Ryan Wickersham Band

Ryan Wickersham is a 19-year-old singer-songwriter who was born two decades late.

While he may draw comparisons to younger songwriters like John Mayer or Jason Mraz, he spent his formative years listening to artists of his parents’ era, like Billy Joel, endlessly spinning Piano Man classics as his peers were practicing their flat-iron skills on their Pete Wentz emo comb-overs.

The way Wickersham tells it, he was even listening to Joel when he should have been watching Blues Clues.

“I did the normal ‘kid things,’ but instead of reading before bed, I’d be going through the live albums of Billy Joel,” Wickersham recalls. “I can probably track my whole middle school and elementary school to a Billy Joel song.”

Wickersham remembers how Joel’s songs connected to the emotional rush that comes with middle school awareness of the opposite sex as well, saying, “You start figuring out what love might feel like, and what love could feel like, and what it should feel like, and all that stuff. The way Billy Joel talks about it, his words are brilliant the way he bends them, but they’re also honest and so right on.”

While the songwriting spoke to him, Joel’s live albums are what sealed the deal. Wickersham remembers that the piano “sounded so freaking huge,” lighting the spark to figure out how he could someday be part of an experience that big.

Despite the looming presence of Joel’s music, Wickersham credits his dad’s history as a drummer with giving him the bug. Naturally, drums were his first instrument. From there, Wickersham says, “I sort of taught myself everything, and kind of baby-stepped to the piano and figured out how to start writing songs through the super emotional turmoil time of high school” – a time that Wickersham says supplied him with a “shitload of material.”

That material was literary before it turned into song. Wickersham says he had always had an affinity for writing and “wanted to find a way to merge the two creatively, to figure how [artists like Billy Joel] put the two art forms together.” He explored further in high school by immersing himself in various instrumental and choral ensembles, all in an attempt to, as he puts it, “figure out where is it going, what’s going to be my best outlet in music. Is it going to be guitar? Is it going to be songwriting? Is it going to be drumming?”

Only a few years later, Wickersham has resolved the uncertainty and distilled his sound and his message. He had the wisdom to start modestly and let the path open up from there. Wickersham’s debut album, Bottom, released in December 2009, is mostly comprised of sparse pairings of his voice with piano and/or acoustic guitar. This is the reason for the album’s title. He explains, “The acoustic record was basically me taking the first step. This is like the bottom of the totem pole for me; this is the beginning.”

However, in those simple arrangements, his imagination planted the seeds for the big picture. Wickersham recalls, “When I wrote the songs in my head, I had these grand forms of them, a stadium rock kind of sound – Billy Joel, Dave Matthews, U2. All that stuff was in my head when I was writing these songs.”

Wickersham’s vision neared fulfillment as band members began to gravitate to him. It wasn’t through tear-off want ads on college campus corkboards or Craigslist that they found him. They simply showed up one or two at a time until a perfect ensemble materialized. Wickersham was playing the Central PA bar circuit as a solo acoustic act when he noticed a pair of familiar faces turning up several times in a row.

When he introduced himself, he learned that his new fans were musician brothers Chris and Brian Mundy.

Finding a drummer had been a genuine challenge for Wickersham due to an acute case of Dave Grohl syndrome. In other words, as a proficient drummer himself, it was difficult for him to let someone else do the job. Chris Mundy not only got everything right, Wickersham says,

“He did things that I wouldn’t think of doing.” Mundy’s little brother, Brian, is what Wickersham describes as the band’s “auxiliary guy.”

“He’s got a harmonica in one side of his mouth while he’s singing with the other,” Wickersham says, “playing a keyboard with this hand and a guitar with that hand.”

As for the band’s bassist, that relationship didn’t being so amicably.

“I get this e-mail from this guy from Ephrata, and it looks like somebody complimenting my music,” Wickersham recalls. But as he scrolled down, he was angered to see the e-mail turn critical. “He starts ripping it apart, telling me all the stuff he would have done and what should have been on the record.”

Wickersham’s first reaction was not surprising. “Who the hell is this guy coming in here telling me how to write my music? He’s sitting here in Ephrata!” he says. “If there was somebody in L.A. that was working at Columbia, and they’re bashing me, that’s different.”

The problem was that, after cooling do - Fly Magazine

Bottom—Ryan Wickersham (2009)

Although he is just 19 years old, on his first CD—“Bottom”—Ryan Wickersham already seems to have the ability and taste of an artist much older.
He shows ability because the songwriting and performances on this album are not only of a high caliber, but also demonstrate the chops of someone with much more experience. Not only musical experience, either. The songs themselves express ideas and sentiments that seem like they should be coming from someone with more life experience that most of us expect from someone of Ryan’s young age.
Taste comes into play because he has chosen to support these fine songs with arrangements stripped down to the basics. Each of the nine songs on this CD is accompanied primarily by a guitar or a piano. This is not only tasteful, but artistically fairly courageous. With such minimal instrumentation, the songs themselves are placed squarely under the spotlight. Fortunately, this set of compositions is more than up to the task presented.
Ryan has said that he wants to expand his sound to a full band in the near future. Although I would caution him not to rush too quickly into that, if he continues to exhibit the same taste and songwriting skill he shows on this disk, he’ll most likely make the right choices in moving his music forward from this encouraging start.

BR~
- Folktowne Studio

Music Comments: Ryan Wickersham starts out with a fresh take on the modern day emo. The first, un-named track, has a sweet, soulful coffee shop vibe, and his vocals are killer. The follow up track is just as insanely listenable. We can hear the smile in his voice – something lacking in the over-processed cookie-cutter method of the likes of those countless wanna-be Plain White T’s – but not here. This is rich. Deeper in, at the 7th track, Ryan really lays on the sentiment, and, in “doing his best to do the best he can” he over achieves. This is a great cd.
- A&R Select

Music Comments: Ryan Wickersham starts out with a fresh take on the modern day emo. The first, un-named track, has a sweet, soulful coffee shop vibe, and his vocals are killer. The follow up track is just as insanely listenable. We can hear the smile in his voice – something lacking in the over-processed cookie-cutter method of the likes of those countless wanna-be Plain White T’s – but not here. This is rich. Deeper in, at the 7th track, Ryan really lays on the sentiment, and, in “doing his best to do the best he can” he over achieves. This is a great cd.
- A&R Select

Artists who are able to have a relaxing and soothing effect while still incorporating intelligent, thoughtful lyrics into their music are people to be valued.

Ryan Wickersham is a young, multitalented performing, and local, artist; he grew up in Lancaster county. He writes the music and lyrics, giving his pieces a pleasing validity. His debut album "Bottom" contains a multitude of warm chocolate-like melodies, instrumentals and vocals provided by himself.

The material of his songs revolves around events and moments that relate to everyone.

"I'm singing about things that will never go away no matter where you are in your life," Wickersham said. "I want my music to be timeless. I want to create music that can be whispered between two people wrapped up in an intimate moment, and screamed by thousands on a summer night."

Wickersham finds inspiration for his music through his relationships with his family and friends; however, his experiences with his girlfriend provided the material for the songs on "Bottom." Influences on his artistic style come from Dave Matthews, Billy Joel, Coldplay, John Mayer and U2. Wickersham croons with the smoothness of Mayer, but adds a sweetness that is all his own.

At 19, Wickersham is working hard to break out into the world of music, and it is quite a challenge. But he has his eyes set on his goal of being able to make a living as a musical artist and reaching millions of people with his soulful music.

"It is extremely difficult, and it is getting harder," Wickersham said. "The music industry is in just as much of a slump as the economy right now. It is constantly changing and very hard to keep up with. However, there is a basic element that keeps musicians like me going.

"People love and always will love music. Therefore, there will always be a demand. So, I haven't quite 'made it' but I'm hoping that with the continued support of everyone involved, my efforts will get me there," he commented.

He is now in the process of developing new music and has also created a band instead of remaining as a solo act. The band will go by Ryan Wickersham. Brian Mundy, 17, plays the guitar and the keyboard, and he is also involved with the band's vocals. His brother Chris, 21, plays the drums. Wickersham and the brothers met at one of his shows.

"I noticed these strangers that I was repeatedly seeing come out and support me, so I introduced myself and we got to talking. Turns out, they were both musicians," Wickersham said.

After playing a few jam sessions together, they brothers were in the band.

"Brian is our go-to guy for everything. He switches between guitar, keyboard, harmonica and vocals depending on what the song the needs," Wickersham explained. "He is a very fast learner and plays a key role in keeping everything together.

Chris Mudy plays drums for the band, which Wickersham pointed out is not so easy to do.

"I played drums for 10 years before I started playing guitar, so I have always been very picky about who drums to my music. When I heard Chris play I was amazed," Wickersham said.

Then there is Mak Azubike, who came from another band and brings with him a wealth of experience.

"Mak grew up in Nigeria and is a borderline virtuoso bassist," Wickersham said. "So, with his unique African style of playing and his incredible talent he is now an essential part of the music."

Wickersham plays at many local venues. The schedule of his performances can be found at his Myspace page. Hopefully Wickersham's new album will be as good as or even better than his last with all the new sounds and talents that have come together. Until then, his supporters and fans will have to content themselves with listening to "Bottom," which is a very pleasant task to undertake.

By LAURA DINOVIS, 17, Freestyle Staff
- Lancaster Intelligencer Journal

Artists who are able to have a relaxing and soothing effect while still incorporating intelligent, thoughtful lyrics into their music are people to be valued.

Ryan Wickersham is a young, multitalented performing, and local, artist; he grew up in Lancaster county. He writes the music and lyrics, giving his pieces a pleasing validity. His debut album "Bottom" contains a multitude of warm chocolate-like melodies, instrumentals and vocals provided by himself.

The material of his songs revolves around events and moments that relate to everyone.

"I'm singing about things that will never go away no matter where you are in your life," Wickersham said. "I want my music to be timeless. I want to create music that can be whispered between two people wrapped up in an intimate moment, and screamed by thousands on a summer night."

Wickersham finds inspiration for his music through his relationships with his family and friends; however, his experiences with his girlfriend provided the material for the songs on "Bottom." Influences on his artistic style come from Dave Matthews, Billy Joel, Coldplay, John Mayer and U2. Wickersham croons with the smoothness of Mayer, but adds a sweetness that is all his own.

At 19, Wickersham is working hard to break out into the world of music, and it is quite a challenge. But he has his eyes set on his goal of being able to make a living as a musical artist and reaching millions of people with his soulful music.

"It is extremely difficult, and it is getting harder," Wickersham said. "The music industry is in just as much of a slump as the economy right now. It is constantly changing and very hard to keep up with. However, there is a basic element that keeps musicians like me going.

"People love and always will love music. Therefore, there will always be a demand. So, I haven't quite 'made it' but I'm hoping that with the continued support of everyone involved, my efforts will get me there," he commented.

He is now in the process of developing new music and has also created a band instead of remaining as a solo act. The band will go by Ryan Wickersham. Brian Mundy, 17, plays the guitar and the keyboard, and he is also involved with the band's vocals. His brother Chris, 21, plays the drums. Wickersham and the brothers met at one of his shows.

"I noticed these strangers that I was repeatedly seeing come out and support me, so I introduced myself and we got to talking. Turns out, they were both musicians," Wickersham said.

After playing a few jam sessions together, they brothers were in the band.

"Brian is our go-to guy for everything. He switches between guitar, keyboard, harmonica and vocals depending on what the song the needs," Wickersham explained. "He is a very fast learner and plays a key role in keeping everything together.

Chris Mudy plays drums for the band, which Wickersham pointed out is not so easy to do.

"I played drums for 10 years before I started playing guitar, so I have always been very picky about who drums to my music. When I heard Chris play I was amazed," Wickersham said.

Then there is Mak Azubike, who came from another band and brings with him a wealth of experience.

"Mak grew up in Nigeria and is a borderline virtuoso bassist," Wickersham said. "So, with his unique African style of playing and his incredible talent he is now an essential part of the music."

Wickersham plays at many local venues. The schedule of his performances can be found at his Myspace page. Hopefully Wickersham's new album will be as good as or even better than his last with all the new sounds and talents that have come together. Until then, his supporters and fans will have to content themselves with listening to "Bottom," which is a very pleasant task to undertake.

By LAURA DINOVIS, 17, Freestyle Staff
- Lancaster Intelligencer Journal