Ryder Green
From blistering renditions of blues-infused rock and funk to sublime vintage blues, edgy ballads, rockabilly, slide, and everything in between, Ryder Green brings a dynamic mix of firepower and grit, effortlessly intertwined with melodic engaging songs, and straight-from-the-soul improvisation.
When Green takes the stage for live shows, there’s no such thing as a “grace period.” A signature jump-start leaves no doubt the music is going to bring the crowd to life, generally with a rousing take on one of his many original songs.
He never settles for mediocre or “filler” material in live shows or on recordings. While paying homage to some of the music greats in the blues/rock/funk genres with his own take on choice covers, a growing repertoire of original songs are taking on a life of their own—gaining the familiarity and momentum that will turn them into future cover songs.
While originally known as a young guitar virtuoso, with the skills and soul of someone many years his senior, Green has now evolved into an accomplished singer/songwriter as well. Before forming his own band, he honed his chops by going out to jams and soaking up the live-stage, on-the-job training. By playing with experienced musicians who were more than happy to mentor him, he quickly learned how to expand his virtuoso guitar skills and be part of the group dynamic of a band. He effortlessly picked up the ability to just shift into the vibe of any song and improvise without ever having heard the song. That, along with his sense of rhythm and timing made him a go-to guitarist when a band needed someone on the fly.
While grounded in blues from across the widening spectrum of the genre, the strong influences of rock and funk are evident as well. Definitely an outside-the-box artist, he’s always looking to create music that gives the listener a boost up to a higher emotional tone, no matter where they’re at when the music starts.
Major influences came from the likes of Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Eric Gales, Chris Cain, Jeff Beck, John Lee Hooker, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Matt Schofield, Jimi Hendrix. More influences develop regularly—like Gary Clark Jr., Chris Duarte, Henrik Freischlader.…
In November of 2016, Ryder Green & his band won the Golden Gate Blues Society’s blues challenge. They then went on to represent them in Memphis in February 2017 at the International Blues Challenge (IBC).
In January of 2017, Green released a 5-song EP of all original songs, and has since been getting increasingly frequent radio plays and recognition as a triple threat talent to be reckoned with.
Since the release, within a year’s time, he wrote and started recording on many new songs.
Not content to merely copy the influential greats, he’s grown from the inspiration and is charting his own unique course in music, just as they did.
As someone who never gets stage fright — probably because he simply loves to get up there and play to live audiences — there is a resulting freedom and fluidity to his playing that connects with people and creates a positive emotional experience.
He can deliver a stunningly raw emotional blues solo, or a hard-edge, driving rendition of Freddie King’s “Going Down” that became a signature number for him. He is yet unquestioningly playing from his own heart and soul. In the zone on stage, all eyes and ears become riveted as
he brings his turbo-boosted “old soul” vibe.
Very much a people person, he’s particularly happy to talk gear and tell you all about how he got the great tone in his favorite guitar, or about how he and his dad took the cheap guitar he got from a pawn shop and modified the daylights out of it. Always gotta get that tone!
Green has always known that his career path in life was to be music. He’s played many live shows and written and recorded original songs, with many more in the works. But he’s just getting started. Time is on his side with the energy and drive to create and collaborate on a lifetime of incredible music.
Major influences:
Freddie King Jonny Lang
Kenny Wayne Shepherd Stevie Ray Vaughan
Joe Bonamassa B.B.King
Jeff Beck Johnny Winter
Chuck Berry Chris Cain
Eric Gales Matt Schofield
Henrik Freischlader
Matt Schofield show in Grass Valley
Stand By Me
This was at a Celebration of Life tribute event for my long-time instructor/mentor/friend, David Natale. We lost him in early 2014. I was filling in some of the guitar parts he played with his former band members. It was a bittersweet day. But it was great to see the large crowd of people come together to honor him and his love of music.
rydergreen@rydergreenmusic.com • 916-622-6138