Ryan McGarvey (Page 27 of 34)

I really hope to catch him if/when he comes through Illinois.

Brilliant gig, loved the encore!  Great performance alright and encouraging to see a good crowd can be rustled up in Aberdeen, in midweek too.   Well played for getting all together. 

Was there mention on when the next UK dates might be?

Tonight in Edinburgh!!

Looking forward to hearing a song called "Auld Reekie" (nickname for the city).

Hartlepool 21/6/14

Anybody see the news late Saturday night/Sunday morning? Apparently Hartlepool was hit by a meteorite. Well, something hit with resounding power, something about 6'2 & 170lb but its origins were more Albuquerque than extra-terrestrial: yes, Ryan was back in town, with the Mk2 band.

Lets lay one thing to rest, yes the backline has changed, certainly there's a difference in the style of Sam on bass and Chris on drums over Justin & Logan but it hasn't altered the quality of the backline; if anything Sam being a long-time cohort of Ryan's, there's more of a feel for the material. And while Chris isn't the "animal" drummer that Logan is, he's still a mighty impressive battery.

As for Ryan, I don't think there's any amount of welding will keep jaws from dropping once he winds its up; and that was my 4th show (still a comparative "virgin" compared to buddied in Germany & Netherlands, I know). All the favourites were there, All The Little Things, Joyride, a very bluesy Cryin' Over You as well as the almighty but slightly shortened Mystic Dream as we were teased with new songs from the imminent new CD (don't forget to pack it next month!!) which show that Ryan's been working on song-writing rather than excuses for (superb) soloing.

Got to say, on the night, the opener Paul Rose Band were absolutely storming, almost worth the price of the admission on their own: don't know if they knew of Ryan's reputation, but they came out swinging.

Getting back to Ryan & band, next time round I think we're going to be at a tipping point if audiences round the UK are as they've been here in the N.East. Okay, not quite a sold-out show down at Belle Vue, but not far off, and that's with Royal Southern Brotherhood headlining a cracking Blues Festival at Durham, barely 15 miles away. I'd say the guys are about ready to jump to the 300 - 500 seater rooms, and it would be very well deserved; however, it would be a shame to lose the intimacy and connection these gigs so far enjoy; or am I being selfish.

Couple of clips from Ryan's return visit to Hartlepool (21/6/14).

2nd set - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2GFM4x4WVQ

The Encore - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9PgCHSH7g0

Great night.

August 2nd 2014 Ryan mcgarvey Band will perform at the Blues Rhede Open Air festival!

Newcastle Cluny - 26/7/14

Phew! Well I think I’ve cooled down enough from Ryan & band’s blistering performance at Newcastle Cluny on Saturday night. If ever a band and a venue were made for each other, that’s surely got to be the winning combination.

In an already hot room, the “combustible” Russ Tippins lit the blue touch paper with a half-hour acoustic set of well mixed acoustic covers, climaxing with Kashmir, as if the crowd needed warming up in anticipation of Ryan taking the stage.

And took it he did, in front of a Cluny capacity Ryan & the band laid down a set that took no prisoners. With his mix of Texas boogie and crunching riffs Newcastle was Ryan’s for the taking and still he kept turning it on until the cooling fan in the ceiling threatened to lift off, even Crying Over You couldn’t cool things down. By the time things came to a climax, the riff for Memphis sounding like Godzilla doing a boogie and the behemoth that is Mystic Dream both Ryan and Sam looked like they were ready to by wrung out; Chris behind the drums looked the coolest guy in the room.

Once again, fantastic gig by Ryan & the band, pulling in a full house. Yes it was hot and it was sweaty, but the guys were super-tight and played over and above from what I’ve previously seen, buoyed up by a ecstatic Geordie crowd.

Ryan has been added to Joe's Blues Cruise. How about that? Couldn't be more happier for him.