Of “Sullen Mind”, the song which grew out of those improvisations, Ryley explains, “I felt like I wasn’t raised to have to deal with negative, dark things in my life, but the reality is that I do. Last May, before an audience of “about four people” in Cleveland Ohio, Ryley remembers springing a new riff upon long-time guitar foil Brian Sulpizio, over which he found himself singing the line, “I only have a Christian education.” Over a period of successive nights, this riff, attached to a single lyrical fragment, broadened out into what would become one of the signature songs on the next record – with Ryley as much a fascinated witness to its creation as those who saw it taking shape. Word of mouth and critical acclaim ensured sell-out audiences at his British shows, whilst a sprawling tour of the USA around Primrose Green presented a perfect chance to workshop ideas for what would eventually become his third studio album, Golden Sings That Have Been Sung. By the time of his 26th birthday last summer though, it became increasingly clear to Ryley that his recorded work was becoming less and less representative of the directions he and his close-knit group of musicians were taking in the live shows. Indeed, anyone who caught his performances throughout the course of 2015, will attest to Ryley’s apparently effortless facility to conjure a breath-taking spectacle from a standing start. For all of that, a holiday was the last thing on Ryley’s mind – and certainly not a holiday in his adopted hometown.Īfter a year spent on the road, all that Ryley could associate with Chicago was the emotional debris he had left behind. Robert Plant declared himself a fan – as did double-bass legend Danny Thompson, with whom Ryley would later embark on a British tour. In March, his second album Primrose Green, emerged to critical hosannas from the likes of Uncut, Q, Mojo and The Guardian – in the process, earning admiration of musicians who had chalked up no shortage of turntable miles in Walker’s life. The preceding months had been extraordinary. However you wished to measure it, he was surely due some sort of holiday. In November 2015, at the end of a ten month period which saw him play over 200 shows, Ryley Walker decided that he should probably head home. Ryley Walker and Band (Sold Out) Coughlans Mon

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