I just got back to Shanghai from an amazing tour of the West Coast USA with The Song Dynasty. Stay tuned for a short documentary about the trip.
After about a year of hard work, the new Song Dynasty album "The Odd Times EP" is finished.
Life has been busy recently - which is another another way of saying that I am not a very good blogger. Nonetheless, I thought I would try to recount all the cool things that have happened over the past few months.
So after I got back from the States this last summer, Nick Muzyczka and I got busy putting together our new electronic music duo that we have been dreaming about since we bought our first loop pedals and brought them to our Wooden Box gig on Sunday nights. You can check our musical developments at our soundcloud page. Recently we have been getting more and more gigs at Fennel Lounge, Logo, and Yuyintang. Our next gig is on Wednesday March 7th at Fennel Lounge. We are hoping to release our first album by late April.
In October, Seth Kearns and Kate Lewis came over to Shanghai to play The Song Dynasty's Mini Tour of China. We got to play some great shows here in Shanghai and in Beijing. The highlight for me was playing in the late afternoon light at the Shanghai Music Festival. The sound engineers were top notch and they crowd was one of the best we have ever had. I also enjoyed seeing Seth's reaction to his first trip to China.
After Kate and Seth left I got back to work and began some exciting new projects: an EP for mandolin player Franco Rodriguez (The Hord), an EP for rock band The Spondees, an album for singer Vicky Palmer, a few demos for singer Heidi Woehrle, an EP for singer-songwriter Rob EV, audio post production for a theatre production for Shanghai Repertory Theatre, and The Song Dynasty's new album. A lot of these projects are still in process now, so 2012 is going to be a big year for releases (you can see why I haven't blogged in a while).
After running into some technical problems, the video for my talk at TEDx Dirigo was posted to youtube. You can watch it here.
The 2011 Shanghai Music Awards were announced recently and I was pleasantly surprised to that I received honorable mention in a couple categories.
Next month The Song Dynasty is going to the west coast for our longest tour to date. Go here to check out the dates. And tell your friends!
I think that is all the noteworthy events from the past few months. Let's see if the year of the dragon is a better year for blogging.
This year's TEDxDirigo was a truly incredible experience. It was inspiring to watch so many people coming from different angles weave a mosaic of hope for the future. I was honored to participate and share my work with everyone. The video will be up on the TEDxDirigo website soon. Here are some links to responses in the press: Portland Press Herald, Portland Phoenix, Maine Biz.
Here is the intro video from TEDxDirigo. It was shot and edited by Dean Merrill at Apogee Creative Studios and I wrote, recorded, and mixed the music.
TEDxDirigo 2011 Intro Video from Apogee Creative Studio on Vimeo.
Here is the trailer for "The Stone Rules". Just finished the music today...
The Stone Rules - Trailer from Apogee Creative Studio on Vimeo.
I have been having a blast hanging out in Maine for the summer. The Song Dynasty was here with me the first two weeks and we worked day and night on our new album. Seth Kearns from Tidal Sound Studios was our drummer and engineer and was also able to join us for some great shows. Look for the new album early 2012.
in the studio
Live at The Parkside Lounge, NYC
Seth - at The Big Easy, Portland, ME
with Kate - at The Big Easy
Nick - at The Big Easy
I am happy to announce that The Song Dynasty has finished our first album. We put a lot of work into and are really happy to share it with you all. If you like what you hear, send it to your friends.
I am very happy to announce that I have been selected to be a speaker at TEDx Dirigo 2011. For those unfamiliar with what TED is, click here. TEDx Dirigo is Maine's local version of this great organization. Click here for their homepage. I will be debuting selections from a multimedia piece I am developing entitled "The Principle Project". I am very honored to be able to be a part of this event. Click here to get information on how to attend.
I am happy to announce that "The Stone Rules", a documentary I have recently written the score to, has been officially accepted into the Camden International Film Festival. Produced by Apogee Creative Studio, the film is about the First Annual JC Stone Sculpture Symposium. For more info, visit Apogee Creative Studio.
The Song Dynasty will be performing back to back nights at JZ Club during the May Holiday.
Sunday May 1st. - 9:00PM
Monday May 2nd. - 10:00PM
I am very excited to be joining The Heidi Krenn Group for a show at JZ Club next Tuesday, March 29th. On the set list will be some beautiful pieces of music by a composer named Andrea Niemic, as well as some new interpretations of a few familiar classics. If you haven't heard Heidi sing before you are definitely in for a treat. Starts at 9:30.
Heidi Krenn - Vocals
Steinar Nickelson - Piano
Ryan Baird - Guitar
Gavin Fallow - Bass
Alex Ritz - Drums
The Song Dynasty and I are joining Ho-Tom The Conquerer and the rest of The Horde this Friday night for yet another night of EPIC music. Shanghai 24/7 is celebrating their new website by throwing a party at Yuyintang. Also in attendance with be Boys Climbing Ropes, Duck Fight Goose, and X is Y. Starts at 9PM.
Above is the pedal board that I have been using live recently. It got special mention in a post about The Song Dynasty on the Lu Wan Rock site, a great Shanghai-based blog about music, recording and gear. Click here to read it.
Sporting a new name and many newly written songs, The Song Dynasty plays the Wooden Box Cafe this Saturday night at 9PM. 9 Qing Hai Lu near Nanjing Xi Lu.
Some of my music is being used in an ad for BroadcastWisdom.com this week. Click here to listen.
Thanks to the hard work of Dean Merrill at Apogee Creative Studios, the webpage and trailer video for Shanghai Stories has been finished! Click on the picture to check them out.
Since I got back from the States in September I have been busy playing all around Shanghai. Here is a list of some highlights from the past month and half:
The World Expo's presence here in Shanghai has brought a lot of opportunities for performing to local and foreign musicians alike. This past month, I played at the Swedish Pavilion with J.J. Davis, at the Australian Pavilion with Shay Best, and at an art opening at DeMarco's expo location with Kate Lewis.
This year's JZ Festival also brought performances to the Expo. This year I was invited by jazz trumpeter J.Q. Whitcomb to play with his band Five Below at the large performance stage in the Expo's "Green Zone". In addition to the festival, I also had the opportunity to join Five Below at their weekly gig at JZ Club for the month of September. It was an honor to play on stage with such amazing musicians , and to play J.Q.'s great original tunes.
I was also fortunate enough to play a few shows with jazz vocalist Heidi Krenn. After collaborating on some performance's for her many talented students at the JZ school, we decided to work together on a trio at the cozy Wooden Box cafe. We play again next month (Nov. 19th and 26th).
The Kate Lewis Trio also continued it's weekly Saturday gig at the Wooden Box. It was great to play with this group again after being away. I am really excited about some of our new material, as well as our plan to make an album this winter. Come see us every Saturday at Wooden Box Cafe.
I just added 3 recordings from the Shanghai Stories performance: 淮海路 (Huai Hai Lu), 人山人海 (Ren Shan Ren Hai), and 坚持 (Jian Chi). They all feature Kyle Hardy on Tenor Saxophone, Chris Sprague on Upright Acoustic Bass, and Noel Brennan on Drums. Thanks a lot to Evan Casas for recording the show! Click here to listen. (Photo: Dean Merrill)
Maine Public Radio's "Maine Things Considered" ran a piece about the Shanghai Stories Performance. Click here to listen.
After a few weeks of relaxation in the beautiful state of Maine, it is time to get to playing. Make sure to come by to the following shows in Portland:
Thursday August 19th: Dogfish Bar and Grille 8pm
Saturday August 21st: Blue 10pm (with the Free Radicals)
Tuesday August 24th: "Shanghai Stories" at One Longfellow Square 8pm
Friday August 27th: Northstar Music Cafe 8pm
Saturday August 28th: Blue 10pm
Shanghai Stories, Featuring Maine Musician Ryan Baird
Performance at One Longfellow Square on August 24
PORTLAND, Maine — Maine guitarist and composer Ryan Baird returns to Portland to share his experiences living and studying in Shanghai, China, for the past two years through a unique multimedia performance called Shanghai Stories at One Longfellow Square on Tuesday, August 24, at 8:00 p.m. Having earned his way on stage with world-class musicians in the Shanghai music scene while rapidly learning to speak and write Chinese, Baird returns to Portland transformed.
“Shanghai Stories is my attempt to bring a piece of my life abroad back for those in Portland to experience in a dynamic way,” says Baird.
Combining live performances of his original compositions with video, photography, and storytelling, Shanghai Stories is a delightful mosaic of experiences, observations, and lessons—all told from the perspective of a foreigner immersed in the juxtaposition of a modern city in one of the world’s most ancient cultures.
“When I starting planning my trip home, I knew I wanted to share my music, but I also wanted to find ways of enhancing the performance so that the audience could really see, hear, and feel how different life is in Shanghai.” So Baird teamed up with Portland-based design company Apogee Creative Studios (www.apogeecs.com) to create this unique event. The audience can expect to see scenes of daily life in Shanghai, hear the views of locals, and even learn how to speak a few phrases of Chinese. Baird will discuss cultural differences between East and West, the intricacies of the Chinese language, and his experience as a foreigner. At the same time, the audience will hear Baird’s process of translating his experiences into music. One piece, “Gu Zheng Song” is inspired by an old traditional Chinese stringed instrument. The melody of another piece takes its shape from the four tones of Mandarin Chinese.
Baird grew up in Maine and has been creating music since age 10. He began studying jazz theory and composition at the University of Maine in Augusta while only a junior in high school. Already performing professionally by age 18, Baird continued his studies at the University Southern Maine and the City College of New York. Baird has shared the stage with many talented musicians such as Adam Chilenski, Sam Caldwell, RJ Miller, James Tweedie, Devin Gray, and Adam Frederick at such events as the Maine Jazz Festival, the Deer Isle Jazz Festival, and Portland Maine’s “Dimensions in Jazz” series. In 2008, Baird’s interest in Chinese culture brought him to Shanghai, China, where he currently resides. Baird performs regularly with multiple groups in Shanghai, and is a teacher at the well-known JZ School.
Shanghai Stories will be performed at One Longfellow Square on August 24 at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 and will be available at One Longfellow Square ticket office. You can also hear Baird performing with his jazz trio (featuring Chris Sprague and Noel Brennan) at the Dogfish Bar & Grille on August 19, the North Star Music Café on August 27 and Blue on August 28.
The debut of the Kate Lewis Trio went great. Thanks to everyone for coming out to see us. I will post a few videos soon.
Check out the music section for new trio recordings.
Come to the 2 year birthday party of Shanghai's best music blog: Kungfuology. It is at Shanghai's best rock venue Yu Yin Tang, and I will be playing with Shanghai's best classically inspired folk beat poet Tom Mangione (you can also catch us at Anar on Mondays at 10pm).
This summer I will be the directing the Jazz portion of The Sino-Jazz Camp at the JZ School. Please pass along this information to anyone who you think would be interested.
The Sino-Jazz Camp
July 17th – August 14th 2010
This is a special first time event in China, combining the magnificent backdrop of Shanghai during the 2010 World Expo with the chance to learn Chinese, explore Chinese culture, and learn a whole lot about jazz!
- Two weeks of Chinese Language Study
- Two weeks of intensive jazz and contemporary music study
- Free entry and multiple visits to the World Expo 2010
- Insights into Chinese culture through special workshops.
- Excursions to “must see” places near Shanghai
- An exceptional roster of International artists/teachers
- Study and stay in a safe secure environment
- Language and culture exchange
- Free admission to Jazz performances
- Perform publicly at a concert
- Gain an insight into the daily lives of jazz musicians
- Take part informative and fun Chinese cultural activities
- 90 hours of “in class” instruction
- Money back guarantee
For more information:
Next Thursday the 13th I will be playing at “Your Songs, Your Show”, the monthly original music showcase held at Fanfare. I will play a few original pieces with a trio (Curtis Ostle - Acoustic Bass, Feng Hao - Drums) and Kate Lewis will join me for a tune we co-wrote upon her arrival in Shanghai. Later on in the night I will also accompany Tom Mangione for a few numbers, as well as the Spondees to close out the night. Starts at 8pm.
For May Holiday I have been invited to perform at the Kunming International Culture and Tourism Festival with Lars Jensen. Kate Lewis will be joining us on vocals as well! We play May 1st, 2nd, and 3rd in the "spring city". I am very excited because I have been wanting to go to Kunming since moving to China, and now I finally have the opportunity.
The Yu Yin Tang show has been rescheduled for next Wednesday the 28th at 9pm. I will not only be playing with Tom Mangione and Kate Lewis, but also with the Spondees for the second set. It is sure to be a good time.
This week's gig at Yu Ying Tang has been cancelled in accordance with the day of mourning for the victims of the recent earthquake in Qinghai.
I'm playing at Shanghai's famous rock venue Yu Ying Tang for the first time with Tom Mangione and Kate Lewis. It's part of a showcase that also features Matt Suanders and the Spondees. Wednesday night April 21st. Starts at 9pm.
I am very excited to be playing a trio gig at Oscar's with Robbie Melville (guitar) and Michael Brownell (upright bass). We will be playing original music by Robbie, some of my music, and a few choice jazz standards. Hope to see you there! (check the calendar for location details)
My new website is finally finished. Thanks a lot to Morning Chueng for her help with the photography. Take a look around and let me know what you think.