Ryan & the Del-Rays - Absolute Custom

There's just something about hearing it from the guys that did it, instead of the reporter or manager who wasn't even involved in the magic of the music making. So here it goes. Quite an interesting and fun story knowing that these two guys, Ryan (with the Guitar and the voice) and Kevin (with the drums and rhythm) went down to Minneapolis (180 miles from our Northern Minnesota home) with a mission just to make a CD. 'There's no commercialism involved in what we do, from what I can see. The CD is really just the music that we like to play.' say the members One of the selections on the CD, 'Double Trouble' has never been heard by any of the band members, including Ryan. 'I was originally looking for the lyrics on the internet, and found the lyrics to another song that looked like more fun than Otis Rush's 'Double Trouble', so I decided I'd put it to music.', says Ryan. 'We have yet to hear the original Brownie McGhee recording of this song so this really is my own musical interpretation of the lyrics'. The band went down knowing that to back us up, we had some of the best workers around. On bass the band had Mr. Mike Carvale, currently of the Lamont Cranston Band to help the groove, and we think he did just that. 'There's no one that would've been more perfect for the job.' so says the band members Kevin and Ryan. On the tracks and board, we had one of the best engineer/producers I think that you could pay for in making a CD. Johnny O'Keefe ( Or as we like to say, Johnny-O) who is the owner of First Generation Studios, has done quite the job of making the place musicians record a pleasant place to be. Some people might say that it would be hard to have the blues when your in a nice place like Johnny-O's. But alas, we went in, and he showed us what we needed to know, and was all around a great guy to work with, and it was an experience we'll not soon forget. The great thing about having only three members (two actual members, and a fill-in) is that it's easy to get a groove...it's not exactly an easy thing to do in an orchestra, and in a big jazz band, part of the groove is written into the music. 'The way we play depends solely on how we feel, and if we are in the groove' adds Ryan....I just really love the fact that we were able to get all of us together to create something that we love. I try not to make something out of it that really doesn't include everybody else. I really try to ask Kevin what he wants to play, and I was always asking Mike what he was thinking and feeling on a lot of the songs. I think Mike gave us Part of our signature (and the fact that I played leads through all original-but maybe modified-Vibro King and Vibrolux amplifiers) Wanna sound anything like us? probably not...but if you did, for a guitar player, you'd need a good Strat, plugged into an Analog-Man compressor, which really concentrates the sound to make it not so dirty (gosh I don't like it that way) and into a Crybaby 535Q Wah pedal (only used on a couple of songs), into my TS-9DX turbo Tubescremer, which gives a lot of very different tones and drives depending on where or how you set it up. Out of that, I usually just plug straight into an amp. I LOVE tube amps, and even before this whole thing happened, I was already emotionally and physically addicted to the sound and power of an original 1964 Fender Vibrolux. But hey, we're not all rich right? Well, I like to use my Carvin Vintage Tube 33. This amp does pretty much what I want it to, and it doesn't fail me....Oh sure, there are times when I blow a tube or 3, but the sound is pretty incredible. I can go from sounding like Jimi to Russel Malone, to Jonny Lang in a couple changes of my gear....it's all in what you feel and knowing what you want. Other than that, the only other backround for this that I can think of is that I have a dad who seems to have a bottomless pit of wanting to get this done enough to find the money to put into the project so we can FINISH it! I really hope that you guys can enjoy this CD. I know other young guns have said this a million times, but I really want it to be about the music...cause I'm 16 now, 17 this August actually...and I really can feel it just as good as Kenny Wayne or Stevie Ray. They might have had backrounds that gave them the blues, but the feeling in the love for the music is something that you just have in you. (written in 2003)

1) Walkin' Down the Line
2) Dream Catcher
3) Crosscut Saw
4) Absolute Custom
5) Tin Pan Alley
6) Double Trouble
7) Life in Our World
8) Real Way to Love
9) Pride and Joy
10) Backseat Blues
11) Train to San Antone
12) Black Sheep Funk
13) Voodoo Chile
14) Scuttle Buttin'