Ryan Allen’s first loves were basketball and skating. It wasn’t until he heard Nirvana’s Nevermind at age eleven that his first musical awakening occurred. Regardless of what folks were calling it, to Ryan Allen, Nirvana was punk. And he loved everything about it.
Nirvana paved the way for Ryan to other grunge acts like Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Almost immediately upon hearing this new music, Ryan was compelled to play guitar. Much like my own experience, Ryan didn’t seek to be a shredder. He wanted to learn guitar so that he could write his own songs. From the get go for Ryan, the song has always been the key. After a few private lessons, Ryan eschewed the traditional route and got his musically inclined father to help him learn how to play these early songs he loved so dearly, and to eventually write his own material.
Our chat begins on the subject of parenting, and Ryan’s terrific relationship with his son, Emitt. We talk about fostering the person your children want to become instead of pigeonholing them into the people we think they should be. That subject also opens up the door for Ryan to talk about the close relationship he has with both of his parents, especially his Dad. We also cover the gratitude of getting the chance to help to raise a cool person that you get to spend time with.
Ever active, Ryan Allen is a guy who is constantly making music and he performs in several bands. His primary band at the moment, Extra Arms is the most collaborative musical environment that Ryan’s ever been a part of. Much of that change is due to his own recent ability to open up more to the collaborations and contributions of other players in his musical world.
Ryan opens up as well about his choice to quit drinking, and how that decision has changed both his music and his life. He talks eloquently about feeling that before he quit drinking he thought that performing without booze naked was “like showing up naked”.
There’s honest talk about cosplaying rock and roll stardom long before we learned to play a single note. Ryan also shares a great story from his Dad about never phoning it in. This is a really good chat with a really good dude. Enjoy.
Cheers,
Matty C
WAIM #064 - Ryan Allen