Getting to know… Ryan Andrews

Musician Ryan Andrews. / Photos courtesy of Ryan Andrews.

By Alyssa Herter
Western Herald

If you’ve ever attended a Western Michigan University School of Music, Gold Company, Compendium, or other area jazzy-type concert, you’ve most likely witnessed the drum-slaying talents of Ryan Andrews.

A Kalamazoo native and WMU jazz studies graduate, Andrews has played for countless jazz bands and ensembles and has recently launched himself as a solo musician.

Last year, he wrote, performed and released his first “solo project” album, “Requiem,” and just returned from a national tour.

For my last column of the semester, I thought it fitting to get to know one of our own — if you don’t already know him, that is.

Alyssa Herter: Tell me about your approach to your music.

Ryan Andrews: I have an adaptive approach. I’ve tried to learn many styles of music so that I’m able to be as authentic as possible in any given situation. I’ll do the listening, do the research, but when it comes time to play I try to be as loose and as free of thought as possible.

For instance, I’ve been a huge Jimi Hendrix and [Led Zeppelin] fan — I’ve listened to them tons and have an idea of what their sound is like. Then I start playing with an artist like Micaela Kingslight and I’m able to pull from what I know of Jimi and Zeppelin to have a more authentic sound in that style.

The same goes for a group like Compendium — we do a number of styles but we mostly like to make people dance.
I listen to a lot of electronic dance music and pop so much that it comes through naturally in the music.

Add to that the jazz background that we all come from in that band [Compendium] and it makes for an open, unique experience that’s a lot of fun. This also works both ways, however.

Since I’ve studied a lot of different styles, I may notice myself breaking into some jazz stuff or African rhythms in a straight-ahead rock context, or I’ll notice a hip-hop flavor make its way into my jazz playing. I don’t see this as a bad thing — it’s all music and as long as it sounds good and fits, it’ll help make the music what it is.

I think it’s refreshing to hear a rock song obviously inspired by African music, or a drum’n’bass breakbeat in a jazz setting. It’s all valid as long as the intention and the authenticity is there.

AH: Your music has a lot of international influence, what culture inspires you the most and why?

RA: I don’t know that I’m inspired more by any one culture or another. One thing you come to find about me is that I don’t really have any favorites. I love the classical musics of several cultures. Being a drummer, I find the rhythmic intricacy of Indian classical music fascinating.

Some of the coolest and most enlightening performance experiences I’ve had have been with local Indian percussion phenom Rohan Krishnamurthy (Kalamazoo College graduate, now finishing his Master’s at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York). I’ve also studied Afro-Caribbean rhythms and hope to get even more into that scene when I move down to Miami, Fla. for grad school.

You can’t mention the study of other cultures without mentioning hip-hop culture and the dance scene in the UK. While you wouldn’t necessarily regard these as “world rhythms” they certainly have their own rhythmic styles and techniques, and they’ve both been a big influence on my playing. Jazz as well, of course — it’s America’s classical music. If I had to pick one, however, I’d say consistently the biggest international cultural influence on my playing has been Brazilian music. That’s the stuff that never fails to put me in a great mood. It’s syncopated, it’s complex, and it feels great.

Musician Ryan Andrews.

AH: What do you think of Kalamazoo as a home base for musicians?

RA: I learned how to play music here — I played my first gigs, formed my first bands and have had plenty of musical experiences here in Kalamazoo. The arts community in Kalamazoo is such a treasure in that there’s always so much going on and so much support for the arts that you don’t often see in cities five times its size.

With places in town like The Union and The Strutt, there’s always a chance to see live music of almost every type and be inspired — that’s without even mentioning groups like Fontana Chamber Arts, the Kalamazoo Symphony [Orchestra] and the Gilmore Festival. The amazing fine arts program at WMU has a lot to do with it as well. It’s a friendly community for musicians and I’m happy to be here.

AH: What are your plans for the future? Biggest career dream?

RA: My immediate plans for the future are to move to Miami, Fla. and get a Master’s in “Studio Jazz Writing.” It’ll be my first time living outside of the Midwest — whatever will I do without snow?

After that I hope to land work in some kind of decent-paying job related to music, whether it be studio work, being a touring performer, composing, publishing, producing or whatever else. Whichever way it turns out, just being able to make a living doing music would be a blessing.

—Alyssa Herter is a senior studying organizational communication major at WMU. To contact Alyssa about music, or possible band interviews, e-mail her at Alyssa.d.herter@wmich.edu.

Short URL: http://www.westernherald.com/?p=16954

Posted by heraldstaff on Apr 21 2010. Filed under A & E, Weekend Scene. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry

http://HeraldStaff