Ryan Wayne shares his single, “Wherever You Land” from his upcoming album
Canadian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Ryan Wayne has recently shared his single, “Wherever You Land.”
“Wherever You Land” started as a hypothetical letter to the late great John Prine in the wake of his death in the early days of the pandemic. His new single brings forth the message that life is precious. None of us are exempt from the fates of illness, old age, or dying. There is beauty in the small things.
In early 2022, after several years away from touring and recording, Ryan suffered two strokes. As part of the healing process, Ryan was drawn back to the music world and began the final production and mixing on a series of self-produced songs with Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Patti Smith, Daniel Lanois) that will comprise the record, Crow Amongst the Sparrows (2023).
Listen to “Wherever You Land” below and learn more about Ryan Wayne via our Five Questions With segment.
Care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Ryan Wayne. I currently live in Toronto by way of the great city of Oshawa. I’m a dad of two incredible children and a husband. I also write and record music, for a time as a member of the Warped 45s (Pheromone Recordings) and more recently in the corner of my bedroom where a home studio has slowly taken over the floor and walls one piece of gear at a time. After several years of puttering musical madness, stacking together the spare parts and pieces of songs, a health scare shook up my world and had me reprioritizing a few things. With some noble encouragement from my wife, Sarah, I traveled to the banks of the Hudson River in Kingston, New York, to finalize some production and mixing with Grammy-winner Malcolm Burn (Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Patti Smith, Daniel Lanois). Gratefully, I left there with an album in my hands.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
“Wherever You Land” is the first single off the new album Crow Amongst the Sparrows (to be released in Spring 2023). It started as a hypothetical farewell letter to the late, great John Prine in the days following his death, early on in the pandemic. It was April, and it was snowing–not especially typical for April weather. As I was taking out the garbage in the cluttered alleyway between our place and the next, I paused and took in the scene, not just the snow but the shirtless neighbor hacking darts up on his fire escape, shouting down some kind of neighborly hello, and a blackbird perched on a branch in the bumble-berry tree behind our place, and calm quiet the air, and all of it with Prine’s passing on my mind.
Back inside my place, the farewell letter became a song (in 4/4 at first, but eventually a waltz) about finding a soft landing place beyond the grave, wherever that might be. Further, it became a reflection on my own well-being during the pandemic, both a lament and a rallying cry. In Prine’s song, “Paradise,” he remembers fondly the beauty and childhood innocence he found on the banks of the Green River. Perhaps this song imagines him landing in such a place now.
Where do you tend to pull inspiration from when writing?
ADHD can be a blessing and curse, but when it comes to songwriting, I’ve always found a lot of inspiration in the distractions around me, the brain zooming in and out like a camera lens: books, poetry, other peoples music, people fighting, people loving, people talking, people walking, people working, friends, family, good food, bad food, traveling, road trips, touring, subways, streetcars, wild animals, noises, silence, the city, the woods….
Are there any upcoming shows or festivals you want to tell us about?
I will start playing again following the album release in 2023. Due to the health scare earlier this year (I suffered a couple of strokes in March), I’ve been taking things slow.
What’s your goal for 2023?
Be a good father and husband. Release this record and continue working on the next one. Stay sober. Stay positive. Stay present.