Ryan Flanagan is a singer songwriter living somewhere in between the Hollywood of the south and the misty Blue Ridge mountains. Having toured on and off for years and taking himself off the circuit for a transformational journey through rehab, Ryan emerged with a new perspective and lot on his mind.
Sharing crude cell phone recordings with long time collaborator, Deke Spears, Magnetic Recording Studios owner and operator, the muscle memory of song flight came back into focus for Ryan.
"I had some projects pretty much written and structured.... We would send ideas back and forth and before we knew it the songs would come to life..."
Spears enlisted a roster of talented musicians to perform and collaborate with Ryan and produced the rich oak wood soaked sounds you hear on Break the Falling and Tight rope. The raw warmth captured Lost in Translation, finds Flanagan's unique timbre float with melodic grace over lush sonic underbrush. And the triumphant Petty thunder of Driving into the Night is a windows down on a Sunday night, bonafide go on a road trip anthem.
"This record was inspired by my failures and the journey of becoming at peace with them, for acknowledging that our failures help shape our stories is where true self-growth lies. I believe that being grateful for and accepting all of our stories- the full story, not just the perceived ending or lesson that we learn from our string of transgressions, is one of the bravest things we can do in this lifetime. Life isn’t about the destination or the starting place, rather, it's about every twist and turn in the road and the nostalgic tourist traps you pull into along the way of becoming the person you are lucky to be. It was during this self-exploration journey that I learned that peace comes with understanding and acceptance of all of it, not just the parts we are willing to share with the world."
"It's so easy for us to marinate in false beliefs about ourselves and allow fear to drive us further away from being the best version of ourselves. If you allow it, fear will eat at you from the inside out until you have nothing left like some kind of carnivore. That is where “Carnivore Kingdom”, the name of this record, came from. We all have demons inside of us, and we can either continue to feed them or choose to face them and set them free. "
At the end of the day, there are heroes and there are men of humility. Ryan finds peace at home in between the two, with a mind brimming with brilliant melodies and a rich story to share.