japhy

RYDE THE INDIE WAVE: Indie rock bands are getting tons of satisfaction at Stones Place, 1255 Queen St. W., with its weekly indie showcase. Tonight, Sonic Deli's Indie Wednesdays feature Japhy Ryder and the Entropy. Kicking it off at 9 p.m. is Jim Armstrong and the Sonic Deli Band. At 10:30 p.m. is a band to see. Japhy Ryder is a Toronto five-piece I've heard only good things about. For one thing, lead singer Michael Stanfield made it to the shortlist at last year's Rock Star: INXS auditions. As well, his song Alright was awarded second place in the John Lennon Songwriting contest. Another thing, the drummer, Rob De Simone, is really cool. By Jennifer Bill
AFTER SIX - Toronto 24 hours

To be honest when I popped in the Japhy Ryder Album I was expecting all of the songs to sound the same, after all the only thing that I have heard from Japhy was the song they had submitted to us. And while that same submitted song lead off the album, "The Cridge", I was pleasantly surprised to find that the album's 5 songs all had a different flow.
Japhy Ryder hits you right off the bat with "The Cridge" a nice up tempo rock track that I have to say I am becoming a fan of. It just grows on you. Then they slow down the album a bit with the 2nd track "Yes We Are Here". While a slow track still a solid track musically and vocally. The third track, "Shine the Light", is right back to "The Cridge's" pace. Which is what I can say by this track is what Japhy Ryder does best. A moderately paced rock track, with a cool talk track at parts can pretty much sum that one up. Track 4 "Try Me" is a faster track than all the rest. Which is kind of neat, I know what you are thinking, "Who needs a faster track, I thought you already said they had a good pace?" Well they did, and then they dug deep and put a little extra on it and hit us with some fast lyrics. Being a rap fan, I dig it. And the final track of the album, "Alright", is just what its name describes, alright. It's just a sit back and chill song. Slow beat, slower lyrics compared to what they have done previously in the album. You can't be up tempo all the time. It's a nice finish, like an after workout cool down, you need it. Everything has to have an ending, and this is about as good as you can ask for.
What Do You Like About the Album?:
To be honest I really kind of like the whole album. To start with they are instrumentally on par with just about any one out there, and vocally I dig how they lay it down. It's a fast talk like Jason Mraz, then when you think, "Oh damnit they are gonna go Jason Mraz on us!" they don't. He just starts to sing, unlike Jason Mraz who takes it a little too far don't you think? In fact vocally I have to say he sounds like Rob Thomas a little bit. It's that sort of cool mix that I like best about this album, they keep you guessing with their pace.
How Would You Describe the Album's Sound:
Well like I said earlier it's like Jason Mraz and Rob Thomas had a kid. This kid is one who was smart enough to know that Jason Mraz's fast talk is a little bit of a gimmick and should be used when needed. And knows all of Rob Thomas's tracks sound the same. So it's like some sort of Mraz/Thomas super kid made an album.
What Other Musicians Would Fans of the Album Listen to:
Go listen to Rob Thomas, and listen to Jason Mraz (Wordplay would probably be the best track to compare). The combine the two and listen to Japyh Ryder. I'm serious, go do it, and you will see exactly what I'm talking about. I just did it myself...Amazing.
What is Distinctive About this Release?:
This is a tough one. It's not a cookie cutter album by any stretch of the imagination, but it is only 5 tracks long. This brings the total album length to just over 16mins, I think it's too short to say it's unique. (16mins is just too small a sample size). It's a great album, listen to it, but I don't think you will find that it's a totally new sound. Call these dudes Norman cause they rock well.
What Tracks Do You Recommend?:
I said earlier I liked "The Cridge" but I'm going to say that my favorite track on the album is the 4th track "Try Me". It's probably the best example of the Mraz Thomas mix theory I have. Although I will admit, listening to that track again the Mraz/Thomas mix doesn't stand out as much as it sounding just like another band...that I won't name because then it would totally disprove my Mraz/Thomas theory of which I just spent a few paragraphs trying to prove.
What's A Good Thing to Do While Listening to this Album?:
Try to figure out who they sound like. Then think it's a less poppy Mraz/Thomas. And finally realize that they don't really sound like either one at all, but you can see how they sound like the mix vocally, not musically. In fact they don't even really SOUND like either one. Try your hardest to see this mix people, it makes sense to me.
Have You Ever Heard This Band Play Live?:
Nope, I don't trek out to Canada often.
How Do You Obtain This Album: Well I got it as a review album, but I'm sure less famous folk can get it off their MySpace www.Myspace.com/Japhy

The Nooge - Westsidewill.com

Yeah ! This is what I call great ! a 5 fot that..sure !
(A) Rick Rock (2007-06-09 19:35:42)

Powerful song, we wanna hear more! Vocal vibrato like Tragically Hip but with much more guts! I have many songs available for artists. Canada Rocks! Good Luck brother!
(A) The Dynamic Duo (2007-06-09 19:32:00)

Instantly grabbed me! 5 rating+, Super hooks and great vocals = Success!
(A) drgroove07zbeatz #711 (2007-06-09 13:59:32)

THIS IS BIGG TIME MUSIC..PRO PRODUCTION..SLAMMIN LYRICS...GOOD LUCK
(A) copperroads (2007-06-09 07:53:50)

Rock & Roll Baby...Great sound...Put more on...this is great music. Finally a band with real talent at SYM. Peace...Neal
(A) Steve J ChicaGo (2007-06-08 15:55:47)

very nice sounds, Anyone can create musik but originality comes from the heart and mind, Def. hear talent in your tune, 5 all day for creativity, Return the opinion and vote, it matterz to us, GOD BLESS
(A) 3 2 1 (2007-06-08 13:16:28)

Great sound you have there.. Keep it going, and you'll get somewhere..
(A) my soul to keep (2007-06-07 22:23:38)

nice sound....keep the rock rolling
(A) FreshWater (2007-06-06 19:27:53)

wow... respect !
- showcaseyourmusic.com

Thinline
2006-12-01 Really well done! Great playing ang singing. I love the acoustic guitar part.
GillySlinn
2006-12-01 I agree - great song all round. Wonderful vocals and guitar. Powerful stuff. Loved it. ... Gilly
cathead77
2006-12-01 Well, alright! Good singing and good picking. Enjoyed it.
ELMORELEWIS
2006-12-01 Love the vocs man! Cool tune and production ,and I'm a sucker for a rippin' solo.Totally dug it! ~ Elmore Lewis
GrumpHarmony
2006-12-01 Sounds great. Great vocal. Kick-butt chops. Sounds like it should be getting radio play. Great job!
MatsonMusicBox
2006-12-01 Nice job - vocals are very good - dug the lead git - nice job - KenM
lps45s8tracks
2006-12-01 (;AWESOME TITLE;)Drew me right in so glad it did.(;AWESOME LYRICS;)Well weritten.Would love to see lyrics posted as well.(;AWESOME VOCALS;)Sounding ever so good.(;AWESOME DELIVERY;)Enjoyed the listen ever so much.ALRIGHT time to vote.Your Songramp Bro.~(;Yrral Mallik;)
TWH
2006-12-02 powerful song, gr8 vocals, and the production is superb. nice chops,,,,TwH
Jimmy_Wanna_B
2006-12-02 Wanted to tell you that this song is alright. HEHEHE. Great stuff. Thanks for posting it. Love the guitar in the middle!
- SongRamp

BIGGJIMM
2006-01-23 way to go...lean way over and look what you find...a gem...you've got something really good here...vote
Boots
2006-01-28 nice track
JulesBloeth
2006-10-16 Incredible vocal and overall awesome job on production. I can't get enough!
ELMORELEWIS
2006-12-01 Way dig your vocal style.This one took off and rocked! Would be an awesome live number.~ EL
- SongRamp

RunTanHike688
2006-12-03 Hi japhy. Nice song. Nice vocals.
Satchmo
2006-12-03 Kickin' track. Rough but sure..it has that 'one-take' feel that I love cos it makes the music feel alive.
Awesome!
Paddy
- SongRamp

midlifecrisis
2005-06-06 Cool beat, great vocal, and guitar work! Nicely done. -Doug
Thelmab12000
2005-06-06 You have a real commercial sound. Reminds me of something that Rob Thomas from Matchbox 20 would do but it's all your own. Nice unique vocals too. I love it.
uglyhead
2005-06-06 The essence of this is pretty cool, but it really needs is a vocal hook. And the 'Black Sabbath' rock bit is just 'wrong' for this tune, adding nothing and taking away plenty. This is good solid work, but work on the arrangement and the lyric and it could be much, much better
ScottyMetro
2005-06-06 Very much enjoyed this...it's a keeper. You have a clean and unique sound here..a bit haunting..a bit of mystery...works well..good job!!! Scotty
Fish
2005-06-06 Really digging the vocal on this along with the guitar rhythm. Very nice. You do have a Rob Thomas kind of voice, and that's a good thing in my book. Regarding the Sabbath interlude, I kinda like it, but I think it should be much shorter. As it is, it feels like a digression rather than organic to the song.
JulesBloeth
2005-06-06 Whoa!! Absolutely incredible. Love the smooth vocal. Great melody and AMAZING instrumentation and production. Stellar!
skintknuckle
2005-06-10 Great stuff! Very Cool! Keep on postin'!!!!
JulesBloeth
2006-10-16 Back for another listen... It has been far too long. I like this even better now! : )
- SongRamp

Author Message
JulesBloeth
Forum Moderator




Joined: 12 Jan 2004
Posts: 996
Last Post: 07 Dec 06
Location: Georgia

Posted Thu, Dec 7, 2006 6:20 pm

Attached Link: Japhy's Homepage (http://www.songramp.com/homepage.php?userid=15037)


This week's Spotlight is on "japhy" (Japhy Ryder)!

1. How did you find SongRamp and what do you like most about this site?

I found songramp through an internet search. I really like the feedback from other members. There are a lot of talented individuals on songramp, their opinions are of great value!

2. Name one favorite song you’ve written, currently posted on your homepage. Why is this your favorite?

My favourite song is “Alright.” It is lyrically strong and has a catchy melody, not to mention it won a John Lennon Songwriting Award which provided the opportunity to perform at the John Lennon Tourbus, an honour I must say!

3. What’s the best advice you’ve ever received and who gave it to you?

My Father was an extremely inspirational figure to me, a real positive energy. The one piece of advice that sticks in my head is 'Stay true to yourself and your beliefs.'

4. Who were some of your earliest musical influences and how have they shaped your songwriting?

My first influence was my Father. He played in a skiffle band in Liverpool around the time the Beatles were starting to hit the scene, the famous Cavern being just one of the stages he graced. He taught me some great Liverpool lullabye's ( folk songs)and of course this lead to my next major musical influence being John Lennon. Continued on to enjoy such greats as Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan and currently listening to Arctic Monkeys, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers...........it's great to hear brand new artists too and watch their style develop.

5. How old were you when you wrote your first song? What was it entitled and how would you feel if that song were played today?

I was 7 when I wrote my first song. It was a challenge from my Dad to write a song in a 'rag feel.' I went away and 1/2 hour later came back with 'Honey Don't Leave.' I still play it at party's, my friends request it all the time, it's a really upbeat, happy song. I wrote a lot of songs in my teens that were much deeper. In fact 'What will the Children Say' was a song I wrote for a social studies project about the IRA. I passed my course!

6. Is there anything you’d like to add or share with us?

Enough about me, although I could say more..........isn't that why we write songs!! Seriously though, to all of you reading this, at some point in your career I am sure you have felt that success is elusive. I tell myself this often, 'success is not the end result, it's ENJOYING the musical journey!!'

BONUS QUESTION – THIS OR THAT? Fly OR Drive?

Good one! I hate driving, and that to me is the only thing missing from my life....a chauffeur :)





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- Jules Bloeth

He’s happy to talk about most of it, but Michael Stanfield says many of the best details of local band Japhy Ryder’s trip to a Washington music festival wouldn’t make it into a newspaper story.

“The real story comes from all the unprintable stuff,” Mr. Stanfield says with a laugh.

The five-man Richmond Hill band, for which Mr. Stanfield sings and plays guitar, played the first night of the D.C. Indie Music Festival and Art Exhibition, which ran from March 6 to 13.

Original show

Japhy Ryder’s show was the first night of the festival. Of the close to 20 songs the group performed, only two were originally recorded by other artists: Running to Stand Still by U2 and Into The Mystic by Van Morrison. The rest, Mr. Stanfield said, were original tunes.

Japhy Ryder got involved with the show after the event organizer heard about the group through a mutual friend, he says. From there, the organizer checked out the band’s myspace page and contacted them with an offer to play.

The two-year-old festival is geared toward independent artists not yet signed to a major recording label, Mr. Stanfield says.

“It was a good crowd, very responsive,” he says. “We were the only Canadian, or international, artists, if you want to say. We were very well received — they were really into it and we got lots of positive feedback.”

Japhy Ryder got together in 2004 and has been playing in the Toronto area since then. Along with Mr. Stanfield, the group consists of lead guitarist Mike Spriggs, bassist Bob Crane, drummer Rob DeSimone and percussionist Mike Kerr.

Their style, Mr. Stanfield says, consists of rock and roll with soul.

“It’s very positive music,” he says. “We’ve been described by people who come to see us as (Juno award-winning Canadian artist) Sam Roberts with an edge.”

The band’s song, Alright, was chosen as a winner in the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, which earned Japhy Ryder a spot performing at the John Lennon Tourbus stage at the NAMM show — connected to the contest — in Anaheim in early 2006.

Video on way

That same year, they were also nominated for Best Live Band at the Toronto Independent Music Awards.

They performed at Kingfest Music Festival last year, sponsored by York Region Media Group.

“That went really well,” Mr. Stanfield says. “We did that last year and and we’re anticipating doing that again next year.”

During their trip to Washington, the band sold several copies of a five-song CD, also called Japhy Ryder. They also plan to finish and release a full-length album, so far untitled, in May, plus shoot a video and hit the road again for shows in the United States and Canada.

Contacts Japhy Ryder made during their visit to Washington are helping them set up shows, Mr. Stanfield says.

“It’s a satisfying feeling,” he says of the show. “Especially traveling to a place that’s not your home base.”
- Michael Power - The Liberal, April 1st 2008