Ryan B. Case

Ryan B. Case lives in Nashville but grew up just south of the Tennessee border in Huntsville, a mid-sized Southern town in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. His family history in the region goes back to the latter half of the 19th century, a subject he explores on his self-titled debut EP. “It’s funny in retrospect,” he says. “I always thought of moving to Nashville as some kind of big deal, but in reality, it’s only 100 miles from where I grew up. Geographically and culturally it feels like home.”

Case realized Nashville was indeed home following the disbanding of The Victrolas, an alt country rock outfit he fronted with his brother for the better part of the last decade. “I loved that band, and I like to think we were just a little ahead of our time” he says with a congenially self-deprecating chuckle. The Victrolas had the quintessential rock band story: four friends set out in a van to try and capture the hearts and minds of America. Then, the economics of the music business slowly chip away at that dream until everyone wakes up.

Marriage, a dog, and other hallmarks of the American grind followed the end of the band in 2009, but they have hardly dimmed Case’s passion for songwriting or altered his determination to carve his own path. “I think I have an addiction to songs,” he jokes. “I love all types of songs – from uplifting to depressing, from jazz to monster ballad – you name the genre and I can probably find at least one song that I like and have respect for.” But he spins an Americana folk style on his debut, something he describes as “Tom T. Hall for the 21st century.” The comparison is apt from the first track; like Hall, he imbues his melodies with character and turn a phrase with ease. The collection showcases Case as an everyman with an eccentric take on American life and family: he’s ready for the end of the world, has an ambivalent relationship with rules and regulation, loves his wife and beer in equal measure, and has a uniquely “famous” great uncle. These things and more are evident throughout the six-track debut.

True to form, he is uncertain, yet unworried, about the future. “All you can do these days is ‘follow your own weird,’” he says in homage to Jerry Jeff Walker. “I’m creating my own little corner of the online universe where you can hear how I see it.” From where we sit, he’s off to a fine start. Ryan B. Case’s self-titled debut EP is available for free download on his website, as well as on ITunes and other major online retailers.