Manitoba country rocker Ryan Keown has passed on his love of music and singing to his eldest son, Austin Ryder, who is now coming into his own in the country music industry. Ryder fostered a love of music at an early age, which resulted in him singing on stage and taking guitar lessons.
“I would say I’ve always been in love with music,” said Ryder. “I grew up with having music played in the house all the time, and being an extroverted person, I was always singing and making noise, which drove my family crazy at times.
“I started as a young little boy in about grade 4, as a special guest with dad’s shows where I would come up and sing a song with the band. It was always the song, Wagon Wheel, which is a crowd favourite. It wasn’t long after that I wanted to take guitar lessons, so I went to Stan Ostafie and he taught me how to play. Then in grade 8, that grew into me opening up for my dad’s shows and performing the first set of the night with his full band.
“It grew from there and I got the singing bug,” said Ryder. “I started learning some songs on my own and practicing to play alongside my dad in the band.”
For Ryder, watching his dad perform with his band was a normal way of life and an excellent way to spend time together as a family. It also instilled in him the dedication needed to foster talent and passion, and all the hard work needed to make it a reality.
“Growing up, I didn’t know anything different when it came to living the life of a musician,” said Ryder. “When I was in school, it was normal to know that on weekends, we would be travelling to wherever my dad was headlining or a concert. It was something all of us grew up with and it was fun, exciting and provided with some good stories to tell afterwards.
“I normalized following my passion and dreams from an early age as a result of that. My dad showed us that if we wanted to do something, we could absolutely make our dreams a reality and chase them. He was very encouraging in that.
“My dad was more of a role model and supported me when it came to music,” said Ryder. “He didn’t want to take on the direct role of pushing me into music. He wanted it to be a passion of my own, so I took music lessons from Stan and I kind of grew from there. He provided me with some opportunities that I wouldn’t have been able to get on my own, but he wanted to be careful to ensure it was something I wanted to do.”
Ryder has experienced what it’s like to perform with a band on stage. It’s a different experience to performing solo and he feels like a band is your team that gets you through every aspect of performing on stage.
“I think that my start with performing with a full band happened before I started taking lessons of my own, that having the band there was a comfort and support system,” said Ryder. “I knew that the band had my back and if anything went wrong, they knew what to do and how to help me. That was empowering to have a full band. It’s awesome to have it all come together because you work so hard learning these songs on your own, and then being able to play them with a band to make music is a great experience.
“I have been fortunate to play with a couple of different bands in Calgary, even though I’m most familiar with our band back home, but the ones out here really know their stuff and they’re there to help. You can’t make a mistake with them, because they will follow you and help you out. It’s good to know that if it doesn’t go perfectly, no one will know because the band is there to back you up.”
When it comes to listening to music and performing artists, Ryder has his favourites in the country music industry.
“Vocally, I think Chris Stapleton is hands down the best in the business,” said Ryder. “He’s in a league of his own and to say one inspires to be like him is a bit of a longshot, but he is incredible. Stage presence-wise, I really look up to Cody Johnson. I recently saw him in concert in Calgary and he’s such a true classic cowboy. He is super humble, kind and classy on stage. He’s absolutely an entertainer.”
Ryder has been busy since he graduated from high school in Roblin and has been studying at university while making music. He has gained a lot of exposure and experience on stage performing in Calgary for different events and venues.
“I will be starting my fourth year of biochemistry in Calgary and will be graduating next spring,” said Ryder.
“Aside from my studies, I’ve been playing at local venues in the city. I’ve played at Ranchman’s numerous times and recently at Calgary’s International Beerfest. I do get a lot of opportunities to practice quite a bit. In my free time, so on Friday nights, you can catch me at the Ronald McDonald House playing music and singing to the families and children staying there for medical reasons. They are an audience that I get to practice for every week, which also helps me prepare for the bigger shows in Calgary. It’s a good balance, otherwise, I would find myself heavily involved in my schoolwork without any opportunity to keep up with my music.
“Calgary is called Canada’s Greatest Honky-Tonk, so knowing that and walking into Ranchman’s is intimidating but special at the same time,” said Ryder. “It was a great opportunity because there’s an atmosphere in there and the vibe from the stage, dance floor and employees are country to the core. It’s special to me because knowing the musicians who have played that stage before me and now, I’m getting to take part in that is all so surreal. It draws a different crowd than what I’m used to back home.”
Along with performing on stage, Ryder is now embarking on songwriting and recording. He will be releasing his first single very soon.
“I’m doing a little bit of writing now,” said Ryder. “My new single, Spin, that is coming out is one I didn’t write but was pitched to me out of Nashville. After listening to a couple hundred songs, when I heard this one, I knew I could make it my own. I didn’t want to pass up the opportunity to put my own spin on it and recorded it a couple of months ago.
“This single is all my own. I started meeting my producer, Bart McKay from Saskatoon, to get a feel for where we wanted the song to go. We put some inspirations that we want to include in the song and how we could modify it, versus the placement of things.
“Then it was a two-day studio session. On the first day, we laid down the tracks and recorded every part that fit the vision we had for the song. Then the second day, was the vocals, which was a half-day process of me singing the same song on repeat, with some changes in inflections and articulation of my words. Then we dove into the individual sections of the song to get the most out of it.
“I’m pleased with the way it has all come together and Spin should be out in the very near future,” said Ryder.”
Summer is going to prove to be a busy one for Ryder and he has a schedule packed with gigs and performances all over, from Manitoba and back into Alberta.
“We’ve got a busy summer coming up,” said Ryder. “Fortunately, I’ve had lots of opportunities here in Calgary, but I look forward to going back home. We have a long list of summer performances back home playing festivals, such as Dauphin Countryfest, as well as some rodeos and festivals. Then we will travel back to Calgary for the Stampede. Dad will get to take the stage with me at the Calgary Stampede, so this is the first gig that I’ve booked for him.”