Ry Mohon

Interview With Ry Mohon

SBS:  Hello and welcome to ya!  It’s always best to start off with some kind of introduction to who you are and what kind of music you make, isn’t it?  Tell us a bit about yourself & the history of your music, and give the people out there reading a couple of concrete reasons as to why they should be listening!

Ry:  My name is Ry, I’m 29 years young, I’m a Taurus / Double Cancer, and I play guitar.  I’m known more for playing fingerstyle guitar, but I also make really cool DIY production heavy albums in my room.

SBS:  While we’re still getting to know you and quite possibly introducing you to these pages of ours, what would you say is the newest and/or most exciting thing you’ve got going on with your music right now?  Is there anything you’ve been working on that just got released, or something happening behind the scenes that you haven’t mentioned yet?  What should your fans be looking forward to this year?

Ry:  You reviewed my album Periwinkle last year and I’m pleased to say several songs have been nominated for the New Mexico Music Awards.  I haven’t gotten an award since A/B Honor Roll in 9th grade so I’m decidedly happy about this.  I’m also sitting on THE GRIN LINES sophomore album titled SPREZZATURA.  It will likely come out in a couple months.  I’ve got several other top secret projects in the work…but it’s still a little early to tease more than that.

SBS:  So far to-date, what do you feel like is the song of yours that listeners respond to the most?  Do you feel like you knew they’d like it when you first created it, or was it just another song to you at the time?  Sometimes it takes a few spins and a bit of time before we realize how special a song truly is.  What is it about this particular track that you feel people connect to?  If someone was to ask you to play one of your songs to get them interested in your music, would you choose the same one that listeners seem to enjoy the most, or would you risk it and choose something different from your catalog instead?

Ry:  I swear everyone has a different favorite song of mine!  I think I have a pretty diverse range of music so that kinda makes sense.  I’m always surprised and happy whenever someone tells me their favorite song of mine is “Impressions of Jen.”  It’s a more personal cut that I haven’t hyped as much so it’s cool that it reaches people.  Goes to show there’s something for everyone, but if I was to recommend a place to start…try “Petrolized!”  It’s a sick rock riff with lots of dancy drum machines and synthesizers.

SBS:  Is there a concert you’ve been to that…maybe it was the best you’ve seen, maybe it wasn’t, but it was a completely unforgettable moment in time that you might not even see from the same band or artist again if you saw them play in the future?  Know what I mean?  Like, maybe a band you saw was touring a certain album and they never played those songs again…or like, maybe an artist climbed up the frame of the stage like Eddie Vedder did, and of course he’s probably not doin’ that now as an older dude…there are countless examples of amazing shows from the artists/bands we love most that we will never see happen twice.  Tell us all the details you can remember about an unforgettable show you saw, and why you don’t think that if you saw that same artist/band today that it could all happen again.

Ry:  When I was in 7th grade I saw HAARP by Muse, and it totally blew my mind lol, but nowadays I’m so juiced after seeing pretty much EVERY live performance.  Especially local talent.  That’s honestly my preference.  It’s so cool to me.  Even a blues jam at a bar has me inspired to move mountains and get a band together.  I make albums in my room, so playing live is a bridge I haven’t crossed enough.

Where I live there’s a lot of people playing art galleries and I actually like that sort of venue.  Being mixed in with visual media and intentional space is really cool and I hope/think DIY spaces will play a bigger part in the future of the music industry.

SBS:  I’ve heard it said many times that it’s harder to write a song in a happy mood than to write one when you’re feeling down.  Of course, for some folks, the opposite is just as true…I guess maybe that’s a reflection of who we are on the inside perhaps?  From YOUR perspective, what’s the particular emotion you associate with the most, or connect to the strongest when you’re creating your music?  How does it play a role in what you write & why do you feel like that specific emotion gets the best songs out of you?

Ry:  I’ve definitely written songs in a happy mood, but the ratio is like 1/3.  I always start on guitar, so my music comes from a place of privacy and comfort.  Lyrically however, things always come out raw and angsty and embarrassingly lame.  I tend to spend twice as much time on my lyrics as I do on my music because it doesn’t come nearly as natural to me.  Then I have to let the lyrical message inform the music too so it’s really a long, frustrating, editing process…I might agree that frustration is motivating, but nothing solves a problem like time.  I can grind something out for a full month, but if I walked away for a month and came back, I betcha I’d arrive at a similar place.  My emotional maturity is 100% linked to finishing a song.

SBS:  Let’s ask ya this…would you rather create a massive hit song that the whole world knows and sings along with, or risk toiling in obscurity for the length of your career to fully keep your artistic integrity intact?  Is it really that much better to be one of those artists or bands that are only known for one song, or is it better to build a whole catalog you can proudly stand behind that might not be known at all?  One-hit wonders tend to get judged pretty harshly and are often crushed under the weight of constantly trying to find that second hit – but the flipside of that coin is the right hit song can be so financially lucrative that it can often be enough to build a whole career around.  Still…I have to wonder whether or not that would suck all the joy right outta the craft…maybe it’s really better to have no hits than one hit – what do you think you’d prefer and why?  Do you feel like creating a hit song is truly crucial to a music career?  If it’s not, what’s the alternative?  Can you still have a career without really becoming known?

Ry:  If you’ve heard my music you know I wrestle with these questions DAILY!  I think the conclusion I’ve arrived at is that I won’t feel seen or validated either way.  Even the good PR I was getting with my last release felt disappointing…except for sleepingbagstudios who writes from such a personal pov.

The best thing I can do is work on something to the point where the music pushes all the right buttons FOR ME.  I think this is harder to do when keeping mass appeal in mind…but idk mass appeal and artistic integrity aren’t at odds, some are really lucky that way.  I don’t think the well known artists I respect are truly more prolific than hometown heroes that can’t/won’t market themselves.

Also who has a career anymore?  Everyone I know works at a restaurant and hustles their art on the side lol.  I recently had enough of customer service and started teaching music…it’s a good compromise.

SBS:  Alright.  Personal taste.  It’s a weird thing right?  Impossible to predict, isn’t it?  We always talk about A-sides and B-sides when it comes to making music, and I like to believe that albums are generally put together with the artist or band bringing their best (theoretically, the A-sides) to an official release.  But once a song has been put out there into the world, it takes on all kinds of different meanings to every set of individual ears listening, doesn’t it?  For example – I’ve heard plenty of songs on what are considered to be B-side albums, or second songs that came along with a single that I might like even more than an A-side.  On the same side of that coin, just about every artist and band I know tends to like certain songs they release much more than the ones their fans respond to the most.  So…I guess the question is…is there really such a thing as an A-side or a B-side to begin with?  What’s the point in worrying too much if everyone out there will draw to their own conclusions about what they like anyhow?  Should we just put absolutely everything we make out there online & let people be the judge?  When we label something as an A-side or a B-side, doesn’t that somewhat limit the listener’s objective ability to assess how they feel about a song on their own?  Who really decides what’s an A-side or a B?

Ry:  The album I’m sitting on, SPREZZATURA, is made from tracks that didn’t make it on my previous two albums.  I wouldn’t say they’re any less potent, and calling them leftovers would be a disservice.  When you’re thinking about albums as holistic listening experiences, themes and flow take precedence over whatever the cool thing is you just created.  Often what you set out to do is just a stepping stone, and a greater meaning to your project is revealed along the way.  Restraint is a muscle you have to train to not let initial intentions/vision stifle the rate of inspiration.

SBS:  Who’s someone you would be able to pinpoint as an influence on your music, or who you are as an artist, that even your fan-base might not have expected?  How has that person affected the way you make your music, and do you really feel like the influence ends up showing up in your sound, or not?  Maybe it’s something they said, maybe it’s something they did, maybe it’s something they accomplished that you hope to do someday…maybe they’re simply iconic, or have become legendary.  Tell us why this particular inspiration matters to you & how they made an impact on how you view the art of music.

Ry:  Josh Homme, Jack White, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, Prince, Todd Rundgren, John Lennon, Sonic the Hedgehog, Zac Brenner, Jen Sena, Phil Thomas Katt, Derek Simpson, mom, dad.  Hard to speak on how they’ve influenced me individually, but I know I wouldn’t be the artist/man I am today without these people!

I’m a little cautious when revealing who inspires me because I don’t want to be compared.  To go on a brief tangent, I think too much critical analysis depends on comparison.  I know it’s sometimes the best method to relate or convey an idea/feeling, but apples aren’t oranges!  I’ve found personally I have more direct and thoughtful feedback if I address what something is rather than what it isn’t.  A movie isn’t too long, or too short…and a wizard arrives exactly when he intends to…or something.

The art isn’t here for me, I’m here for the art.  Shanti.  Shanti.  Shanti.

SBS:  I’m going with a motto of being unafraid to fail this year, because I think even though I’ve failed in so many things that I’ve tried, maybe I still haven’t failed enough to have learned to not be so afraid of it yet, you know what I mean?  We can learn so much by failing…by trying different things…by stretching outside of our comfort zones – and heck, we don’t even know if we can find success at all unless we’re really willing to see what we’re capable of, right?  So let’s ask you this – what do you consider to be your biggest failure with your music to-date, and ultimately, how did that experience actually end up helping you later on?  What did you learn from whatever mistake you made & how did it assist your evolution?

Ry:  Sometimes I feel like a failure for not having a label back me.  Unfortunately I’ve learned that has more to do with social media presence/marketability rather than musical/artistic abilities.  Still labels feel like a weird zenith I arbitrarily hold onto.

I had a short stint in LA where I was working in the music industry, and I flat out hated it and stopped making music.  We live in a world where you are taught shame for enjoying something without it being a side hustle because time and money are so closely linked.  If you have a smore recipe you need to start a fucking meal subscription service and insta!  It’s dumb.

I’ll just say music, more specifically guitar, found its way back to me in a much more meaningful way.  I wouldn’t say I’ve really felt much failure since.  I only have goals I haven’t achieved…goals like having a band and playing my music live!

SBS:  As I always like to remind people participating in our interviews, there is no such thing as an interview that has ever covered everything that someone would want to talk about, this one included.  We cover that here at sleepingbagstudios by offering you the ‘open floor’ at the end…a space where you can talk about anything else you want to.  You can mention anything we didn’t bring up.  You can talk politics if you want to.  You can swear.  You can tell us which websites we should go to in order to listen to your music.  You can tell us your favorite movie if you like.  Heck, you can full-on repeat yourself and say something you’ve already said if you feel so inclined – it’s YOUR space to say whatever YOU would want to say to the people out there, completely free of our influence on the conversation…all I suggest is that you take it for a ride and make good use out of it.  Thank you so much for talkin’ tunes with us!!!

Ry:  Alright folks he asked for it.  Hot take, I kinda fuck with self-driving cars.  I think they’re sick and worthy of pursuing further.  I love trains, but self-driving cars are the best option in the states for implementing “public transportation” without completely gutting our infrastructure.  Also, there’s no way a computer would be a worse driver than all you mfs.

I’d like to thank sleepingbagstudios for their dedication to intentional listening and writing.  Giving artists like myself the undivided attention we look for in close friends.  I respect the hell out of this publication and will always come back!

Find out more about the music made by Ry Mohon at these official pages:

THE GRIN LINES

Bandcamp – Apple Music – Spotify

Chloe Navarre

Bandcamp – Apple Music – Spotify

Ya ha!  This link right here is the key to being the next artist or band featured here at sleepingbagstudios, so instead of just ignoring it, click it instead!