American audiences might not be familiar with Serena Ryder, but this folk-rock dynamo has already found great success in her native Canada. Only 25 years old, Ryder has already earned a gold record up north and won multiple Junos (Canada’s Grammys) – including “New Artist of the Year” in 2008, on the strength of her impassioned, Melissa Etheridge-esque vocal. Every strum of her acoustic guitar carries a heavy burden of visceral truth. Ryder’s songs are ripe with beauty, yet have the raspy edge that makes them cut to the emotional core of the listener. Some might refer to this as a characteristic of soulfulness. If that’s the case, then Ryder has soul in spades. On top of all of that, she’s drop-dead gorgeous. She may just be an unstoppable force of nature.
Ryder’s US “debut” album It Is O.K. comes out next Tuesday, November 2nd (though it is already available at any of her shows, and it’s been available in Canada since last year.) The record features on of the absolute best songs of the year “A Little Bit of Red” (a fabulous rendition of the tune can be found below the jump.) I never get into any music that’s remotely close to this style, so when I say It Is OK is an album you have to check out, put some stock in those words.
I was able to catch up with Ryder after her energetic set at Spokane’s Big Dipper last Sunday and she was graceful enough to spare a few minutes.
What have been some of the trials and tribulations being a successful Canadian artist trying to garner a bigger American audience?
Serena: Well I guess the biggest struggle is always just keeping your shit together. It’s like…staying healthy on the road and…you know…staying sane, because there are a lot of really, really long days and there’s a lot of crazy traveling.
You’re meeting everyone for the first time – for them – everyday is a first impression. So, if you’re having a bad day or something went really wrong, the person that you’re meeting doesn’t know that. Making first impressions is my entire life it seems. So it’s kind of having this fast and fleeting way of being; one of living out a gypsy-ish kind of lifestyle, but wanting to have a sense of home inside yourself.
But for the most part it’s been really amazing. I mean like, touring in the states, it’s literally 10 times bigger than Canada. So it’s mostly just being able to be healthy and not go crazy with the travel.
I’ve had a lot of trouble describing your type of music to other people. I’ve heard things like folk, country, and adult alternative – and I have no idea what that means….
Nor do I. Yeah it’s really weird, I don’t understand that labeling.
Well what would you describe your genre as?
Well I’d say it a lot of different ways. I’d say I’m a singer-songwriter, rock, pop. That’s usually kind of what I say, but then you know, there’s a lot of different things that are in my music too. So usually I say that just to get out trying to explain all of the nuances of it. I kind of stick to that. Or whatever anyone thinks. I sing so many different styles of music too that, when I’m singing that particular style of music, that’s what I am.
The thing that really jumps out on a first listen to your music are the vocals. What would you consider to be your vocal influences?
I started singing when I was really, really little, before I really even started listening to much music. But for me, my biggest influences have always been AM radio – oldies stations. You know, songs from the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s. Really, really old music. I’ve always really related to that. My favorite singer since the time I was two, and even now, is Roger Miller. Really old school musician. You know, like that song “King of the Road” *Sings* King of the road… Very old kind of stuff like that. Buddy Holly. Linda Ronstadt was really big for me. As I started playing guitar I got really into Niel Young, and Tracy Chapman was really big when I was maybe 14, 15.
You won a Juno in 2008 for “New Artist of the Year.” Did that at all feel weird considering you’d released multiple albums before that? Did you at all feel feel kind of like “I’m really flattered, but I’ve kind of been around for a while”?
For me, I was really stoked to win that. For me it was…it was people believing that I’m at the beginning of my career, which is amazing because I don’t care if people know what I’ve done before. I want people to think as where I am right now, and to be given the opportunity to see that they thought I was just starting my career is amazing, because that just means that they believed I would go a lot farther. So, I really liked that.
You’ve been on this tour (with NeedToBreathe) since September. Do you ever feel a little outcast – like the little sister amongst a bunch of guys?
Sometimes for sure. I mean, I am the only girl out on the road. Other than now actually, cause Tim (Warren; of The Alternate Routes) has a couple of girls with him right now, which is really cool for me. I kind of like it though, I feel like I’ve got a lot of big brothers on the road, which is really nice. Except they don’t beat me up, which is really cool.
What have you been listening to recently?
Umm…I have been listening to… I’ve been playing a lot of video games so my brain’s kind of fried. Listening to a lot of hockey arena sounds. NHL 09. It’s pretty fun.
So sound effects?
Well, I listen to lots of my band member’s iPods and stuff like that.
Last question, favorite album or albums ever and why?
Oh why? Come on! Really? I don’t know if I’ll be able to answer why because that’s definitely a question that is way to vague for me to be able to fully answer. It’s always the way that songs make me feel, you know? All the ways how music makes you feel and how you relate to it.
I like John Prine’s first record (the self-titled John Prine). It’s just like a picture of him sitting on a barrel of hay. And I like it because it’s like some of the most profound and honest songwriting in my life. You literally feel like you can see and feel and touch and hear all of the stories he’s telling you. And he rips your heart out in a lot of them, but it definitely makes you feel like you’re in his world.
I really like The Wallflower’s Bringing Down the Horse. Not every single song, but there’s this kind of essence to it…I think T-Bone Burnett really, really captured Jakob’s voice in a way… The sounds, I like it for the sonics; sonically. I love that like…what is it called? It’s almost like a tri-slapback delay that’s on his voice that’s really, really sandpaper-y but smooth at the same time.
I love another T-Bone Burnett record actually; Raising Sand – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss. Just simply, actually, for it’s sounds as well. He’s amazing at getting that. I’ve got lots…
For more on Serena Ryder visit her serenaryder.com or myspace.com/serenaryder. And check out It Is O.K. when it drops stateside.
*Intro paragraph originally published as a quick hit in the October 22, 2009 issue of The Pacific Northwest Inlander.*
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