Mike has been writing, recording, and performing his own songs since he was 15-years-old. He’s been in numerous bands over the years and is currently the singer/songwriter and guitarist in the band Harrison Drive. The band has released several well-received Eps and singles during their time together and have achieved modest success. They are currently in the middle of recording an album that they hope to release later this year. Recently Mike signed as a solo artist to independent Liverpool label Meadows Records and released his first solo single last year, which was produced by Bill Ryder-Jones. his debut album ‘Night’ is out now.

NSG: Hi Mike how you doing? How is the new year treating you so far? 

MR: Honestly? It’s not great at the moment, is it? I don’t think anyone thought things were going to get better over-night, that we would all wake up on January 1st 2021 and the world would be back to normal, but it hasn’t been the best of starts with us all going into lockdown again. I am an eternal optimist, though, and try to look for the positives in any situation. I feel guilty for saying this, but I have actually quite enjoyed the lockdowns. It’s given me more time to spend with my family and to write new music.

NSG: What or who originally inspired you to pick up the guitar at age 15 and start writing?

 MR: Kurt Cobain! The first time I heard ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’, I wanted to be in a band, Nirvana are the reason I became a musician! The album ‘Nevermind’ changed my life. It made me want to learn how to play guitar and to write my own songs. To this day, Kurt Cobain’s songwriting is a massive influence on my own. His sense of dynamics, song structure, and, in particular, melody have pretty much shaped my musical template. 

NSG: Listening to your music I’m reminded of the musician Newton Faulkner, can you tell me a bit more about your sound and who if anyone helped influence you in it?

MR: My main influences whilst writing the album have been Bill Ryder-Jones and Elliott Smith. It was a dream come true having Bill produce my first single, ‘I’m With You’. His songs have provided the soundtrack for much of my life during the last few years. His sound and production style is something that I was very much trying to emulate with that song and I am made up with how it has turned out. The fact that he plays piano on the track was an unexpected bonus! I have pretty much listened exclusively to Elliott Smith whilst writing the rest of the album, particularly his third album, Either/Or. I recorded the rest of the songs for the album at home and tried to employ many of his techniques, including double-tracked guitars and vocals. 

NSG: What was the last gig you played? Can you remember much about it? 

MR: I played a few live stream gigs last year but I didn’t really enjoy them if I’m honest. It just didn’t feel right without people in front of me. I felt like I was faking it. I don’t think I’ll be doing more in the future! The last proper gig I played was over a year ago, for ‘Musicians Against Homelessness‘ in Liverpool. Looking back, I remember there were people sat and stood together, shoulder-to-shoulder, drinking and enjoying the music. I remember a bit of banter with someone in the room about tuning my guitar. I remember feeling that post-gig buzz you get on my way home afterwards. I never thought for one minute that we would be where we are now, without live music and so many of our venues disappearing. I can’t tell you how much I miss it.

NSG: The pandemic and lockdown has been hard on everyone, how have you been coping personally with it?

MR: I have thrown myself into making music. I don’t think I have ever been so prolific or motivated to write and record. I think I’ve written about 45 songs in the last 8 months. Having something to focus on has kept me going. Initially, I was just recording acoustic demos in my garage, which I never intended to release. It was more about locking myself away and trying to block out what was happening outside by playing and writing. I would just light some candles, press record on my little old 8-track recorder and play whatever came to me. It was quite cathartic. This was the starting point for what would ultimately become the album.

NSG: Do you prefer cats or dogs and why?

MR: Definitely dogs! I used to be a cat person but my family has had the most gorgeous black Labrador called Echo for the last seven years and she is brilliant! She’s so well behaved, has such a placid temperament, and is so intuitive. She is very protective of my wife Jo and follows her all over the house. My children, James, River, and Pixie absolutely adore her too. Being in her company helps you decompress when you’re feeling stressed. 

Mike Ryan – Liverpool (Photo Credit: Jo Ryan)

NSG: If you could have three wishes what would they be? 

MR: Ah, man! This is a hard one! Do I go for personal wealth or world peace? In all seriousness, my first wish would be an obvious one, to put an end to this pandemic. Previous generations may well have lived through worse times, but it has been horrific. I know some good things may have come from it, with families becoming closer and communities coming together, but I wouldn’t hesitate in wishing all the pain of the last ten months away.  My second wish would be for people to be more accepting of each other and to be kinder and more compassionate in general. This pandemic has truly brought out the best in a lot of people. It’s made me realise just how much we need each other. We’re not built to be alone. I have loved hearing about all the random little acts of kindness that have made a difference to others. I hope that we can come through this a better and more caring society. Can I be a bit more self-serving with my last wish? I wish that I had a time machine! I would travel back through time to classic gigs like The Beatles at The Cavern or David Bowie’s last gig as Ziggy Stardust. I’m not sure I would come back to the present!

NSG: So your debut album titled  ‘Night‘ has just come out, can you tell us some more about it? 

MR: It all started with the song ‘I’m With You’. I was lucky enough to record this with Bill Ryder-Jones at his Yawn studios in West Kirby last summer. Working with Bill was a dream come true! He is a hero of mine and he was so complimentary about the song. It gave me such a confidence boost that I wrote most of the album in a four-week burst of creativity. The songs just poured out of me. As I was writing, I noticed there were themes and images that I kept coming back to. The album is about the need to escape and to find a better place. It’s about running away with the one you love in the middle of the night and starting again somewhere new. A bit Romeo and Juliet. I recorded the songs on to 8-track at home in my little music room, playing all the instruments myself and gave it everything I had. I’m really proud of this record. It’s as close as I’ve gotten to realising the sound I have in my head.

NSG: What was it like recording an album as opposed to recording a single for you? 

MR: Recording the album was a completely different experience to the single. For the single that I recorded with Bill, we only had one day to get everything done. It was very focused but quite intense in some ways because time was limited. Because the rest of the album was recorded at home and there was no deadline to finish it by, I had more time and freedom to do it at my own pace and to experiment a little more with instrumentation. Once I had decided on the ten songs that I wanted to record, it all came together quite quickly. Recording it at home wasn’t easy with a house full of kids and a dog, but it was a lot of fun. I roped the kids into providing some handclaps at the end of the song ‘Across the Sea’. They were bounding around the house, ruining take after take, so I thought I might as well get them involved. I was very much inspired by Paul McCartney’s first solo album that he recorded at home back in 1970. You can really tell that it was recorded at home when you listen to it. That’s what I wanted to achieve with my album.

NSG: The pandemic has really changed the world hasn’t it, do you think the live music scene will be changed forever, and do you have any fears for the future of live music as a musician? 

MR: I do think the live music scene will be changed forever, unfortunately. I think it will recover, though, just in a different form. I think gigs will be very different, at least initially. I think it will be a slow transition back to something resembling proper gigs. I think it’s going to be a long while until stadium shows and festivals start again, gigs with thousands of people. The flip side of that is I think you’re going to see more people going out to smaller venues to watch more local music when we’re allowed. We are so desperate to get back out there to play and experience live music again. I think smaller venues like Future Yard in Birkenhead are the way forward. The way they were putting on gigs when they opened last year really worked. I would love to play there in the future. Support local music and venues!

NSG: What’s your favourite alcoholic drink?

MR: I wish I had a better rock’n’roll answer to this but I’m a man of simple tastes! If I’m out with mates, then I’m happy with a beer, but, if I’m honest, I’m much happier at home in my lounge pants with a glass of wine!

Mike – Liverpool (Photo Credit: Jo Ryan)

NSG: If you had the opportunity to cook for three famous people from history who would they be and why? 

MR: This is tough, too! There are so many people who I’d love to sit down and chat to! Do I have to cook? I might just order a curry and give myself more time to mingle. My first choice would be Lemmy from Motorhead. What I love about him is that he was completely genuine. He was Lemmy all the time, whether he was thrashing his bass on stage or making chips at home. Maybe I could get Lemmy to help with the cooking. My second choice would be Freddie Mercury. When I was a kid, I was obsessed with him and Queen. I was brought up on their music. It was the soundtrack of my childhood. I reckon Freddie would be great company, the life and soul of the party, and full of great stories. My final choice would be Dave Grohl. I would love to hear about what it was like to be in Nirvana. He’s probably got a story or two to tell. He’s a big fan of Motorhead and Queen too so he’d get on well with the other two. Plus, he’s a drummer, so, with Lemmy on Bass, Freddie on vocals, and myself on guitar, we’d have one hell of a jam at the end of the night!

NSG: Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, is there anything else you’d like to add?

MR: I would just like to say thank you for the 12 questions! I’ve really enjoyed this interview! I think what you’re doing to support local music is wonderful. Thank you for supporting my music and me! 

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