Show You Should Know: Ryan Alvanos CD release at Passim 1/27

Ryan Alvanos, singer, guitar player, poet...all great things. Lucky for you he has a new record coming out and is releasing it at our favorite little listening room in the world, Club Passim, this coming Monday. I caught up with Ryan to answer a few questions about writing, this release, and the show. Check it out!

1.  Who are you, what do you do? Fill us in!

RA: My name is Ryan Alvanos. I'm a poet by training, phrase-smith by trade, songwriter by passion, busker by calling, and whim-blown vagabond by good fortune. 

2. So, you have a big show coming up...what are the details

RA: I'm releasing a record (yup, vinyl) called "Sharp Little Hooks" with a concert at Club Passim on Monday, January 27 at 8pm. Each of the tunes in this sequence has something to do with fly fishing. I recorded it at Q Division here in Somerville with one of my favorite bands, The Blue Ribbons. They're sitting in with me at the Passim show, and The Suitcase Junket is opening. Tickets are available here: http://tickets.passim.org/ordertickets.asp?p=3634&backurl=default.asp This will be the first time I've headlined at Passim since I released an album called "From Here" a few years ago. Here’s a clip from that show:

Help me out by buying a ticket so they invite me back for the next one too. 

3. Why is making music important to you?

RA: I’m a live music junkie, and it’s an inspiring thing to live in a town that’s so rich with musical dynamos. When it comes to creative pursuits, I’m a writer first and foremost, so I love music where the lyric is as studied and refined as the bass line or the lead lick. For me, “making music” boils down to creating pedestals for lyric ideas. I love the process of beginning a song and revising it until there are no more placeholders. I’ve been sucked into enough New Yorker articles to know that you can write unforgettably about anything. That’s what I’m trying to do as a songwriter, and this is how my songs try to contribute to the conversation around here.

 4. Sell us on coming to this show in 140 characters or less:
RA:

 

5. Plug the hell out of anything else you wish to

RA: I’d encourage you to check out my last album, “From Here,” which is a collection of songs inspired by places, and it features many of my favorite local session musicians. I also write and record commissioned songs. Drop me a line if you think this might come in handy, and don’t be reluctant just because you want a song about microbes or something. I can handle it.

I'm making an on-air appearance on Patrick Coman's "Local Folk" show on WUMB on Saturday 1/25 at 1pm to promote the Passim show.

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Tune in to hear from Ryan on WUMB this Saturday and be sure to get out to his release on Monday. It will surely be a hell of a show!

Check out Ryan's website while you are at it as well: http://www.ryanalvanos.com/