Ryan Cook AND THE Valley Singers
Sea Dog - June 12 - $20
Reservations required - 875-2862
The Ryan Cook & The Valley Singers tour is turning out to be the most fun Ryan's had since the early days of Ryan Cook & Sunny Acres. In the time between he's been working a hundred shows a year as a solo performer, mainly acoustic-based, and in folk settings like songwriters circles, cafes, and house concerts.
Serious stuff for a guy who sings and yodels about zombie romance, social media stalkers, and genetically modified corn. And so, he continues to try and balance songs and stage show somewhere between life, love and laughs.
The Valley Singers evolved out of the realization that his love affair with classic country music was starting to wane. About this time, he began a deep exploration into the parade of vocal groups that emerged in the 1940′s and 50′s in American Pop/Folk music. What began as a mild obsession with The Beach Boys (1960′s) soon turned to The Four Freshmen and then meandered back to the Country/Bluegrass field in the form of gospel groups like The Jordanaires.
He's admittedly obsessed with it all. Luckily for Ryan, obsession is a key component of creativity. He previewed The Valley Singers idea on a few stages in 2014 and the response was overwhelmingly positive. After years of travelling alone with his dog, he says he certainly doesn't mind the companionship on stage and in the van.
The show presents Ryan centre-stage in familiar fashion thumb-picking an acoustic guitar but now accompanied by two and sometimes three back up singers. He loves the sight and sound of harmony and the overall mood and energy it brings to the stage. More importantly this arrangement allows the group to delve deeper into the individual songs not just of his catalogue but the folk/country songs that have become a staple in his shows. The show can meander into the pop, jazz, bluegrass or gospel world for portions of the show when desired. Even Hank Williams gets new life accompanied by layers of melody that can work to either enhance or soften the sorrow of his lovesick blues.
Lastly, the show isn’t so different from the acoustic solo show he's been presenting until now. Ryan says, "This show is as intimate as anything I’ve done on my own but I would argue that it’s better."
Last month Ryan entered Signal Path Studios in Almonte, Ontario accompanied by the sexiest and smartest singers in the Ottawa Valley: Kelly Prescott & Kelly Sloan. With help from a few others providing guitar and mandolin, the whole thing added up to a three-song demo, which should become a CD before long.
Ryan's shows at the Sea Dog have always been sellouts, so folks are encourage to make reservations now for the June 12 show.
