Tucson band hosting release party for new CD
Ryan Green (left) and Cameron Hood combined their names to form Ryanhood, a band name Green says reflects the duo's lighthearted spirit.
The dynamic acoustic duo of Ryan Green and Cameron Hood – known to indie rock fans as Ryanhood – is back at it. The Tucsonans are still managing themselves, and Saturday will celebrate the release of “The World Awaits,” their fifth CD – sixth if you count an early EP – at the Rialto.
We caught up with Green via telephone to talk about the new album, including working with producer-engineer Ross Hogarth (R.E.M., Melissa Etheridge), and what’s next for the band.
Your name evokes “Robin Hood,” though considering your first name is Ryan and your bandmate’s last name is Hood, we kinda put two and two together. Why such simplicity in a name?
Certainly the Robin Hood similarity has a nice ring to it. It was kind of a joke. I wasn’t being serious when I brought up “Ryanhood” and how it sounded like Robin Hood, but he (Cameron) really liked it. The name is like a lightheartedness that we try to incorporate in our band. We dig into heavier lyrics, but overall we want people to leave a show smiling.
What are you trying to give your fans through your lyrics?
Hope. We have both played for moodier/darker bands. Cameron tends to write more of the lyrics and if it seems bothered, I try and inject some lightness. It can do surprising things.
How is this album different from your other releases?
Our past albums have been self-produced; this album is the first one we’ve worked with an outside producer on. And he (Ross Hogarth) set the bar much higher. I think the resulting songs and performances are definitely a large step beyond anything we’ve done before.
How does it feel having your latest album produced by an award-winning producer like Hogarth?
It’s great to be able to say that. He’s made some awesome records. We actually just googled “Grammy-winning producers” (Hogarth engineered Keb’ Mo’s award-winning “Slow Down,” which won Best Contemporary Blues Album in 1998) and ended up e-mailing a whole bunch of them. Ross responded and asked us for a demo. Then we flew out to L.A. and met up with him in the studio. He’s worked with people like Ziggy Marley.
How’s it going being your own boss?
We manage ourselves and are totally independent right now. We put more time into these songs and the players on the album and spend about 10 hours a day making phone calls and reconnecting with the people in the business we’ve met.
Do you find you have a loyal fan base outside of Tucson?
Tucson is still our home base and where we find the most support, but we have a loyal fan base in Boston as well, where we lived for several years, street performing. We are often surprised by fans around the country who first saw us on the streets of Boston and have stuck with us.
What’s next for Ryanhood?
We are going on tour with the release of our new album. It’s going to be a bigger cities type of tour. About 90 to 95 percent of our sets will be original work and sometimes we will throw in covers or mixes of popular songs. We are also releasing a widget online soon that will allow free play of our album.
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IF YOU GO
What: Ryanhood CD release
When: 7 p.m. doors Saturday, 8 showtime
Where: Rialto Theatre, 318 E. Congress St.
Price: $12-$20 reserved (includes a copy of the new CD)
Info: 740-1000, rialtotheatre.com