“My first introduction to the world of music was searching through my dad’s modest record collection.”
“I was a four-year-old who thought I wanted to be an astronaut or scientist at the time. My father was a casual music fan who came from a highly-gifted musical family. His stash of vinyl largely consisted of classics like The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Kinks, The Beach Boys, and lots of folk music. His taste in folk ranged from Leo Kottke to Buffy Sainte-Marie. I loved the harmonies of The Beach Boys, The Everly Brothers, and all of the folk groups. What really excited me was the raw guitar tones of The Beatles and the other rock groups.
In particular, I was drawn to The Beatles Rubber Soul. Something about the way the band looked on the cover resonated with me before I even heard the music. It inspired me to ask my dad for a “Beatles haircut,” which he happily gave me himself using a Tupperware bowl as his guide.
Back then my dad told me John Lennon had been assassinated some time ago. When I looked at the smoke-filled picture of him on the back cover of Rubber Soul he seemed other-worldly—almost like he sent that photo back from the great beyond. I asked my dad if that photo was taken after he had been shot. My dad just shook his head, probably not sure how to respond to such a ridiculous question.
The imagery was incredible, but it was still nothing compared to the life-changing bliss that would be induced from the music contained on the vinyl disc. Once that needle hit the grooves…that was the beginning of the end as I like to say. I was completely transfixed. We didn’t have iPads, smartphones, or anything of the sort to keep us occupied back in the ’80s. I spent hours upon hours listening to the music, looking at the album’s imagery, and dreaming. Especially dreaming. My imagination was off to the races.
I would spend time sitting next to each of the speakers so I could enjoy the extreme stereo imagery they used in the mixes. One listen I’d camp out in front of the left speaker lying on my blanket. The next time around I’d lie next to the right speaker. There was always something new to take away from the journey.
It wasn’t long before my dreaming turned into fantasies that I would one day be in a band that made such glorious sounds on these magical spinning pieces of vinyl. That turned my listening sessions into missions of decoding the mystery. I was suddenly listening to understand how this music was created, performed, and recorded.
By the time I was buying my own music, vinyl was out of favor by the masses and relatively hard to find anywhere but thrift stores and small hipster shops that catered to music heads. Going to record stores was like being a part of a small community. In Minneapolis we had such great shops as the legendary Oar Folkjokeopus (where Twin Tone Records was born) and The Electric Fetus. I’d go to listen to people talk about music, sift through records, and get recommendations from the friendly staff. It was also a great place to check out flyers from local shows happening and pick up handmade zines.
I continued purchasing vinyl for the rest of my life, and it’s something I still do to this day. On tour I’ll stop anywhere that sells records and try to find some choice picks. Several years ago my dad decided to clear out his records so he could free up space and move fully into the digital realm. At that point, he let me sort through his albums and take whatever I wanted. That was a rush of memories like few others!
I found that as my collection grew, my time to listen kept shrinking. Life got busier and busier. Between the busy musician life of touring, recording, writing, and raising a family, the time to sit and enjoy my records was becoming a rare commodity.
And then 2020 happened. COVID hit. Mandatory curfews to keep people off the streets in protests started becoming regular happenings in the Twin Cities. For a few weeks, I found myself locked in and I was able to enjoy listening to records more than I had in years. I listened to Chris Bell, Marvin Gaye, Husker Du, Sugar, The Beach Boys, My Bloody Valentine, Joe Jackson, The Replacements, Louis Armstrong, Christopher Parkening, Michael Jackson, and so much more. In the midst of chaos and darkness, this time to spend inside was like a little gift.
The final chapter for me was to realize my dream of putting out vinyl albums. 2020 allowed me to do that at least twice in a year! Soul Asylum released Hurry Up And Wait on two 45s. It was so satisfying to hear that album come into fruition and play it on my turntable. My new project Ryan And Pony is releasing Moshi Moshi on my favorite format—clear-blue vinyl. As the world is rapidly becoming more and more virtual, records are finding a new importance in my life. They are real. They are genuine. Tangible. At this point, I can’t imagine making an album and not releasing it as an LP.
What do I love about records? The size of the art. The soothing crackle that becomes part of the experience. The warmth. The sound. The effort it takes to acquire them and listen. The community you get with other music fans in record stores. The event that is listening. Everything.”
—Ryan Smith
Moshi Moshi, the debut LP from Ryan and Pony arrives in stores on September 25 via Pravda Records—on clear blue vinyl.
