January – Ryan Inglis

Welcome to our first Artist of the Month feature of the New Year.  To kickstart the new decade we decided we needed an extra special artist.  Introducing Ryan Inglis, a previous Slicethepie Showcase artist widely regarded within the Slicethepie community for his professionalism, friendly approach  and quality acoustic tracks.  But don’t just take our word for it….read on and see for yourself!  As an extra special bonus, Ryan is offering all Piewatch readers a FREE copy of his track ‘If I Fall’ (right click here).  If that wasn’t enough, there are a selection of quality downloads available here to help yourselves to….Special shout out to Kate Lee of KLEE photography for some great photos.

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Piewatch – Who is Ryan Inglis?

Ryan Inglis – This question reminds me of that scene in ‘Anger Management’ where Adam Sandler is asked to describe himself. Ryan Inglis is someone who genuinely believes in Karma and acts appropriately so… he wishes no harm to anyone and does his best to be friendly and cooperative at all times. If you were to step on my toes I would simply keep walking and let fate deal with it. I don’t think there’s enough time in life to be vengeful. I like expressing myself but I only find I can do it through music. I’m not a heart on my sleeve type of guy though; I hold cards to my chest until the very last minute. I do believe in myself to be capable of doing anything but have a tendency to listen to Mr Self Doubt all too often. I can be very sensitive to criticism but I welcome it all the same. I like to set myself little goals in life and when I have something in my sights I see it through until the end. I am little self depreciating but not in a terminal downward spiral kind of way… I think it keeps my feet on the ground. Generally I am a happy person who feels very grateful that he gets to do what he does and that other people like listening to the noises I make.

‘My Weakness’ gives a good insight into the way I think and feel about myself… or at least did at the time of writing

“I wish I could show you how I feel but I don’t know if who I am is real”

Piewatch – What have you been up to recently?

Ryan Inglis – Recently I have been driving back from Cornwall where I played a couple of venues ‘VERTIGO‘ and ‘EIGHTBAR‘ it was organised by my friend Tony Haven (lap tapping guitarist & promoter).  I am currently looking for new audiences to play to and new places to visit – and new people to meet. After last years hard work, I have now set a goal to do even more… but I would like to exchange quantity for quality. My next real ambition is to play to room of people who have paid a few quid to listen and sing along with my songs. I can’t think of anything better. My ambition used to be to have a CD of my own material – 4 years later I did. It has taken me a year and a half to sell the damn things but it was totally worth it. Although I won’t be putting myself through that kind of financial uncertainty again!

I recorded an acoustic version of ‘You’re The Voice’ by John Farnham a few days ago (click here to listen) and like to keep peoples interest by covering songs that no one else does. A few others for example are ‘Talk Show Host’ – Radiohead, ‘Red Alert’ – Basement Jaxx & ‘Woman Trouble’ – Artful Dodger all of which can be found online on YouTube and such

Aside from recording acoustic covers and booking gigs I have also been spending time in the studio with my other project ‘VTKTM’ (Home/Myspace) .It’s completely different to what you might expect from me but when I was first learning the guitar all I would play were riffs from Led Zeppelin, Linkin’ Park Papa Roach… that sort of thing. I always wanted to be that kind of guitarist, nothing flashy just awesome riffage that anyone can play and feel good about. With this band I get to do just that. It’s a hip-hop/rock crossover band with catchy choruses and great musicianship. Everyone in the band are amazing at what they do. Our first gig is in W-s-M on 30th Jan at DB’s on Oxford Street

I am currently looking to get remixes done of my original material. So far DJ Paul C has done a funky house version of Destiny. Eventually I would like to have versions of every song or at least 5 or 6 and then release online and share the profits with the remixer person. You can check out Paul C vs Ryan Inglis “Destiny” here:

Also I have started writing a music column for the Weston Echo online newspaper (link) and I teach a few people guitar here and there.

Piewatch – When did you first start making music?

Ryan Inglis – My first songs were recorded on my little Fostex 4 track cassette recorder when I was about 18/19. The guy who lived a few doors down inherited it from his brother who had recently passed away and gave it to me. I still have it. It’s like a piece of my history that I will never part with as with my first guitar. I’m not sure what the first song was but ‘There’s A Scene’ was definitely one of the earliest as well as ‘Sometimes’ there are songs I started writing that long ago that I still haven’t finished… I just don’t want to release anything until I’m totally pleased that it fulfils its purpose. I like my songs to be neat little packages that contain everything it needs to get an idea across or to get something off my chest. If it’s not ready it stays in the ‘to do’ pile

Piewatch – You’re involved with Footprint, what is it and how did you get involved?

Ryan Inglis – ‘Footprint’ is a fund raising vehicle aimed at helping young musicians who need financial help i.e. with equipment they can’t afford or taking courses they need. Anyone can register an application for a bursary award but we really only award those who have shown a high level of ability, excellence or just hard work and effort. It’s no free lunch. These events also benefit the bands that perform to help raise the money in the first place… for example in 2007 we put on a gig at Cardiff’s Hard Rock Café and had The Automatic headlining (when Monster had only been out for a short time) My band played as well as The Sketch (no longer together but working on individual projects) and Viva Machine. Last year we held an event at The Playhouse in W-s-M that was a kind of talent contest. The winners received prizes donated by local music business, the radio and also from companies such as Tanglewood, Roland & Sennheiser. There is literally much much more to tell you but it would best to look on the website if you want to know more. Anyone is welcome to contact me at ryan@footprint.org.uk for further details

‘Footprint’ is also the title of one of my songs

Piewatch – Who are your musical influences? Any unexpected ones?

Ryan Inglis – Radiohead are definitely at the top of the list because they couldn’t write an obvious song if they tried. Everything they come up with is totally unique and out of the box… in fact they’re so out the box I don’t think they know what a box even is.  John Mayer is another due to the way he plays guitar more than anything; it took me 3 months to perfect ‘Neon’ I remember hearing it and wondering how the hell that noise was being created. Others include Andy McKee, Erik Mongrain for their guitar prowess and Foo Fighters for the rock your socks of with a kick ass melody aspect! I defy anyone to write a song as perfect as ‘The Pretender’

As far as unexpected influences go I could name loads… My mum got me into Dire Straits when I was younger and Daniel Bedingfield is a fantastic singer, he’s got some awesome vocal melodies in his repertoire. I also like Supergrass – ‘In It For The Money’ is prob an all time favourite album of mine.

Piewatch – You’re a musician who’s involved in teaching and event organizing, playing both in a band and as a soloist.  What are the pro’s and con’s of each of these?

Ryan Inglis – Well the cons are probably not being able to have much ‘me’ time but I don’t like me much so actually it works out well. Teaching is great if the student really has an interest in learning. If I can impart some of my knowledge on someone they are welcome to it (for a small fee of course) The event organising isn’t such a big time consumer but it’s great to be involved with a project that helps so many people. This year’s event will be in W-s-M on August 8^th… more details to follow but I can tell you it is an all-day ‘family’ orientated extravaganza. < this is now officially my favourite word!

Being in a band would be a massive pain in the bum if it wasn’t for the fact that the musicians I work with are so professional and able to ‘blag’ songs at a gig if need be. We are slightly guilty of being a bit lax in that sense but any mistakes are barely noticeable to beer swilling public who just want to join in on the chorus of Summer of 69. Of course having to learn the lyrics to so many songs has its troubles but it doesn’t feel like a chore to sit at home for a few hours practising. VTKTM on the other hand is very serious and we rehearse very hard.

Piewatch – We notice you’re a big fan of YouTube, what’s your favourite track you have covered on YouTube and why?

Ryan Inglis – YouTube is one of the greatest things to happen to the world as it has allowed everyone to be in the public eye… some might argue this is a bad thing in some cases but you can’t deny its power to get to people. I asked a friend of mine to record a couple of my gigs in the summer of 2008 just after a close friend of mine had died suddenly. He was a great singer/songwriter called Max Shillinglaw (link).  PLEASE listen to STARLIGHT.  He didn’t leave behind the kind of legacy I sincerely believe he was capable of and unfortunately his recordings didn’t do him enough justice. He really had a good presence on stage and sing along songs… It’s a shame his songs may never be heard. I have written a few songs with him in mind ‘Footprint’ ‘Destiny’ & ‘Wonderkid’ the latter being a song nearing completion. So I digress… I wanted to make sure there was something of me to see once I am gone from this earth – the videos in total racked up a total of around 150,000 hits in about 6 months and is steadily increasing still.

My favourite cover is prob the latest one (You’re The Voice) but I also have some vids up where I am collaborating with friends in the music community like this one with Matt Baker or this one with Lorna Thomas  but there are like 150-200 vids on there I think so happy hunting for your favourite!

Piewatch – Is Ryan Inglis cooler in a band or as a solo artist?

Ryan Inglis – Ryan Inglis is so cool he doesn’t need to answer this question… but

Well that’s totally subjective. Personally I can’t wait to be playing VTKTM stuff live as it will be a complete departure to what I’m used to. When I’m singing acoustically it’s generally just me, a guitar, a mic and a stool. Arguably not much to look at… but with the band there’s an element of movement and aggression that some might find more appealing and maybe a little ‘cooler’

Piewatch – What are your biggest achievements to date (both musically and personally)? You released an album in 2008, what would you do differently releasing your next?

Ryan Inglis - Recording and releasing my acoustic album has definitely been what I would consider a major milestone in my life (which counts for both personally and professionally)

I have played at the C.I.A in Cardiff as part of an acoustic trio and supported Chesney Hawkes, The Automatic, Colin MacIntyre & Erik Mongrain. I would love the chance to get some other support slots with established artists.

I entered Live & Unsigned in 2008 and got through to the national finals in London. That’s the top 10 out of 10,000 entrants! Suffice to say I felt very proud to get that far.

Last year I did just shy of 200 live performances which I think is a testament to my work ethic and venues wanting to book me back time and time and again well in advance. Not every gig is a paid gig I hasten to add but CD sales through out the year def covered the petrol costs

Passing my driving test in April was a major personal achievement for me as I had a massive stigma about if for years due to various reasons. I now drive all over the south-west and south-east in search of work

Being in the STP hall of fame often gives me a wry smile and hearing I was at the top of the BEBO charts was amazing too.

KLEE photography has taken some amazing shots of me over the year of 2009. You can see her work here.  She has been a massive help to me and she deserves a lot of credit in general for increasing the appeal of local acts by making them look good

I have had lots of Radio coverage in my local area.  STAR 107.7FM have been very helpful with regards to getting me to play live on their shows. For example Chris Wakeling hosts ‘The Edge’ on Sunday nights that aims to showcase local original music. My interview for that show is here: (PART 1/PART 2)

Also I have been on BBC Bristol radio, Andover Radio & QuayWest. I have recordings of all radio appearances and will no doubt put them all online in one neat package at some point for everyone to giggle at. I have a terrible radio voice!

I came third in a Bristol based singer songwriter contest last July called Axe Factor. I am still in talks with Viper music to be signed as an artist with them.  Miss Skarlet came 2nd and Jemma Rycroft won but chose not to pursue the contract option.

My facebook group is now over 1800 members and still growing you can join the group here and be kept updated with everything I get up to. Although be warned… you may receive the odd message because I am a busy little bee.

I am currently in talks with a guitar string manufacturer for an endorsement. They actually contacted me which was a surprise. Keep your eyes peeled for more.

I think that’s most of the meat and bones… The rest of what I do are small victories such as learning how to make my first cheesecake and solving a Rubik’s cube in fewer than 3 mins

Piewatch – You are highly rated and a previous Slicethepie showcase artist.  How have you found Slicethepie and the scout reviews?

Ryan Inglis – The reviews first of all came as a complete surprise. A friend of mine at the time called Lenny Savage told me about the site and within the first few months my average was high enough to get into showcases and people were talking about my music on the forums. I felt like a lucky little boy! If you can impress the reviewers on there then you are doing a good job; because of the anonymity of each review you get truth and truth is definitely what’s needed. Most criticisms I have received have been minor ones thankfully

The site itself is a great tool for promotion and really does serve its purpose in insuring the cream, as it were, rises to the top. Unfortunately though, as with anything, if you don’t write songs with broad appeal you can get left behind. Those diamonds in the rough usually get picked eventually though. I’ve been using the site since 2007 I think. I’ve missed out on financing twice to other acts I think but I’m not bitter… Although I do like the taste of sour grapes: they taste like ‘try harder’ and ‘stop complaining’!

Also thanks to you guys at Pie Watch more artists are getting the chance to have their voices heard and I for one thank you for your work.

Piewatch – You describe your music as “Music you see”. Can you expand on this?

Ryan Inglis – Well this ‘slogan’ was dreamt up during a meeting with VIPER music (Record label based in the Bristol area) we were trying to make what I do more of a brand and to simplify aspects of what I do into one sentence. We decided that because my style of guitar playing is apparently quite interesting to watch and that my lyrics stir up images in the listeners mind (allegedly) plus the fact I am better to watch live than hear on a CD that the phrase ‘music you see’ applies pretty well.

If you haven’t seen me play live then I guess it doesn’t make a whole lotta sense… so what you waiting for? Come see me.

Piewatch – You do a lot of gigging around the South West, any memorable moments?

Ryan Inglis – Mmmm, well let me think. To be honest I haven’t had too many nightmare gigs but on Boxing Day a fight broke out in the pub I was playing and it went on for about 10-15mins. I continued playing and even threw in a version of Help by the Beatles… anyone not involved in the scuffle appreciated the sentiment and the fact that I was un-phased by the situation and just carried on as normal.

Piewatch – If you could have any super power what would it be?

Ryan Inglis – I would like to be able to instantly know what would make a person happy or cheer them up. You know how those small things really make the biggest difference… well I’d like to able to give someone that piece of gum when their mouth is all yucky or let them use my phone when they have no credit left. That sort of thing

Piewatch – Elvis dead or alive?

Ryan Inglis – Even if he was alive he’d be so old by now that he would be dead

Piewatch – Any irrational phobias?

Ryan Inglis – Not a phobia as such but I hate eggs. I hate the taste, smell, texture as well as its aesthetic qualities… it’s basically an insult on all my senses. Except for hearing… but if it did make a sound I would no doubt despise it!

Piewatch – Any message for the fans?

Ryan Inglis – I would like to say a huge thank you to those of you who have bought my material either by CD or on iTunes. The difference a few quid makes is quite big. Music is easy to get for free these days and for buying it from me is very much appreciated. Also thanks for coming to see me at gigs and singing along with my songs… I cannot convey the way it makes me feel in words but it’s a great thing.

Be sure to check Ryan Inglis out on the following sites;

Additionally;

Secondary Myspace

BandEngine (2009 BETRA Award Winner)

SoundCloud

VTKTM

For bookings and info add Ryan on MSN at ryanjingles@hotmail.com