B.C. Americana artist RYAN MCMAHON shares new single “Driveway” and announces Western Canadian tour dates!
It’s been nearly a year since Ryan McMahon released Live Now, an album that’s placed the Ladysmith B.C.-based singer/songwriter squarely into the conversation about Canada’s most promising new voices within the Americana scene. After supporting Live Now through tours with Tom Cochrane, Burton Cummings, and others, Ryan’s not yet ready to tie a bow on things, and is heading back out across western Canada this fall (SEE DATES BELOW).
Ryan is also sharing “Driveway,” a song from Live Now that suitably addresses the dual themes of life on the road and new beginnings, while name-checking places across Canada that have inspired Ryan along the way. “Driveway” is available on all streaming platforms and Live Now can be purchased in all formats at Bandcamp.
“‘Driveway’ is the closest thing to a truly Canadian love song that I’ve got,” Ryan says. “I’ve been a hopeless romantic my entire life and the image of one partner being away for extended periods of time and returning home to safety, sanctuary and love really appeals to me. My favourite songs incorporate snapshots of people and places, and I hope I accomplished some of that with ‘Driveway.’”
It’s easy to understand why Ryan is still working hard to introduce the songs on Live Now to fresh ears. All of the album’s 10 tracks possess the necessary qualities to be singles, with “One More Fire,” “Lost & Found,” “Feed Your Mind” and “Sometimes Life’s Amazing” serving that purpose already in expressing Live Now’s overall direct message to appreciate the wonder that life has to offer while persevering no matter what obstacles stand in the way.
Live Now was recorded in early 2022 at Bryan Adams’s Vancouver studio The Warehouse with the production team of Jordan Pritchett and Danielle King. Its sound deftly walks the line between country and alternative pop, but tying it all together is Ryan’s melodic gifts, delivered through his passionate vocal performances. Great songs defy being categorized, and that’s certainly the case with “Driveway.”
“I’ve long had a wide variety of influences, but before creating these songs I really did some deep dives into the careers of current Americana-type artists that I really admire,” he says. “Jason Isbell, Nathaniel Rateliff, Father John Misty, Israel Nash—these artists are out there, doing their own thing using highly artistic and simultaneously entertaining methods, all the while telling their truth. That’s what I want to do.”
RYAN MCMAHON ON TOUR:
Oct 24 (Thurs) :: Gabriola Island BC :: Gabriola Island Golf Club
Oct 25 (Fri) :: Ladysmith BC :: House Concert
Oct 26 (Sat) :: Victoria BC :: House Concert
Nov 2 (Sat) :: Nanaimo BC :: Simonholt
Nov 10 (Sun) :: Summerland BC :: An Evening In The Valley
Nov 14 (Thurs) :: Tisdale SK :: Maurice Taylor Performing Arts Centre
Nov 15 (Fri) :: Langenburg SK :: George Layh Theatre
Nov 16 (Sat) :: Estevan SK :: Estevan Royal Canadian Legion
Nov 17 (Sun) :: Grenfell SK :: Legacy Inn
Nov 18 (Mon) :: Leader SK :: Leader Community Centre
Nov 19 (Tues) :: Swift Current SK :: Event Centre
Nov 20 (Wed) :: Assiniboia SK :: Prince Of Wales Cultural Centre
Nov 21 (Thurs) :: Medicine Hat AB :: Esplanade Theatre
Nov 22 (Fri) :: Calgary AB :: Jake’s Place
Nov 26 (Tues) :: Vancouver BC :: Roundhouse Theatre (Songbird North)
Nov 29 (Fri) :: Ladysmith BC :: Eagles Hall