. Do you have MySpace?"

Me: "Yeah, definitely."

#457 & #458: "Oh my gosh, we're totally sending you friend requests when we get home."

Me: "That's cool. Hey, do you guys always talk in tandem?"

#457 & #458: "What's tandem mean?"

Me: "So the answer's yes, then."

Gig Harbor, Gonzaga Prep, Bellarmine, University, Stadium, Puyallup, Snohomish, Las Lomas, Enumclaw, Diablo Valley, Spokane Valley, friends all over Alaska and Canada, names of high schools I'm forgetting because there were so darn many of you...YOU made this album possible and I'm grateful for your support and encouragement. Good work, team. (high-fives all around, see you at the soda parlor for a congratulatory root beer float after the show, cue the confused looks, yes I said soda parlor, unison laughter, jovial slaps on backs, fade, credits, blockbuster)

Expect a blurb about LFM's iTunes release in the very near future. For now, the album can be downloaded through the CDBaby link above.

Thanks, as always, for listening to my music and letting people know about it. Shoot, thanks for even stopping by and taking the 5 minutes to read this and put up with my imaginary stage directions and screenplay.

Sincerely Yours,

Ryan
President & Founder, Indiana Association of Valentines Day Awareness and Promulgation

Look it up.