Ryan Holweger at Fatty Fest 4 in May 2016.
If you were looking California but feeling Minnesota in Bangkok... daydreaming about snowcapped rooftops, howling winds and a sky filled with stars - but you didn’t really want to fly all the way back to the good ole USA to experience it, then you need to meet Ryan Holweger, a singer songwriter from the American heartland residing in Bangkok. He’s got a new EP called “After the Oil Rush” coming out via Other Road Records along with a release party at Fatty’s on September 3, 2016.
Ryan took some time to answer some questions on the eve of the release.
Can you briefly introduce yourself, where you are from, what you are doing here, and how you got into music, etc?
My name is Ryan Holweger, and I’m a singer-songwriter born in North Dakota. After spending 15 years living in Minneapolis (and a decade performing in the local music scene there), I’m currently living in Bangkok with my wife Katie (who is also from MN). We split our time living between Bangkok and Minnesota (70%-30%) due to my wife’s career (researching Dengue, Zika, and Malaria)
How would you describe your sound and music in one sentence?
Classic Americana and country music with a focus on the songwriting.
What kind of listeners are most going to enjoy your music?
People that are more interested in hearing songs rather than beats.
If you could meet any musician or songwriter alive or dead who would it be?
Neil Young
What is your process for writing a song?
It can vary quite a bit. Sometimes when I’m playing around on guitar, a new chord progression or riff will come, and if I like it, I try to fit a melody and lyrics around that. If I get stuck on words, I have piles of old notebooks that I’ll comb through to find something that might fit.
Which do you prefer: writing songs or performing live?
That’s a tough question. It’s incredibly satisfying to write a new song that I really like, but the most exciting aspect of that is to go out right away and play it for an audience….so I guess I’ll go with performing live.
Ryan took some time to answer some questions on the eve of the release.
Can you briefly introduce yourself, where you are from, what you are doing here, and how you got into music, etc?
My name is Ryan Holweger, and I’m a singer-songwriter born in North Dakota. After spending 15 years living in Minneapolis (and a decade performing in the local music scene there), I’m currently living in Bangkok with my wife Katie (who is also from MN). We split our time living between Bangkok and Minnesota (70%-30%) due to my wife’s career (researching Dengue, Zika, and Malaria)
How would you describe your sound and music in one sentence?
Classic Americana and country music with a focus on the songwriting.
What kind of listeners are most going to enjoy your music?
People that are more interested in hearing songs rather than beats.
If you could meet any musician or songwriter alive or dead who would it be?
Neil Young
What is your process for writing a song?
It can vary quite a bit. Sometimes when I’m playing around on guitar, a new chord progression or riff will come, and if I like it, I try to fit a melody and lyrics around that. If I get stuck on words, I have piles of old notebooks that I’ll comb through to find something that might fit.
Which do you prefer: writing songs or performing live?
That’s a tough question. It’s incredibly satisfying to write a new song that I really like, but the most exciting aspect of that is to go out right away and play it for an audience….so I guess I’ll go with performing live.
Photos via Rock Philosophy
How is your music a reflection of the environment you’re from?
I grew up in a very rural area. One stoplight in a thirty-mile radius. The land is very flat; there’s nothing to look at but you can see for miles. Since there are no cities nearby, there is virtually no light pollution, so on a clear night the sky is filled with stars. I think the desolation and the big, quiet, open spaces has definitely had an influence on the music. And as far as living in Minneapolis, there are a lot of great bands & songwriters that have had an impact. (The Jayhawks, Golden Smog, Paul Westerberg, Bellwether, to name just a few.)
How has the Bangkok music community received your music?
Seemingly well. There usually seems to be a few more people at each show compared to the last, and I’ve had a lot of encouraging interactions with other musicians and music fans.
Has it been easier or more difficult performing your music in Bangkok than back home in USA?
No matter where you play, it’s takes a lot of work to get out and meet other bands, promoters, and bookers, and then eventually get them to book you or your band. Minneapolis is a great city for live music, and very competitive for bands, but I’ve had a lot of luck over the years getting some really great gigs there. But I’ve also felt pretty lucky in Bangkok as well, first by finding out about the open mic at Fatty’s Bar, and then going every week and playing a handful of songs. Doing that, I quickly started meeting a lot of great folks – musicians, songwriters, music fans, etc. Then eventually I gained an ally in John Will Sail at Other Road Records, who has been promoting lots of shows all over town. He’s been really great about booking me for gigs, and now he’s releasing this EP on his new label. He’s keeping my schedule pretty full.
What is the one song you are most proud of?
As far as just songwriting goes, my favorite changes all the time. But regarding the recording I’m most proud of, it would have to be “Back Roads”, the first track on my new EP.
Thanks Ryan!
Want more? Join the "After the Oil Rush" EP party on September 3, 2016 at Fatty's.
Schedule:
9:00 PM - Ryan Holweger & Josh Christenson Duo
9:45 PM - Matthew Fischer
10:30 PM - Ryan Holweger & The High Plains
Click here to sign up for the event.
I grew up in a very rural area. One stoplight in a thirty-mile radius. The land is very flat; there’s nothing to look at but you can see for miles. Since there are no cities nearby, there is virtually no light pollution, so on a clear night the sky is filled with stars. I think the desolation and the big, quiet, open spaces has definitely had an influence on the music. And as far as living in Minneapolis, there are a lot of great bands & songwriters that have had an impact. (The Jayhawks, Golden Smog, Paul Westerberg, Bellwether, to name just a few.)
How has the Bangkok music community received your music?
Seemingly well. There usually seems to be a few more people at each show compared to the last, and I’ve had a lot of encouraging interactions with other musicians and music fans.
Has it been easier or more difficult performing your music in Bangkok than back home in USA?
No matter where you play, it’s takes a lot of work to get out and meet other bands, promoters, and bookers, and then eventually get them to book you or your band. Minneapolis is a great city for live music, and very competitive for bands, but I’ve had a lot of luck over the years getting some really great gigs there. But I’ve also felt pretty lucky in Bangkok as well, first by finding out about the open mic at Fatty’s Bar, and then going every week and playing a handful of songs. Doing that, I quickly started meeting a lot of great folks – musicians, songwriters, music fans, etc. Then eventually I gained an ally in John Will Sail at Other Road Records, who has been promoting lots of shows all over town. He’s been really great about booking me for gigs, and now he’s releasing this EP on his new label. He’s keeping my schedule pretty full.
What is the one song you are most proud of?
As far as just songwriting goes, my favorite changes all the time. But regarding the recording I’m most proud of, it would have to be “Back Roads”, the first track on my new EP.
Thanks Ryan!
Want more? Join the "After the Oil Rush" EP party on September 3, 2016 at Fatty's.
Schedule:
9:00 PM - Ryan Holweger & Josh Christenson Duo
9:45 PM - Matthew Fischer
10:30 PM - Ryan Holweger & The High Plains
Click here to sign up for the event.
"After the Oil Rush" coming out on September 3, 2016 via Other Road Records
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