Saskatoon native Tanya Ryan says moving to Alberta was the best decision she ever made.
“My parents moved out here before I did,” she said. “I stayed back to finish my degree, which I didn’t end up doing because I got homesick for my family, so I followed them out and it was one of the best things I’ve ever done.”
Now living in Okotoks, Ryan is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter at the beginning of a musical career.
“I didn’t actually play music when I was in Saskatoon, so moving out here helped me get out of my shell a little bit,” she said. “Music has been a part of my life since forever, since I was little, but I didn’t let myself pursue it.
“When I moved to Alberta I said ‘You know what? I’m just going to go for it and see what happens.’ And it’s been nothing but awesome things.”
Ryan, who plays quirky country music, hits the big stage tonight and tomorrow (Jan. 3-4) at Wild Bill’s in Banff.
“It’s our first time playing there,” she said. “A friend of mine plays there and had good things to say about it, Drew Gregory, and it just seems like it’d be a lot of fun.
“As far as the show that we put on, we do a handful of old covers with a bit of a new edge, and my original stuff is more quirky.
“I’m bringing a bunch of very talented men with me who make me sound far better than I am – Mark Betcher on guitar, Wade Tutt on guitar and Steve Tutt on drums.”
Her music, which is country-based, has odd twists to it, she said.
“Lyrically, it’s quirky in a sense that it’s funny – I don’t want to make myself sound like a comedian – but I wrote a song called “Somebody Like Me” and it’s about all the reasons you shouldn’t date me, because of all the things that are wrong with me,” she said. “And my original stuff can be melodically different.”
Playing live is something she looks forward to, she said.
“I think it’s really cool in a lot of ways – personally speaking, it gives you this great opportunity for personal growth,” said Ryan. “And when I was growing up I was quite shy and music gave me a way to connect with people and communicate with that you may not otherwise have had the opportunity to get to know.”
As to what she prefers more – playing or composing – it depends on the day, she explained.
“We’re musicians and we’re creative people and we go through lots of emotional things, but if you’re feeling really social, then going out and playing is one of the best feelings in the world because you get to be around people,” said Ryan. “And sometimes writing is the best way to vent your feelings and get rid of some stagnant emotions.”
When it comes to actually writing music, Ryan doesn’t really have much of a process, she said.
“I wish I had more of a process, then it’d be easier,” she laughed. “Honestly, something will come up, usually an emotional thing – ex-boyfriends are good material – or like when we got the phone call about my uncle being diagnosed with colon cancer, I wrote a song for him.
“One of our cousins passed away and I wrote a song about that, and then breakups are always lots of material. Or when your boyfriend does something right, that’s a good opportunity to write a song. It’s usually emotionally based, and from there it’s just figuring it out and writing it.
“Melodically, it’s just getting on guitar and fiddling around until something comes.”
Ryan hopes to release her first music next month.
“I’m releasing music for the first time hopefully in February, and then once I do I’ll hopefully gauge a radio tour from that,” she said. “I feel not sure what I’m doing, but once it’s out we’ll see how it goes.”
She hasn’t yet decided on what an EP will be called, however.
“I’m laying down four songs, and I haven’t 100 per cent decided on it yet.”
For more information on Ryan, visit her website at tanyaryan.ca
