Welcome to Awesome Bands from Hamilton, Ontario Part 907: Electroluminescent (also known as Ryan Ferguson). Check it:

J: Why is all the good music from Hamilton?

R: (Laughs) I saw your post the other day and figured you’d ask me that. We’re all working class, just like our city.

Hamilton is actually a pretty small city to make music in, yet we’re close enough to Toronto that we either get or get to see all the great shows. Maybe we’re more exposed to a certain standard that we have to live up to? 

Or it could be the sadness in our broken city.

Or it could be that you’ve only heard the good stuff.

 

J: Do you all hang out on weekends? Drink beers, get in fights, have sing-alongs?

R: I wish. That would be so much more fun and romantic than reality.

The bands that you’re referring to are all friends and supportive of one another. I have been involved in drunken times with all involved. 

No fights that I can remember.

 

J: Well good. I wouldn’t want any of you getting hurt.

How do you feel about the tragic passing of A Northern Chorus?

R: I think that it’s been coming for a few months now. It’s very sad. They’re a great band and they worked so hard at it for years.

But they’ll all continue in some way so maybe something new will grow from it.

 

J: Are you looking forward to playing the final shows with them?

R: Oh yeah for sure. We’ve both been at it for so long it’s funny we’ve only played together a few times before this.

Erin (their violinist) and I have been talking for a long time about doing something together so we’re hoping that we’ll get our act together and do a couple songs at the show.

Pete is already playing drums in a band and dong solo shows as well and Erin has been working on recordings forever.

 

J: So they’re not pulling a Jeff Magnum and entering the witness protection program?

R: I don’t think so. Could you imagine being Jeff Magnum and having to make another album? Almost impossible.

 

J: Especially now. Dude’s been canonized. WAY too much pressure.

R: Yep. In another 10 years they’ll do an ATP classic albums show. (Laughs) I already saw them a few times. I saw them for both albums and once in between.

 

J: …I saw Weird Al once. Top that.

R: WOAH. That’s amazing. I’d love to see that.

 

J: It’s probably better when you’re 9.

R: You never know…

 

J: No I suppose not…

Anyway, on to you! Tell us about the new release.

R: Oh yeah, me…

Sometime soon there will be a vinyl release of Measures available. No release date yet. It’s been pushed back so many times that I’m TBA-ing it until I have on in my hands.

Last year I released an EP called Measures on thisquietarmy records. It was supposed to be a tour EP. Black Mountain Music asked me if I’d like to do a vinyl release with them and I decided that I wanted to release the EP which was already sold out of its pressing. But instead of just re-releasing it on vinyl, I reworked the three songs from the EP and recorded four additional tracks and now it’s a full length.

J: So it’s just on vinyl? That’s pretty fancy.

R: Yeah well actually due to the delays in the vinyl release I’ve found myself with a little extra time, so there may be a CD release on another label, but nothing close to official yet.

Vinyl release is awesome though. I’ve wanted to do one for so long. I’m really lucky that Black Mountain wants to do it for me.

 

J: Yeah that’s really cool. There’s something really romantic about vinyl that just isn’t there with CDs or MP3s.

R: It’s true. I’m not big on the idea that it sounds way better than a CD, but the experience is better.

 

J: Kind of a nice tenth anniversary present.

R: Yeah 10 years, wtf?

 

J: How does that feel? Shouldn’t you be going on “indefinite hiatus” with yourself or something?

R: I should have broken up with myself or something for sure. I think I’ve quit a bunch of times but I never seem to see that through.

 

J: Luckily for the rest of us.

R: I hope so.

 

J: What’s different now from when you started doing Electroluminescent? How has your outlook changed? Your goals? The music?

R: The music really isn’t that far off from where I began, at least not in my mind. I’ve grown and become more accomplished at what I do for sure, but the basic idea has stayed the same… I never really had any goals.  Initially I was just recording for my own personal enjoyment. I didn’t even play live until four or five years into doing it and then I had to figure out how to approximate recording live.

Most of it has been a series of happy accidents playing shows, doing releases, touring… I’ve been lucy enough to have other people want to work with me or want me to come play for them.

 

J: So you don’t have dreams of greatness, just love of music?

R: I can’t say I’m completely pure of having unrealistic dreams. But I realize that they’re almost certainly unrealistic. Nobody ever got rich making music like mine, that’s for sure. And I’d definitely still be doing it the same if nobody cared.

J: I’ve got a question for you from our token Italian blogger, Sergio: “I’ve found some similarities between your songs and some stuff by the Boards of Canada. (According to Wikipedia) they once said “We do actually believe that there are powers in music that are almost supernatural. We think you actually manipulate people with music, and that is definitely what we are trying to do.”

Let’s not consider that “manipulating power,” but… do you think your music, especially when you play live, can have some kind of influence on the listener’s mind? I’m not talking about something that’s born and dead in a one-hour concert span. I mean something that remains in his/her mind. Some sort of elevating, mind-enlarging power with long term effect.”

R: I completely agree with the assertion of an almost supernatural power in music. I’ve been moved by enough things to feel that. I’m generally not interested in producing anything with a deliberate outcome. I’m pulling out a piece of myself when I make music. I think that the possibility of somebody being profoundly and permanently moved by it exists. I’m not sure if this has ever happened or not, but I would never want to deny that possibility to somebody else.

I really do think it’s possible. It’s not necessarily my aim. My aim is my own and I want the listener to take their own meaning and experience back from it, which is part of the reason I’ve stayed away from vocals for the most part. Once you attach something literal, then you’re limiting the room for interpretation.

But the first couple of releases I did had vocals on pretty much every song and I’m sure I will use them again as I see fit.

 

J: I’m sure whatever you do will be awesome. You do have a talent for the abstract.

R: (Laughs) Thanks. I have a whole other record half recorded that may be a bit more literal than most of my releases. 

I say that now, of course once I start layering ideas on it…

 

J: You’re just flying by the seat of your pants, aren’t you?

R: Pretty much. I like setting up a very sketchy framework and then forcing myself to fill the gaps.

 

J: Well maybe that’s the secret to life.

R: It could be. I don’t think there’s really an easy approach to life or whatever you want to call what I do. If you set too specific a goal, you may reach it and you may get fulfillment but did you experience anything to get there?

I just prefer questions to answers.

 

J: So you are truly wise.

R: (Laughs) Not really. Someday hopefully.

 

Make sure You check out Ryan’s Myspace, where there are two totally wicked awesome bad-ass songs available for your downloading pleasure. 

Rock.

Posted by Jocelyn

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