Ry Bradley

Ry Bradley Showcase Brings out Top Brass



It’s rare to get top Row label executives like UMG/Nashville CEO Mike Dungan or Sony Music Nashville CEO Gary Overton to come to showcases for new artists, but Overton and Dungan were just a few of several top Row folks at Tuesday evening’s showcase for Ry Bradley at the Rutledge.
Scott Hendricks of Warner Music Nashville, songwriter Victoria Shaw, Tom Baldrica, Autumn House, and songplugger extraordinaire Sherrill Blackman were on hand, as were AristoMedia’s Jeff Walker and SiriusXM host Charlie Monk, who helped put the shindig on and did their usual wondrous work.
Ry Bradley is from the north shore of Hawaii, but has been working the last few years with management in California, including Jonathan French, Darol Paulsen and Phyllis Paulsen of RQ Productions.
He’s spent the last year commuting to the Row, co-writing with top Nashville tunesmiths including Victoria Shaw on “The Right Way,” Doug Johnson and Pat Bunch on “Gone,” and with Philip Douglas and Bernie Nelson on “New Kind Of Lonely,” all of which Bradley performed Tuesday.
His guitar-based songs have a cool, California and slightly Retro feel to them. He says he’s a huge Dwight Yoakam fan, which shows up in his songs, his soulful vocals, and his powerhouse guitar work. Ry’s quartet on Tuesday included two guitars, bass, and drums – no steel and no keyboards.
Ry’s encore – the Eric Heatherly composition “The Things I Can Do To You With My Guitar” – was one of several songs Bradley performed that might make a nice first radio single. - Sweatband's Country Insider

With amps and guitars strewn around his apartment instead of furniture, Ry Bradley is California country music.

Growing up, Bradley heard endlessly about some guy he thought was a distant uncle. Turns out Merle Haggard, though not related, along with Dwight Yokam, Buck Owens, and Gram Parsons rank as Bradley’s musical heroes.

As a kid, however, he preferred Aerosmith and Guns ‘n’ Roses.

“Country is the new rock, so it’s important to keep the songs honest, but put on a good show and rock it out,” says Bradley.

That message carried Bradley to the finals of the Fantasy Springs Casino Resort Regional Country Showdown, and gained the attention of AMFM Fest musical director Brad Mercer. Bradley will headline the three day AMFM Fest dedicated to art, music, film and other artistic expressions at 9 p.m. Nov. 15 in Cathedral City. The fest runs Nov. 13-16 based at the Mary Pickford Theater.

"Country is the new rock," says La Quinta musician Ry Bradley.
Though Bradley didn’t win the Fantasy Springs finals, he felt as if he had because of meeting Mercer and the tons of fans that showed their support at the competition.

More accolades are coming Bradley’s way. He will be in Hollywood Nov. 12 to attend the LA Music Awards after receiving four nominations.

Bradley can be found most often in in La Quinta spending time with his No. 1 fan, his mom.

“We didn’t grow up on tractors, but I keep that tradition of singing about real life [in my music],” Bradley says.

Real life in the desert inspires Bradley so much he chose it for his music video location for Freedom Like This. Drawn to places were “stone cold country” musician Parson’s ghost let his “freak flag fly”, Bradley also hangs in the high desert and dreams of one day playing at Pappy & Harriet’s to a packed room of ravenous country rock music fans.

Music has given Bradley a life he only could dream about.

“I had a pretty rough childhood, so the music [has] made life worth living,” he says. “If I can make people happy, then my job is done and I feel like I’ve done something right.” - Palm Springs Life

Ry Bradley is a singer-songwriter that you can find playing regularly around southern California. He discusses learning flamenco guitar in Spain, opening for Florida-Georgia Line, and what he'd be doing if he weren't making music.

AXS: You cover a lot of musical ground. How do you describe your music for someone who has never heard it?

Bradley: For live shows I focus on fun, rocking out, and getting everyone up and part of the fun. For recordings It's a mix of fresh and classic sounds. I have no rules and I love to bring in new ideas to the music, as long as the songs come from a real place. I have to believe what I'm singing about so I'm obsessed with country music and the true songs from that tradition.

AXS: What compelled you to go to Spain to learn flamenco guitar?

Bradley: I had just spent four years 100 percent focused in music school, no social life at all! I was studying the guitar over in Spain, but I'll confess what I was really doing was partying and figuring out who I am, and what I wanted to do. At that time, I don't think I would have let myself just go wild over there so studying Spanish and flamenco was kinda my excuse to go wild in a beautiful place. I had some amazing, once-in-a-life-time experiences over there, and figured out that my real passion is American music. Although Spanish music is great. I wrote some crazy songs over there!

AXS: You recently opened for Florida-Georgia Line. Describe that experience.

Bradley: Country music fans are the best because they know how to have fun: it was 12,000 people all cutting loose and REALLY getting into it. I was onstage thinking, 'man, I am so lucky to be here!' They were singing along to 'Freedom Like This,' and I can tell you it feels amazing to rock out with 12,000 people to your song.

AXS: What's next for you?

Bradley: I will be releasing the 'Freedom Like This' video next month and I've got some great shows in the works in California. I like to focus on California country music and what makes the music different out here on the west coast so I've got some ideas for festivals and maybe even TV. It's a great time to be making music because you can control your own destiny and projects.

AXS: What would you be doing if you weren't making music?

Bradley: Boxing, surfing, and traveling. I really can't imagine life without music though. I've been obsessed with music as long as I can remember. Whatever I do I like to think I'd be doing something useful though, making people happy or helping in some way." - AXS

Ry Bradley (EPK) by Ry Bradley

Ry Bradley has literally been around the world with his music. He grew up in Hawaii and later studied guitar at the University of California. Throughout his life, he has been introduced to many different music cultures and each has helped him develop his unique style. Some of those places include Texas dance halls, Music City (Nashville, TN) guitar pulls to studying flamenco guitar in Spain, playing blues in Argentina and learning folk songs from native fishermen in Cuba. Bradley says “I am a huge Vince Gill, Carl Perkins, and Brad Paisley fan, but I also love B.B. King, Keb Mo’ and the Rolling Stones.”

Ry has been the lead guitarist for touring bands but now fronts his own group based out of Southern California. His music has been influenced by his love for Waylon Jennings, Chet Atkins, Elvis Presley and Merle Haggard to name a few. Now, as a singer/songwriter/guitarist on his own, he has put out a great EPK.

“A New Kind of Lonely” is a mid-tempo that shows Ry’s wonderful vocal range as well as his ability to pour out emotions and make you a part of the song. “Whiskey, Whisk Me Away” is a snappy Honky Tonkin’ song about a girl breaking a guy’s heart. Again, Bradley pours his emotions out in “Gone” with lyrics of “oh, he’s never gonna love you the right way, oh the right way / Oh, he’s gonna break your heart in two someday, oh someday / and I’ll be here to catch you, baby fall into my embrace…”

This is a great EPK of country music with a slight twist of pop thrown in. I recommend it for everyone. Great job Ry! For more information visit www.rybradley.com

Ry Bradley EPK by Ry Bradley

1. New Kind of Lonely (Ry Bradley, Philip Douglas, Bernie Nelson)
2. Gone (Ry Bradley, Doug Johnson, Pat Bunch)
3. Little Tattoo (Ry Bradley, Bart Butler, Larry McCoy)
4. The Right Way (Ry Bradley, Victoria Shaw)
5. Whiskey, Whisk Me Away (Ry Bradley)
6. There Goes My Heart Again (Ry Bradley, James House) - Digital Rodeo

One song can get your attention, but many songs can keep you listening.

I’m not sure how I discovered Ry Bradley but I do know it was “A New Kind of Lonely” that caught my attention. I immediately purchased the song on iTunes and told my wife “if nothing else comes of Rock Meets Country at least I found THIS song!” You see, I’m a big “song” guy, I like hooks, harmonies, anything that pulls me in and sticks with me. Even though there’s a 6-song EP here and other songs I’ve heard him perform, this will forever be the song I’ll associate Ry with. I hope he’s OK with that!

“A New Kind of Lonely” is the first track on the EP. It is about a lost love, and although he’s been down before, this is “a new kind of lonely”. The lyrics goes on to say “I didn’t know I could hurt this much inside”. This is a refreshing take on the usual country break up songs layered with Ry’s impeccable voice. That long note is amazing and can’t easily be forgotten. When you listen to the song you’ll know what I’m referring to.

Bonus: There is a video for “A New Kind of Lonely”. It goes perfectly with the story told in the lyrics, you see Ry and a pretty lady spending time together and his lonely-self is watching the videos they made. You can watch it at RyBradley.com.

The second song on the EP is the title track and continues with the same power that “A New Kind of Lonely” started. It’s about grabbing your woman and getting away from it all, a ‘love can take us anywhere’ kinda thing. It grabs your attention right away with just guitar and vocals, and then kicks into high gear at the chorus. The first time I heard this song was at one of Ry’s shows. I got chills when he played it because it’s a beautiful marriage between rock (which I grew up on) and modern country. My favorite line is “tonight we’re runnin’ down a dream”.

“Gone” is an all out rocker about being so in love you “ain’t comin’ back”! This type of song can be tricky because the vocals are basically on top of the instrumentation. It can sound like just that, words on top of music, not working together. However, just at the right moments, Ry cleverly switches things up by pulling back the arrangement and giving both layers time to breathe. At this point in the EP you realize what you already suspected, that you’re listening to well-rounded talent and you’re anxious to see where the next three songs go.

“Little Tattoo” is about someone’s secret tattoo. He’s intrigued about seeing it over and over. This song really introduces some “classic” country from maybe the 1950s. I do know judging from his live shows Ry has a love for Elvis.

“Tequila Dreaming” has this very interesting tone to it, there’s a big twang signaling COUNTRY but then also sounds like something you might hear on a Mexican beach somewhere. The more I listened to this song, the more I liked it. A break from the rockers, it takes you on a trip to…California country! What a perfect showcase for the term. PS- I love tequila and any song about tequila.

“Things I Could Do To You (With My Guitar)” is a groovy rocker with a galloping bass is the perfect closer. The song was written by Eric Heatherly, but shows that Ry even make a cover his own. I love this song, period.

Although Ry grew up in Hawaii, he now lives in California and is a proud “California Country” soldier. In looking at his list of shows, I see he is out there paving the way, playing everywhere. But for Ry it’s not just playing anywhere just for the sake of it, he does it because he loves to play the guitar. He also has set up a ‘California Country Night’ every Friday at Bigs in Fullerton, CA to showcase local bands, but I have a feeling this is just a stepping stone to something bigger.

What I’ve learned is what a true talent I was watching and listening to. He has this ability to craft these special songs, each sounding completely different. And I know there are a ton more songs and ideas bursting to get out! I cannot wait to hear them…

Visit RyBradley.com for more - Rock Meets Country