Ryan McMahon likes to tell people he’s a late bloomer. But when looking at the body of work the 44-year-old from Ladysmith, British Columbia has amassed since 2006, he certainly has made up for lost time. With six releases under his own name and two with his side project Lion Bear Fox, Ryan has established himself as one of western Canada’s most prolific singer/songwriters, leading to multiple Vancouver Island Music Awards and supporting slots for Burton Cummings, Mother Mother, Lee Harvey Osmond, and others.
The latest addition to Ryan’s catalogue is Live Now, his first album since 2019’s In Line For A Smile, and a collection he has been eager to share since the pandemic forced him to pause all musical activity. The creation of Live Now began in early 2022 with the recording of “One More Fire,” arranged through the help of Juno-nominated country artist Aaron Pritchett.
Ryan explains,
“Although we have stylistically sonic differences, Aaron’s been a great friend to me and my music since we connected at a charity event a few years back. We tracked ‘One More Fire’ as a stand-alone single at Vancouver’s Warehouse studio, with Aaron’s son Jordan and his fiancee Danielle handling production, along with engineer Sheldon Zaharko [Steve Dawson, Matt Anderson, Billy Talent]. We all found working together so organic and enjoyable that the decision was made to build an album around those first few sessions.”
First off, care to introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Ryan McMahon; I hail from Ladysmith, Vancouver Island, British Columbia. I’m rounding the corner & heading into my 25th year as a recording & performing singer/songwriter.
Tell us a bit about your most recent release.
Live Now comes out November 10th and it’s my 7th full-length album. Halfway through that global shutdown, I started writing pretty ferociously, and without necessarily realizing it, had crafted myself a concept record. All the songs share common threads of being able to find peace while seizing opportunities to recognize moments of beauty in this wild world. We recorded it at the Warehouse in Vancouver with a fleet of wonderful & gifted folks, and my hope is that the listener can hear the love, the optimism & the possibilities in each song.
Do you have any upcoming shows you’d like to tell us about?
I’m very happy to be heading out on a short run of theatre dates in BC with Tom Cochrane, beginning November 13th in Vernon.
I grew up listening to Tom and any time spent with legends & lifers is time well spent. I always find that I leave with some kind of takeaway, be it from watching their songwriting or performing techniques on a nightly basis, or a road hack about how to source the best coffee or taco shops. Having the tour fall the same week that the new album comes out makes this a very celebratory time for us. November should be fun, for sure.
If given the chance, which Canadian artist would you love to work with in the future?
This is a great question. Looking back, I’ve had the good fortune to have worked alongside some brilliant Canadian artists & songwriters over the years; From Craig Northey steering me in the Warren Zevon direction many moons ago (and teaching me how to write a bridge!) to hanging out & chatting w/ Burton Cummings just a few months back; I’ve been very lucky to meet & get to know many of my heroes over the years. I’ve always been such a fan of Ron Sexsmith’s writing, so he’d rank high. Serena Ryder is also such a great force and has those contemporary, hook-y sensibilities in her songs, which I love. Truth be told, at this stage of the game, I would welcome at least a discussion about just about any collaboration that might come my way. You can learn so much by being around other artists & witnessing their processes.
What’s your goal for 2024?
I know I’ve got a few tours coming up this year, so that’ll be great to watch these songs take flight in a live setting. I’ve been touring solo & as a duo with my piano player, Joel Spillette, over the past 18 months or so, so I’d really like to add a few more members to the stage as the year progresses, and if the budget allows. I also want to carve out some time to write some new songs, and accomplish that task from another setting than my own kitchen. I’ve written at home for most of my career, and it’s time to take a book & a guitar or two out into the woods & get burly & rustic with it, ya know? I’m going to try to sneak off during the warmer months next summer & do just that.
Other than that, I just hope people resonate with this album. It’s a collection of songs I poured my heart into, and if somebody connects with one or more of them, that’s the good stuff. That’s a feeling I shall continue to chase; year after year.