Riley

Riley is a band out of Novi, MI. Originally named after the band’s high school math teacher, Tom Riley, the band has seen some great success in its four years together. All members continuously write new music for the fans they love. With newly established; four part vocal harmonies, innovative guitar harmonies, impressive piano, ground rumbling bass guitar, toe-tapping drumbeats, lulling violin, and upbeat ukulele, Riley has changed the face of music in their area. A set-list that ranges in genre from rock, to country, to folk, to ballad; Riley is proud of the music that they make. Riley would not have been able to achieve anything without the love and support of their fans who, even through the worst times, kept us alive. And for that we cannot thank them enough! Riley, in their fourth year together released the 5 song EP “The Curse and the Cure,” which was brilliantly recorded by Michael J. Creswell at Ante Up Studios in Cleveland, Ohio. Riley consists of 5 members, Dan, Ryan, Cody, Ben and Matt, whose bios you can find below.
Dan has a deep connection to Riley, and would be truly lost without it. He, along with every member of the band, has devoted countless hours to the success of the band. While Dan understands the competition of the music world, his life’s dream is to become a professional musician, preferably as lead singer for Riley. Dan currently attends Michigan State University majoring in Professional Writing, with specializations in both Music and English. Dan has a deep passion for music, which he cathartically releases every time he is on stage with Riley, which may be cause for some of his, less than ordinary, sporadic motions. Dan will be performing, whether singing, playing piano, playing guitar, or acting, his entire life and does not see any reason why he may cease performances with the band Riley.
Ryan's interest in music began at an early age. He began singing at the age of 3 and as he became more involved in music, his curiosity grew. At the age of 15 he convinced his parents to enroll him in drum lessons and a year later to buy him his own drum set. Just a year after picking up a drumstick he got together with a couple friends, forming the band Riley. After being in the band for a year he picked up a guitar, helping him write several of Riley's songs featured on the EP, “The Curse and The Cure”. He currently attends Central Michigan University where he plans on expanding his interest in music, majoring in broadcasting with a minor in music.
Cody didn't get involved with music until high school, where he discovered bands like, Billy Talent, Taking Back Sunday, and The Hives. After encouragement from some friends he decided to take up bass guitar. He formed a band with a neighbor and two other friends called The Noise Next Door. Following that, Cody was asked to attend a different band’s practice in the basement of drummer Ryan Anderson's house. The practice went incredibly well, and Riley had found its bassist. Cody has recently begun learning the Ukulele and Mandolin, which allows him to bring an entirely new dimension to Riley.
Benjamin is currently a student at the Cleveland Institute of Music studying violin and audio recording. Ben has been playing the violin since he was 5. He decided to teach himself the guitar a few years ago and has been working hard at it since. Ben was asked to join the band Riley in the summer of 2009 as an official member after playing with them periodically since their formation. The news came as a quite delightful surprise and Ben has lent a great hand in the improvement of the band overall. Ben hopes to use his vast musical training and audio recording experience to work as an Executive at a major record label.
Matt has been playing guitar for much of his life. Matt, with his musically inclined family, began writing music on a whim and has been improving at great lengths since. He has written many songs for Riley including the upcoming album “Calling on the Constellations,” which Riley expects to be their best album yet. Matt currently attends OCC and works quite hard at his job while he builds his own recording studio. Matt hopes that through his hard work and self-teaching, and quite possibly professional training, to become a Recording Engineer in the near future.
Riley, is a family. However it is not simply the band members who stretch the expanse of the family, it is all of Riley’s fans and friends who continually support Riley. We live to create music that makes people happy, and in return, our fans show their happiness at our shows. Riley will only create music with the fans happiness and entertainment in mind.