Artist of the Day | RYAN THOMAS SMELLE
ARTIST OF THE DAY
23.02.2022
RYAN THOMAS SMELLE
LOCATION
St. Catharines, ON, Canada
GENRE
Singer-Songwriter, Folk, Indie, Americana
CURRENT MEMBERS
Ryan Thomas Smelle - solo
With the current pandemic, the state of the music and touring industry has dramatically changed. Where were you when everything was brought to a halt?
I was playing out and about as much as possible and then things stopped. With gigs on hold, the pandemic forced me to change. In a good way. I built my own studio and picked up the daunting task of learning how to record myself. Rather than pay someone else to push the red button, I was doing it myself. Change is good.
How has that affected your plans for the coming year? Did you have a tour planned, upcoming album release?
Having my own studio has lead to the recent release of my first ‘full length’ solo album. Look forward to performing some live original shows as things open up and have a few things booked tentatively.
What have you been doing to fill/make the most of your new-found free time at home? How are you supporting your mental health through all of this?
Figuring out how to record! ‘In The Homestretch’ was a year plan. I worked on a song a month and released them as singles. As momentum surrounded the tunes, the idea of the album was created. I took all 12 tunes, remixed them with my knew recording knowledge, got them professionally mastered and added 2 other tunes I had been working on and voila!
As a person who has battled with mental health issues, I would be lying if there weren’t some bad days. I have a young family and that kept me distracted. I also started putting my emotions into my songwriting. The song ‘Something Restless’ is about the anxiety ridden mind. I’ve connected with many who related to the song. So if my music helps, it makes it worth something.
How are dealing with the Covid fifth wave? Have things locked down again in your region? Have you had to cancel gigs, tours, etc.? Are things reopening & restrictions are lifting in your region? Have you booked any new gigs, tours, etc.? What are your plans for 2022?
Being a cover musician, as well as an original musician, I’ve never been busy doing the cover thing in the Niagara Region (Niagara Falls). Places are looking for less people (solo/duo) to perform so they can maximize how many people can actually dine. I enjoy these gigs as I slide in the odd original and on occasion build my original audience a little more.
As for my original gigs, my fingers are crossed to do some sort of album release show in 2022 and go from there.
Do you have a message for everyone at home reading this?
"Life happens. Sometimes it's good. Sometimes it's bad. Really bad. My story is your story. Wearing your heart on your sleeve is not a bad thing. Love often and listen always."
Ryan Thomas Smelle
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