Ryan Reid : Shine

Ryan Reid, who came out of the Stillwater music scene, has been playing music for quite a while. His debut album, Light It Up, came out in 2012, but he’s been making music and performing for much longer than that. Reid also put out an EP titled The Angels Collection in 2014. The soulful singer has a voice as smooth as honey, and an impressive vocal range that he uses with magnificent skill. His music falls into that genre blending scope; he mixes the gritty sounds of rock and roll with the power and groove of blues and soul and maybe just a tinge of country every now and again. With a successfully funded Kickstarter campaign last year, he’s on the verge of releasing his new album Shine at midnight on St. Patrick’s Day in March.

“With the kickstarter campaign, with that I was just really asking everyone if they wanted another record from me. Because now that I am completely independent there’s no way I was going to be able to do this without their help,” said Reid about the whole experience.  “The overwhelming yes that we got from it, it was just so humbling. To really go through that process and see everyone’s support and for them to just come through in the way that they have, it made me fall in love with music all over again. With no strings attached on it this time I got to make the record that I’ve always wanted to make.”

Reid has always been very humble, at least in all of my interactions with him over the last several years. His genuine concern and compassion for people and life always shines through in his personality. Reid tends to go above and beyond, personally inviting his fans to shows and even making an effort to reach out and say hello between shows. I really don’t think he does this superficially just as a PR ploy to retain fans either, I think he does it because doing those things truly make him happy. He is genuinely personable and friendly. Reid has always been vocal about his philosophy on pouring love out in all that you do, and treating people with kindness and compassion. He doesn’t just talk the talk, he walks the walk as well. This quality in him makes him a favorite among his fans.

“My whole thing that I have taken from the very beginning is that together we can do anything, so I tried to make that a theme all the way through the kickstarter campaign and it really worked. That’s just the way that I live my life though, together we really can change the world, one person can make a difference so imagine what we can do together,” said Reid.

Reid isn’t doing it all alone though, he has a group of fantastic musicians backing him up in the band. Josh Rutz, formerly with Chad Sullins and The Last Call Coalition Band is now playing lead guitar and singing backing vocals for Reid. I’m personally excited to see Rutz back in action and paired with such a talented group.

“Whenever I found out Josh was going to be available, we’ve been friends for such a long time that I just called him up and said ok well this is what needs to happen. I’ve always leaned on him for advice, and it just made sense that we played together,” said Reid.

Charlie Nusser joins them playing bass and Shane Litsch plays drums, rounding out the band. After the band all fell into place at the end of last year, they quickly jumped in and began rehearsing.

“The band is solid, like this has been amazing. There are no words for how grateful I am for the people I get to play with,” said Reid about his band mates. “The first rehearsal just went off without a hitch and everyone got along, everyone has a common goal and idea whenever it comes to music. It really just revolves around the people. I’ve never played with a more selfless group of people in my life, they just give everything that they have.”

The album Shine was recorded in Nashville. Reid spent a month in the studio surrounded by a group of musical friends who helped him work on the album. I also got to help be a part of the filming for the music video for the first single “Ain’t Enough Water” on January 16th. That was the second day of filming for the video, and it took place at a church in Cushing. Many of us got to help fill the pews and choir benches and be a part of the video, was released on February 25th. The single was also released to radio stations that day as well as the music video coming out. The song was a hard hitting rock and roll tune, and I was very impressed with it and the production of the video.

“That one was a little heavier than the rest of the record. That was the only song on there that I didn’t write. That was written by Blue Foley, Randall Clay and Roger Hodges. My buddy Casey Twist, when I told him we were about to start cutting the record, he played me “Ain’t enough water” and I told him I had never heard a song that I just knew I had to have,” said Reid. “So we got that one and went to Nashville and recorded it. It actually had more of a country-esque vibe to it and I did a few little changes and put some distorted guitars on there and made it rock and roll.”

Reid and his band will be spending the next month rehearsing and getting everything lined up and ready for the release of the album. They will have a few shows at the end of February, but the actual record release tour will start on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day. They also have plans for a live performance music video soon as well.

“We’re going to play the first record release date on St. Patrick’s day. The first 3 shows are lined up to be in Oklahoma. We’re only going to do 12 dates, this way we can do some really special things for the fans. I wanted to make it really intimate and a big deal,” said Reid. “It’s a big deal for us to release a record, so why not make it a big deal for people to come to the shows? And if you do a bunch of record release parties and shows, well then it really just becomes just another show. But if you only do a certain amount, then we’re going to be able to do so much more for the fans like special promotions and give-aways and different limited time one of a kind merchandise. Whatever we can do to give back to the people that have been there to begin with, that’s what I want to do. Everyone who has supported us, I want them to know how much they mean to us.”

Reid has a fan club called The Light It Up Club which you can join on his website at www.ryanreidmusic.com. Joining the fan club allows you to get all the info about the band before it’s released to the general public. The website of course is also full of information about the band and music available at this time. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter as well as on Youtube with their own channel, which are all linked on the main website. Stay tuned to Reid’s social media sites for special upcoming give-aways and promotions, and check out the new single and music video “Ain’t Enough Water”.