In This Episode:
- Why Barron Has His Own Trailer
- What It’s Like Having Interracial Parents and a Very Musically Inclined Family
- The Application Process For Getting Into Major Music Universities
- Writing Songs Making Fun of What Hip Hop Artists Brag About
- The Joy of Creating Beauty In Music Rather Than Music Of One Kind
- Why Doing Online Performances Is a Lot More Work
Quotations:
“When they got married in 1975, that was not an acceptable thing for a lot of people.” – Barron Ryan
“I knew I wanted to be a performer from the get go, but being willing to put in the work to be impressive enough to be a performer took a little while.” – Barron Ryan
“I thought, ‘I’m gunna make songs that make fun of the common tropes in hip hop music. So instead of rapping about how amazing I was as a rapper, I made a song called ‘Not That Bad.” – Barron Ryan
“My philosophy is that as an artist I want to be known more for who I am than for what I do.” – Barron Ryan
“When you go into an organization and try to be accepted by that organization, whether that be a TV show or a school, you have to realize that that’s not your ultimate customer.” – Barron Ryan
Guest’s Bio:
Barron Ryan’s love for music has always been divided. The son of two musicians, he grew up in a house filled with the sounds of artists ranging from Mozart to Michael Jackson. So when it comes to his own performing, he’s not content drawing on just one influence. He combines them all into a musical adventure that’s vintage yet fresh, historical yet hip, classic yet cool.
After beginning piano lessons at age four with his father, Barron seemed destined for a career in music. He excelled in performing throughout his middle and high school years in Tulsa, OK, then continued to impress his peers and instructors as a piano performance major at The University of Oklahoma.
Everything did not come up roses, however, as Barron was then rejected from all the music conservatories you might be impressed by. Disheartened and a little annoyed, he briefly gave up on the piano in pursuit of a satirical hip-hop career. But due to a favorable result in a piano competition that sent its winner to perform in Israel, that project was graciously short-lived.
Thanks to that Israel concert tour, Barron found his artistic voice. He discovered the joy of jazz- and ragtime-inspired concert music (found on his debut album, Classical with Attitude), and learned from great jazz pianists by replaying their solos (found on his latest album, The Masters’ Apprentice).
In 2019, Barron noticed a shocking lack of funk-, pop-, and country-inspired classical music. Realizing he could fill that void, he composed the “Magic City” Sonata and a dance suite called Suite Thing. Those works are now published and recorded on his third solo record, First of Its Kind.
Barron is following in his favorite composers’ footsteps by publishing his original works in the public domain. He offers his work as a gift to the world, and as a chance to collaborate with artists from around the globe.
What’s next? You’ll have to wait to find out, but rest assured that in all Barron Ryan’s music, Classic Meets Cool.
Contact:
Instagram & Twitter: @barroncp