“I wasn’t part of a musical family, but there was usually some sort of music going on in the background,” said local musician Christian Ryan, saxophone player for Orlando band Petey and the Ravens. “I heard a lot of Motown as a kid from my mother’s house and I heard a lot of Classic Rock from my father’s house, especially the Police. I picked up the saxophone in sixth grade with no other reason other than thinking it was kind of cool. I didn’t take it as seriously as I could have until the end of my junior year when I started listening to Jazz. It was then that I knew I wanted to perform music the rest of my life.”
His discovery of Jazz paved the way for the majority of his musical influences. “I was immediately drawn to Paul Desmond, the saxophonist for the Dave Brubeck Quartet. I wanted to sound like him and learned Blue Rondo a la Turk by ear. It was my first experience being a real musician. From there I went to Coltrane and the rest is history. I know a lot of Jazz, both modern and classic. My current influences have really come out of the jam band scene, such as my now favorite band, Galactic, and so on. I am always trying to listen to something new from whatever genre. I consider myself a very open minded musician, which I believe one needs to be to truly succeed in music nowadays. If I were to list my biggest influences on saxophone I would say Kenny Garrett, Joshua Redman, Paul Desmond, Jeff Coffin, Skerik, Karl Denson and Bob Reynolds. Other musicians that are an influence that don’t play my own instrument would be Dave Brubeck, John Frusciante, Dave Grohl, Hiromi, Stanton Moore, and Miles Davis to name a few.”
“I primarily play alto saxophone. I also have a baritone and have played soprano and tenor as well, and I am learning piano. I like to consider myself being a versatile musician. Depending on the musical situation, I figure where I can fit in whether it’s soloing, harmonizing vocal lines, melody, rhythm, sustains, etc. Do I need to be a main voice or a supporting one? I do not mind taking a back seat at all if that is what a song calls for. I’ve played many styles despite my age, including Classical, Rock, Jazz, Funk, Reggae, Blues, Soul, and Folk. I try to learn from every experience and put my soul out there for people to hear, whether it’s a complex riff or one note.”
Petey and the Ravens is only one of the local Orlando bands that Ryan plays in. “I have my own instrumental Jazz/Funk/Jam band that I formed with my best friends out of high school called Two Months to Boston. I also recently joined Legacy and the Heard, a newly formed Reggae/Funk jam group spawned from the one-man band, Legacy. I also play shows with the Reggae/Funk power trio Savi Fernandez Band and do some duo gigs with Savi himself from time to time. I also play with Liquid Spiral, who I would say are a tight Progressive Jam Rock group with a lot of energy.”
Regarding his music, the Orlando musician wants people to “know that I put everything I got into it and hope they can see/hear that.”
Ryan has a mixed impression of the Orlando music scene. “There are some truly great acts here. From the eclectic Shak Nasti, to the Soul voices of Peter Baldwin, Kaleigh Baker, or Palmer Reed, to the Southern Rock powerhouse Thomas Wynn and the Believers, to many Jazz greats that reside in Orlando including the late, legendary Sam Rivers, to the Hip-Hop masters Solillaquists of Sound. I can go on and on. People just need to go out and see it. It is however flooded with a lot of below average groups which I think makes people reluctant to go. You just have to know where to look.”
“I believe it is essential for local bands to help one another in today’s music business. You can sit around and do shows and hope the right people see you. It is hard on your own to be successful. The days of becoming famous and selling millions of records are over and I think too many musicians, no matter how talented, are too concerned with that and have lost what is truly the reason to play; to make music. Playing shows with other bands not only builds relationships and connections, but goes a long way into truly getting noticed in the scene.”
Music fans can check out the local Orlando band Petey and the Ravens on their official site, Reverbnation, Facebook, and Twitter, and can also check out Ryan's other projects Ryan on their Facebook pages Two Months to Boston, Legacy and the Heard, the Savi Fernandez Band, and Liquid Spiral.
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