Sat, Apr 20
|Masonic Hall, High River
Ryland Moranz
Populated by real and imagined heroes and villains, the everyday and the extraordinary, the trials of life and matters of the heart, Ryland’s compositions span bygone days, the here and now, and what may yet be to come, both for himself and for us all.
Time & Location
Apr 20, 2024, 7:30 p.m. – 11:30 p.m.
Masonic Hall, High River, 306 4 St SE, High River, AB T1V 1H7, Canada
About The Concert
“I feel less like a writer of fiction and more like a collector of sorts. It’s a romantic notion, but I like the idea of being a hopeful observer of the world and the people in it. I think in a roundabout way that’s what the new record is about, and kind of why I called it ‘XO, 1945’ – kind regards from a past that’s different than you remember.”
The album title, XO, 1945, holds a mirror to the title of Ryland’s 2016 solo debut, Hello New Old World, as if in continuation of his sanguine faith in humankind turning the corner. It’s a lyrically poetic, sonically earthy album of gritty roots rockers and moving, nostalgic balladry, propelled by Ryland’s clawhammer banjo, electric and acoustic guitars, mandolin, mandola and harmonica, and intoned in a characterful voice recalling a young Steve Earle.
Ryland – who, for the record, is also a visual artist, session musician, audio engineer, digital audio researcher and experienced tour manager - is based in Lethbridge, AB, an artistic community historically founded on mining and agriculture, and where, at Leeroy’s Rebeltone Ranch studio, XO, 1945 was adroitly crafted. Ryland’s band, His Darkest Secrets, comprises the artist’s Rebeltone Sound compadres Tyson Maiko (upright bass), Kyle Harmon (drums) and Michael Ayotte (keyboards, accordion, percussion), who for this project were augmented by cellist George Fowler and Calvin Volrath on fiddle, while Leeroy contributed harmony vocals.
With ‘normal’ life on pause for the foreseeable future, Ryland will continue to passionately read, further enriching his mind with the classics, and, as that hopeful observer, gather and amass stories for the songs of Album # 3 and, quite likely # 4…and onward. Only time will tell…
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