The debate of 'who discovered America' still rages- Columbus, Vespucci, Erikson- although
if you asked someone from the Nez Pierce or Cherokee, they'd probably point out that there
wasn't much to discover; it had been there all along.
Certainly known and respected by many people to begin with, but within our own sphere of interest and
inquiry, Dylan represents a real discovery. Matter of fact, he is probably the best 'discovery' we've made
so far of any artist.
This man is a compositional genius.
Nine with Dylan Ryche.
Early life, how you came to play guitar?
I always loved music but I’m honestly not sure why I chose the guitar. My
uncle bought me a guitar when I was around 4 or 5 and I started lessons a
couple of years later. I originally started with some classical guitar
lessons which were a good foundation in hindsight but at the time I was
pretty disinterested in them because it wasn’t really ‘fun’ and I just
wanted to play Mötley Crüe or Alice Cooper riffs and the like!
Five albums. What are they?
Close To The Edge – YES
Scenes From A Memory – Dream Theater
A Night At The Opera – Queen
Mudslide Slim & The Blue Horizon – James Taylor
Bad English – Bad English
What interests you away music?
Spending time with friends and family. I’ve been a stay-at-home dad for the
last 18 months, which has been an awesome experience. I love watching
sports - especially football (Go Eagles) and love to cook. I make great
chicken wings!
Jam session with any artist, living or dead?
Wow…only one?
Living – Victor Wooten
Dead – Frank Zappa
What artists do you find influential?
I could fill five pages with this question alone!
Dream Theater, YES, Frank Zappa, Queen, Journey, Victor Wooten, Paul
Stanley, Jellyfish, John Waite. As for guitarists I would say Don Ross,
Tommy Emmanuel, Neal Schon, Steve Howe, John Petrucci, Randy Rhoads,
Steve Morse, Brad Paisley, Andy McKee, Lee Ritenour.
Gear rundown, what guitars/strings/etc you use?
My main guitar for many years now is my trusty Maton EST60C. I also use a
Taylor GA3 and Martin OMC-160gte but I’m essentially a free agent, so any
guitar makers out there that want to speak to me – I’m listening! ;)
Elixir phosphor bronze strings, G7th capos.
What makes for a good composer?
I tend to listen to quite melodic music and value a great melody very
highly. Some of the musicians/composers I’ve mentioned above like Zappa,
Wooten or Dream Theater can get quite technically or harmonically complex
(or downright weird) but they understand that if you pair something
challenging with something accessible it makes it easier to digest. Then,
in time, the listener will internalize and understand the more technical
stuff and its own beauty becomes apparent. I would say that understanding
that balance makes for a good composer.
What's one thing- unrelated to music- that you want to do but haven't?
When our son is a little older I’d like the three of us to take a month off
and do a road trip through the USA. East coast one year and west coast
another year. My family, the open road and no responsibilities other than
having a good time and finding the best BBQ joints we can! Sounds good to
me.
Shoutouts, venue dates, etc?
No real dates right now but check out my newly launched website
www.dylanryche.com - CD, mp3s and TABS all available there right now.
Also, like my facebook page DylanRycheMusic for all up-to-date news or to
say hi.
