Gothic Theatre
Ryan Ferguson
If you are a fan of indie rock’s recent past, then you’re familiar with the work of guitarist and singer/songwriter Ryan Ferguson. While in the seminal Southern California band No Knife, Ferguson not only racked up critical accolades, but toured throughout the U.S., Canada and Japan. No Knife scored four San Diego Music Awards, received scattered radio airplay and had their music featured in TV shows such as “Dawson’s Creek.”
Building on the past group’s promise, Ferguson has gone solo, showcasing his depth as a songwriter. Acoustic based and losing none of his previous band’s intensity, Ferguson’s solo debut Three, Four (Jr Varsity Records) was released in July 2005 and quickly earned a San Diego Music Award for “Best Pop Record.” (Switchfoot won in 2003 and 2004). The songs expand his sonic palette yet never lose their pop sensibilities. The album’s lead track, “Suddenly,” was recently interpreted for The Sims 2 (EA) and has been added to San Diego’s trendsetting 91X, in regular rotation.
A lifelong San Diegan, Ferguson grew up in the 80’s. He was a songwriter by the time he hit 7th grade, absorbing the music of the previous decades. “I was way into The Boss when I was a kid,” laughs Ferguson. He cites Danny Elfman and Teenage Fanclub amongst favorites, and one can even hear a bit of Van Dyke Parks. “My uncle introduced me to The Beatles on a summer trip back east when I was 12,” he recalls. “He gave me Help! and A Hard Days Night and I didn’t take them out of my tape player for months. I wrote down every word and attempted to figure out every chord on bass.” That childhood love of music soon led to forming a band.
“My first decent musical project was a garage band in high school,” he remembers. “We were called Building 14, named for the county morgue building in Kearny Mesa, CA (SD). That was my first real band, my first live show, my first studio experience. It was a whole lot of fun because up until then I was playing along to MTV.” Now known as a fiery guitarist, Ferguson was originally a drummer. Ferguson cites Rocket From The Crypt as a huge influence that inspired his integral role in No Knife, which spawned four albums, numerous singles and many compilation contributions. Inspired by guitarists such as RFTC’s John Reis and aMinature’s John Lee, Ferguson soon blazed a trail of manic post punk rock ‘n’ roll beginning in 1995 that lasted almost a decade, influencing many others along the way.
“My songs today are more acoustic based mainly because I can’t play loud where I currently live,” remarks Ferguson about differences in his music past and present. “But I’ve always written pop oriented music more or less, so it’s not really that far off from what I’ve always done.” While his analogy might ring true on an anthemic rocker like “Suddenly,” songs like the string and harmony-laden ballad “Wait For Me There” show a real progression in songcraft. “I’m always thinking about songs and how to put together a story. I always have a little digital recorder with me,” he confides.
Having worked with a band before, Ferguson is excited to approach his music from a solo standpoint. “Before things got filtered through a variety of players and the sound was dispersed. Now it’s just me writing the songs and playing all the parts.” As the acoustic guitars and mellotrons of “On Elvira Street” wafts by in the background, Ferguson pauses. “This is the pure stuff.”
- Bart Mendoza
