With the country music scene continuing to explode with talent hailing from all over the planet, a local favorite puts Oxford, OH on the map. Ryan Broshear possesses all the elements to make real country fans stand up and take notice. Powerful vocals, a captivating stage presence and an impressive collection of songs….it’s all there. With Alan Jackson-worthy lyrics and a traditional steel guitar sound, Ryan’s music is the embodiment of country music at its finest.
It was my pleasure to speak with Ryan recently about topics ranging from his childhood up to the release of his must have self titled CD, “Ryan Broshear.”
AV: Tell me a little about yourself. I read that you grew up on a farm. What was that
like?
RB: It was great! I had goats, chickens, cows, dogs, cats, and horses. I was active in
the FFA showing goats, cows, and horses. My favorite was three years of barrel racing in the county fair. We had a lot of land to run around on and a pond to fish in. I can’t imagine a kid growing up without it. I was very blessed.
AV: Tell me about your musical influences both growing up and now.
RB: I grew up in a family that listened to a lot of country music. My parents
divorced when I was six but country music was strong in each household. My
dad would turn the radio on every morning before he went to work
construction. For a short time as a child I moved to Texas and my mother
would play it in the car. I started singing along and she never once told me to
stop. That’s when I started learning I enjoyed to sing.
There were a lot of voices on that radio, but a few stood out. Artists like Randy Travis and Garth. It was Garth’s energy that made learning guitar and being a country singer look cool. The voices in Texas were different for the most part. I heard Dwight Yoakum, Ricky Skaggs, and Merle Haggard. Those voices fit my taste vocally the best.
Today I am influenced by artists based on how they handle the stage and how well they handle the business. I look at Blake Shelton and see how he has managed to let his personality show and grow close to a huge fan base through his work on The Voice. The legends still inspire me. Not much time goes by without me listening to Waylon, Haggard, or Cash.
AV: As a songwriter, I’m sure you draw from personal experiences. Is it ever difficult
to perform the songs live? Do you ever feel like they are almost too personal to
share? Or is it cathartic to release those emotions to the crowd?
RB: For the most part I can channel the emotion from my songs into making people
feel what I have to say and I don’t get choked up. However my father recently
passed from a fight with cancer. His favorite song was “Make Each Moment
Last”. A lot of nights I close with that one. It was the first song I ever wrote.
The meaning changed after his passing. Each night I play it, I’m playing it
for my dad. Some nights have been tougher than others.
AV: You’ve performed several times at Brick Street Bar in Oxford, OH and have
gathered quite a following. How does it feel to have that fan base building before
your eyes? What’s it like to look out into the crowd and see people singing along
to your songs?
RB: One of the most powerful forces that drives me is the fans. Over 2012, I’ve
watched some of the biggest growth of fan involvement ever. Venues like Brick
Street added a great core to my crowd and spread the word quickly because I was
paired with artists like Luke Bryan, Chris Young, Easton Corbin, Justin Moore,
Lee Brice, and Gretchen Wilson. I learned a lot from them too. The crowds were
packed each time and to look out at 900+ people in that room and see each one
making noise and singing along is incredible.
To see people singing along with songs that you wrote is the ultimate compliment for a songwriter. I played a show for St. Jude’s in Petoski, MI for a country station called Big Country Hits 102.9 and right from the start they were singing every word. I have never been there before or met those people! Awesome!
AV: Do you ever co-write? Do you prefer to have total creative control or is it fun to
bring someone else’s perspective in? If you could have a “dream co-writing”
session with one of your idols, who would it be…and why?
RB: I didn’t intend to have any co-writes on my last album. However, bringing in a
fresh perspective does wonders in fine tuning a song. My wife is a personal
trainer and wellness educator. She loves to write but I never envisioned her as a
songwriter. Very early in the writing for this album she proved she was. She
ended up co-writing 6 of the 10 songs on the record, including her biggest
contribution on the song “I Don’t Mind,” which we’re releasing as a single on
January 7th, 2013.
As far as a dream co-write, Alan Jackson immediately comes to mind. He wrote the vast majority of his catalog and has a way of cutting to the core of an issue very simply but it impacts hard. In my mind he is one of the top singer songwriters of all time.
AV: You play guitar. Do you have a favorite guitar to play? Do you play any other
instruments?
RB: My favorite guitar to play is a Taylor. I’ve had several guitars but far and away
the Taylor sounds best to me. I don’t currently play any other instruments but I
would like someday to accompany myself with a piano.
AV: “Let Your Redneck Out” the first single off your current project is an anthem to
hanging with friends, having fun, letting your guard down and just being yourself.
Tell me about the inspiration behind this song.
RB: I wanted to start this song with the feeling of getting off work on a Friday and
being able to let go for the weekend. The line “we circle up those pickup
trucks..” was inspired by a tradition we have in the winter time. My father-in-law
has a giant sled hill. When it snows we drive a bunch of four wheelers and trucks
out to the hill and light a big fire. In the song, that became a summer type setting.
Various other parties with some of my country friends inspired events in the song.
Very little of the events in the song are made up and names have been changed to
protect the innocent. LOL
AV: “Make Each Moment Last”….such sweet, reflective lyrics to this song. My
condolences on the recent loss of your dad. You mentioned earlier that this was his favorite song. Can you share a little bit about what he told you about this song, what it
meant to him, etc?
RB: (Getting Choked up as I answer this one)
On one of my dad’s last days I sat on the porch with him and we just let time slip away trying to soak up as much of it with each other as we could. The thought occurred to me I didn’t know who his favorite country singer was. It’s funny how much we take for granted while our loved ones are healthy. His response floored me. He told me I was his favorite country artist. As far as the song, its message is that life is short and you can’t change the past. You have to hold on to each moment and make each moment last. There wasn’t a campfire together or a show he attended when he didn’t request it. I sang it to him at his hospital bedside on his last day. One of the hardest things I’ve ever done but it brought him some peace. That was a tough one Alicia but thanks for asking.
AV: What was it like the first time you heard your music on the radio? When was it?
Where were you?
RB: There have been a lot of firsts in this records early life. The first time I heard my
music was through an online stream of Renegade Radio Nashville. They were the
first to play it along with some other independent internet stations.
The first time I heard it through actual radio was on the Big 98 out of Nashville on Sirius/XM. I had performed on the Billy Block Show and they did an on-air re-
broadcast the Sunday after the show. I was driving with my daughter Katie and my son Dan and we were screaming and jumping up and down in our seats. We knew that was going to be broadcasted so it was somewhat expected but it was a surreal experience hearing it through my car speakers.
The first time I heard it on an actual FM station was when I was driving through the northern Michigan wilderness headed to do an on-air interview with Big Country Hits 102.9 following my St. Judes show. The DJ came on, introduced me, and played “I’m Rich.” That was like a dream crossed off the list. In my song “Countrything” I wrote about it in the line “hearing that record man say my name.” I will never get tired of hearing that. I’m so thankful for all the stations who are playing my music.
AV: Traveling to do shows is a necessity in the music business. Do you enjoy that
part? Where have you played outside of the Cincinnati area? What are some of
your favorite venues to play?
RB: One of my favorite parts of this business is performing for and meeting new
people. I love to travel! To me that is part of what makes this dream so special. I
saw a lot of awesome places outside the Cincinnati area in 2012. We toured to
Chicago, Nashville, Indianapolis, Vegas, Key West, Northern Michigan, West
Palm Beach, and several places in Northern and central Ohio like Coshocton,
Hiram, Lima, Piqua, and more.
Some of the places that stand out in 2012: Performing with my wife at the MGM Grand in Vegas, The Wildhorse Saloon in Nashville, Renegades in West Palm Beach, FL and one of the best experiences was singing the National Anthem at the NASCAR Truck Series Race at Kentucky Speedway. What an honor. This was a year I’ll never forget.
AV: Who would be your dream touring mate?
RB: I think it would be a blast to tour with Blake Shelton. He is at the top of the heap
in country music and I saw him perform the night he was inducted into the Grand
Ole Opry. To be part of that show would be a very high honor.
AV: What’s on the horizon for you?
RB: 2013 is set to be a huge year for me. We are coming out of the gate strong with
our second single “I Don’t Mind” impacting radio Jan 7th. We are hoping for
placement on the front page of iTunes in early January. We are following the release with a full radio tour around the country to visit some of the incredible stations playing our music. We have eight shows in Cincinnati in January and will be doing a lot more extensive traveling. My goals are to get on a tour with a successful act and to play the Grand Ole Opry. Stay tuned!
Many thanks to Ryan for taking the time to chat. We’re very excited to follow the blazing trail he's on right into 2013 and beyond!
To learn more about Ryan and to check out his tour dates and merchandise….visit his website at
www.ryanbroshear.com.
You can also follow Ryan on…..
Twitter @ryanbroshear
Reverbnation http://www.reverbnation.com/#!/ryanbroshear
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Copyright ©2012 Music Central All rights reserved
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