Matthew Ryan

Behold Dear Listeners,

The version of Summer Never Ends that my friend Doug Lancio remixed, is now available on the Summer Never Ends EP. ‘Twas mastered by another good friend, Hans DeKline. And the artwork? Sir Joe Macho of Pittsburghshire of course. 

The EP contains 6 different versions of Summer Never Ends: The Quiet Version, The Lancio Single Remix, The Instrumental Album Version, An Alternate Master we loved, The Quiet Instrumental Version, and The Acoustic Version.

It's available for FREE or "Pay What You Want". 

Genuinely, don't feel you have to pay anything. It's meant as a gift. Check it out right HERE!

Friends,

I'm happy to announce more band shows in August upon returning from The UK.

Fri 8/10 Louisville, KY

Tues 8/21 Rockford , IL

Wed 8/22 Chicago, IL

Thurs 8/23 St. Louis, MO

Fri 8/24 Nashville, TN

Check the details and grab tickets via the TOUR PAGE! 

And as always, your help in spreading the word is appreciated.

See ya soon!

Hey there Friends and Listeners,

It's been a wildly busy time. So much coming up. But wanted to share this with you...

Here's a first listen to The Quiet Version of Summer Never Ends. 

I wanted to invite you to take a minute and give it a good listen. I love how the air and tone of a song can change over time. In different rooms, via a different guitar or time of day. 

And for the love of cinematic rock n roll, please listen on good speakers or headphones. Hahahaha. Even though this version is minimalist and unobstructed, it has a beautiful depth of field. 

So... Why this "Quiet Version" of Summer Never Ends? 

We wanted to celebrate (and help further announce) our upcoming European tour in July with The Gaslight Anthem. So I decided we'd release an EP of various explorations of one of my favorite songs off of Hustle Up Starlings. 

That simple idea turned into a really beautiful experience. 

The Quiet Version was recorded at home and will soon to be made available to you for free (or "Pay What You Want") via my Bandcamp page. Part of my intention with this was also a "Thank You" to all the generosity you friends and listeners have shown me over the last few years. And particularly in contributing to making the trip overseas with Gaslight easier. So genuinely, the EP is intended to be free for you. You don't have to pay anything. It's not expected. But I know some of you insist, so it's "Pay Wha You Want." And that's always, genuinely appreciated. The needs for financing music and all the efforts it always require income. Not to mention life itself. I know you understand. 

So check out the upcoming dates. We can't wait to see and play for you guys. Not to mention hang out with some great friends that made one of my favorite albums of the mid/late 2000s (you know, The '59 Sound). 

More details on the Summer Never Ends EP will be shared as this week gets under way!

Hello Everyone!

I’ve got a bunch of shows on the East Coast coming up in May. 

I’ll be folkering from Atlanta over to Raleigh then Philly and up through Jersey then over to Pittsburgh and Detroit and more! 

But before the solo tour starts, The Northern Wires & I will be opening for The Old 97s at The Cowan here in Nashville on May 2nd.

Check the TOUR PAGE for all dates, details and tickets and RSVP info. 

I’m planning some special setlist inclusions for the solo tour you guys. Hope you’ll join me and help spread the word. Here are all the solo dates:

Plus my good friend Sammy Kay has agreed to open the night for me in Philly and NYC!

Can’t wait to see & play for you guys! 

Gonna be some beauties. 

Always.

Alright. See ya soon!

10 years ago Matthew Ryan Vs The Silver State came out. 

“Jane, I Still Feel The Same” has gone on to enjoy millions and millions of plays and streams and high-fives. Though substantially less purchases (wink, wink, cough, cough). 

Funny how it's starting to feel like even my recent work seems long ago... But this song remains one of my favorites that I've offered ever, it's called "Closing In". 

Impressionistic and personal without falling into diary. It's a love letter to a handful of the loves of my life. Both people and ideas... And music. 

Stay pure and optimistic. Be an honest participant in the beauty that's always possible. 

My only regret is that it ends on the minor chord... I love so much of The Silver State album, but "Closing In" always strikes a certain chord with me.

A giant thank you to Doug Lancio, Brian Bequette, Steve Latanation, Eamon McLoughlin and Kate York for helping me bring this into the world. This song was only a hopeful skeleton without you guys. 

Alright. Thank you for allowing for this kind of indulgence. Feels good to love something from the past. As always, give it a listen and share if you're inclined. 

Here's another, more sentimental video version of "Closing In" on Youtube: 

A More Sentimental Video For "Closing In"

& 

Here's the entire album, Matthew Ryan Vs The Silver State on Spotify:

Matthew Ryan Vs The Silver State on Spotify

Friends, 

Please take a moment to read about The Summer Kills. 

Turns out, I'm a singer in a "band" now as well. It's a long and beautiful story... 

But essentially Marc and Andrew created the music while I wrote the words and melodies and then sang. 

It took us 7 years to finally agree that it was ready to be shared with you. 

Our "debut" album comes out on April 27th, 2018. 

The Summer Kills is what we call this collaboration between Marc Byrd and Andrew Thompson (of the ambient duo Hammock), and me. 

The album is called Last Night We Became Swans. 

It's a sprawling beauty. I can't wait for you to hear it. It's some of the most cinematic and emotional stuff I've been a part of. It's smart but instinctual, filmic in that it has a tone throughout. And thematically, there's a story being told - it has a beginning, middle and an end. But it's more impressionistic than a concept record, it's essentially following a love story through all the weather and the events that define that space between two people. And it even pans out a bit further... But it never loses sight of that thread between the "two" hearts it's exploring. 

The album was mixed by one of my favorite engineers out there today, his name is Peter Katis. You're probably familiar with some of the beautiful work he's done with The National, Japandroids and Glen Hansard. I'm blown away by what Peter brought to what we created. Last Night We Became Swans is as much a sonic adventure as it is a lyrical or musical adventure. 

You can pre-order the entire album right now via our Bandcamp Page right here: 

The Summer Kills, Last Night We Became Swans

We'll be sharing more singles as we get closer to release. It's always quite exciting and a bit daunting to launch a new idea into the world. We hope you'll take the time to welcome it, to get familiar with what this music is offering. 

All three of us feel it's quite special. We hope you agree. The beautiful work depends on you these days... 

And I love that notion. 

Best Always, 

Matthew Ryan 

Click the album art below to check out the track-list and consider pre-ordering Last Night We Became Swans, by The Summer Kills!

Dear Friends on the West Coast, 

It's been entirely too long! I'm playing some shows on your beautiful side of the country this week! I hope you can make it out. I'll be traveling with Rhett Miller of The Old 97s for these intimate shows. I'll be playing first and Rhett will follow. 

We'll be starting in Seattle on Wednesday, then Portland on Thursday, San Francisco on Friday, Los Angeles on Saturday and the finally San Diego on well... You get the idea. 

You can expect to hear songs from all across the albums and maybe even surprise or two here and there. 

Hope to see and play for ya... Click the image below for all details and tickets!

So happy to let you guys know about this as well...

It just dawned on me that 1 week from today you’ll be able to hear our first official offering as The Summer Kills.  

An album created by Marc and Andrew (of Hammock) + Me.  

Seven years in the making. Surreal for its release to be approaching. Feels almost sudden. We turned every stone to make this exactly what we intended.  

It’s everything I want from music:  

Wildly cinematic and fully realized with poetry on its adventurous and moody sleeves.  

Love letters.  

I can’t wait for you to hear it.  

Follow us over on The Summer Kills Facebook Page so we can invite you to listen as the story develops.  

More soon...

Friends, 

Starlings Unadorned has been officially out for a little over a week now and your response has been beautiful. Thank you.

I'm happy to share that some friends at various outlets have taken notice as well and took the time to write beautifully about these stripped down versions of the songs off of Hustle Up Starlings. I wanted to share some of what they're saying about Starlings Unadorned.

And I wanted to offer a giant thank you to them as well. 

As many of you know, there's so much floating around out there. So many beautiful offerings just kind of wade patiently in the more shadowed parts of the ocean. For instance, I recently discovered Ian Felice's new album. Turns out some friends of mine helped birth that beautiful and moody collection. How did I not know it was out there? I don't know. Each of us navigates this new flood as best we can. I hope you'll check it out, here's a link to Ian's website. See if you love it too. 

But all of this is to say just how much more it means when you do find us. I'm a firm believer in what Cohen once said, it's the listener that dignifies a song. That doesn't happen for a song if it doesn't get found.

These mentions via these various outlets and blogs are happening organically. And while writerly advocacy always means so much to me, these handful of essays and mentions of Starlings Unadorned are motivated by people feeling compelled to help spread word of its release. 

It mean the absolute world to me and what’s possible. 

So thank you Routes and Branches, Twangville, Chimes Freedom, and Atlas and the Anchor. And of course thank you to American Songwriter Magazine. Though admittedly that one was an ask, but generously responded to... 

Click on the images below if you'd like to read the essays that have been written about Starlings Unadorned. 

And if you haven't already, Starlings Unadorned is available for $10 right HERE for immediate download: 

https://matthewryan.bandcamp.com 

Alright! More soon. Stay well out there. 

M. Ryan

Here are the excerpts. Click the images to read more!

Hello Everyone,

I Just Died Like An Aviator (The Unadorned Version) is now available on Starlings Unadorned exclusively via Bandcamp right here:

matthewryan.bandcamp.com

Starlings Unadorned is a collection of selected tracks from Hustle Up Starlings that were pared down and recorded in their purest & starkest acoustic fashion. The collection is intended as a companion piece to the original versions that were beautifully produced by Brian Fallon and were performed, mixed and mastered by the greatest gang of friends a person could hope for. Starlings Unadorned also includes a handful of previously unreleased demos and songs. I hope you'll check it out. Grab a copy.

The video you'll see below was created by Charlotte Beatty, Chloe Barczak, Carina Begley and Gorman Bechard. And again, it acts as a companion to the original (I Just Died) Like An Aviator video that Gorman and the Girls made.

You can view the original (I Just Died) Like An Aviator video right here if you're interested:

(I Just Died) Like An Aviator - Original Official Video

Our hope is that together, the two videos offer an arc, a widening to the sense of story. It was Gorman's idea to do this. And Charlotte, Chloe and Carina brought it to vivid life. I am blown away by these young women. Their creativity and heart. They instill in me a hope for the future. So many young people do. And yeah, Gorman is pretty cool too. Be sure to check out  a bunch of Gorman's other beautiful work right HERE. 

Check out the video: