Ryan Yingst is a Nashville-based singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and engineer. He’s also a storyteller of the highest order, and I found this out when I came across his single ‘Please Don’t Burn The Sage’. The tune floored me. Intimate, vulnerable, exceptional. I needed to find out more about this talented artist!
Thrilled that he agreed to be interviewed by us, Ryan takes us back to the early days, recounts the horrific “inspiration” behind his latest single, and reveals what success means to him. Please give a big welcome to our friend Ryan Yingst!
Hey, Ryan! I’m really excited to re-introduce you to our audience today! I first discovered your music after latching on to your lush and heartfelt tune ‘Please Don’t Burn The Sage‘. Your music career, however, started back in 2020 with ‘Bar Rings’. Can you take us back in time to when it all began? What has led you to where you are now?
Thanks so much for having me on again! ‘Bar Rings’ was a blast to put together. For the longest time, I thought of myself as a musician, but not really an artist. I studied jazz guitar and production in school, then spent a bunch of time playing bass and guitar for other acts. All the while writing songs that I wasn’t sure what to do with. I started playing some solo shows and performing with my cello-shredding friend Elijah Lacin to develop my vocals in 2018 while I was still touring with other acts. The shows were really well received so I got a full band together for a couple of ticketed events, and it felt so right to be fronting that I couldn’t pull myself away from it. Getting to see songs you’ve written affect people is the best feeling. I was working as an engineer at Plus Minus Recording in Pittsburgh PA, so I brought my band in there and we put ‘Bar Rings’ together very quickly. I wanna say 2 days of major tracking. I don’t get to play with those folks much these days because of moving to Nashville, but Mike Matjasko and Chris Skelly were the original backing members that made me believe I could do what I am doing now. Lots of guest spots on the album as well – gotta thank Ross Antonich, Joseph Seman, Austin Ostiguy and our fearless engineer/my old boss Sean Cho for all their contributions to that record.
Your brand new single ‘Chaos’ was recorded in one take. No vocal corrections, no editing, nothing! I find that extremely special! How proud are you of the final outcome?
Oh extremely proud. Someone once explained to me the idea that what makes a performance beautiful is that it’s human. There are meant to be cracks, or in the term they used, the audience wants to see the performers ‘red-lining’ or pushing themselves. The excellent band I had joining me for this record, Top House, are such capable musicians that traditional ‘mistakes’ wasn’t really a thought for me. In our rehearsals, we really just looked at choices. William asked me a few questions about the feel of the transitions and created the melodic content of the violin line almost instantly. We certainly had lines and parts that we developed to follow, but the actual recording has some improvisation and on-the-spot choices. I think that’s what made it feel so strong to me, listening to it feels like you’re just hanging out while we all create because, in a way, you are!
The inspiration behind ‘Chaos’ is a rather remarkable story. Can you tell our readers a bit more?
For sure, it is definitely an odd story, but unfortunately, one that has been seen more often in recent years. While walking to lunch in downtown Nashville (corner of 5th and church for those familiar), I was attacked from behind in a completely unprovoked attack by a man I’d never seen before in my life. The man was schizophrenic and bipolar, unhoused and in the grip of some kind of psychotic episode. Still not sure if he hit me with something or just his fist, but it was so brutal that it broke 3 bones in my face and created a hole in my cheekbone in one swing. I needed reconstructive surgery at Vanderbilt hospital and it was a long time before I felt normal. I still notice the plate in my cheek from time to time, and that will never go away. I still have anger about the situation. It was a cowardly attack, but it was also the actions of an individual who was severely unwell. When questioned about it, he couldn’t recall the time of day correctly and believed he had been in an argument. Bystanders saw him attacking trees on the street before he came after me. I place a lot of the blame on the entirely inadequate way Nashville’s local/state government handles our homeless population. We have a large population of unhoused individuals who need better care, and instead, the city prioritizes breaking up camps and pushing groups *just* out of sight of the tourists on broadway. This perpetuates the issue and the string of anti-homeless laws coming from our legislature in the last few years has compounded the issue. Unfortunately, this has caused these kinds of attacks to increase and Nashvillians are paying the price for the lack of compassion and means-tested solutions to an issue the state seems content to ignore.
I know that you draw on influence from the likes of Jeff Buckley, The Shins, Elliott Smith, Theo Katzman, and Bill Withers to name just a few. Are there any other bands or artists you’d give a shoutout to for having helped shape your overall sound?
Honestly too many. I try my best to listen to anything. Some influences I don’t talk about as much are electronic acts such as Squarepusher, James Blake and Sunsquabi. I really like electronic music that breaks from quantization. Something that doesn’t feel like it was recorded to a click track. I get that same feeling from some beatmakers like J Dilla or Dibia$E. Then on the complete other side – living in Nashville I’ve been exposed to more country music than ever before, and while I’m not into most modern country, Tyler Childers, Sturgill Simpson and Jason Isbell seem to be able to take it back to the roots of what the genre is meant to be. I just like authenticity in my music. If your song sounds like it was written by 10 people, it’s probably not for me.
Success is such a broad term with different meanings for everyone. What would “being successful” in the music industry look like to you?
That’s tough to say. I’m very much a “what’s next” kind of person. Which can be a problem sometimes, I’m known for not allowing myself to enjoy my own positive moments. Success for me is paying my bills comfortably. I do a lot of live-sound engineering and other side jobs within music to pay the rent, and it would be nice to scale that back. I don’t think I would measure my success with money, but I think I would measure it with time. Having more time to create freely, more time for just music, family and life on my terms.
German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche said that “without music, life would be a mistake.” What would your life be like without music?
Harsh. That’s the term that comes to mind. Without music, going through my days would be cold and focused, but not a positive focus, more like an anxious one. I have asked myself so many times “Why am I making this” or “What larger purpose does this serve” while making a tune, and that’s just the wrong question. Music necessitates itself and it’s a part of everything we do. It’s no wonder why every environment designed to be a positive place includes music: bars, stores, gyms, restaurants, etc. Without music, there is an inherent edge to life. Without music, life would be exceedingly dull.
OK, Ryan – desert island time! You’re allowed to grab 3 albums before being stranded on an island. Which do you choose?
Live at the Sin-E – Jeff Buckley
Live at Radio City – Dave Matthews (I’m a sucker for a good live show.)
Chet Baker Sings – Chet Baker
You’ve been given the chance to collaborate with any musician or band. Who do you choose?
Living? Either Theo Katzman or Shakey Graves. Two absurdly talented players with an ear for fusing genres and making folk into something entirely new. Deceased? I would say, Jeff Buckley. He only ever got to begin shining his light on the world and I know he had so much more to give as a player and an artist.
Thanks so much for chatting with us Ryan! Just before we let you go, what comes next musically for you?
Thanks so much for having me! The next release will be the video for ‘Chaos’ of our recording session, so if you didn’t believe it was one take you can see it with your own eyes! Alex Amato took an awesome one-shot style video I can’t wait to show off. I have a new single in the works right now, and I’ve been writing a ton. I’m eyeing up a new album soon! I’m still performing around Nashville regularly, so anyone who wants to see me in person should follow my socials, I always try to keep gig updates front and centre! I’m moving to Boston in a couple of months and I am so excited to be back in the northeast! Once I’m there I’ll be returning to some of my favorite spots in Manhattan and setting up a couple tours. I miss the fast-paced environment of the northeast and am excited to be back in that region, while still travelling back to Nashville for the occasional show at my regular haunts!
