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The Kickland family has been a stalwart of the Midwest USA music scene for nearly three decades. Ryan Kickland earned his musical spurs as founder, guitarist and songwriter in the psychedelic / fusion rock band Animalcule, which split in 2006. Since then he’s been busy writing and recording, and his latest release, The Mountain, continues his fascination with striking imagery juxtaposed with the human condition. His style, a looser, stranger throwback to West Coast luminaries like David Crosby, together with a hint of Roy Harper’s directness, makes him a songwriter to watch out for. Especially as he avoids the clichés the majority of his contemporaries employ and instead takes his songs down less travelled paths. Unsurprisingly, The Mountain has no shortage of standout moments. “Mountain King” rocks like the ‘70s and album closer “A Wide Open Space” signs the album off in a gentle, reflective mood. I suspect Ryan Kickland maybe the real deal. Find the time and check him out. - Leicester Bangs UK
Discography
Ryan Kickland - "The Mountain" -2010
Ryan Kickland - "Estranged" - 2009
Ryan Kickland - "Songs for the Abstract" - 2007
Ryan Kickland - "Wood Carvings" 2005
Ryan Kickland - "Living Stones" 2002
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Bio
Ryan Kickland is a songwriter, performer, composer and arranger of original and diverse musical works including folk & world music, psychedelic rock, ambient/atmospheric soundscapes and film scores. He was also the vocalist, guitarist and songwriter in the phenom psychedelic/fusion rock band, Animalcule, which dis-banded in 2006.
Ryan Kickland's folk music is less about pop-functionality than it is about content, imagery and mood. His writing maintains a gritty social conscience and a personal depth that explores different dimensions of the human condition, metaphysical and spiritual concepts, social and humanitarian issues, introspection and artistic expression, while also providing lighter images of joy, salvation and redemption. His music often includes elements of humor, fantasy and the downright bizarre.
On the other side of the musical coin, Ryan's ambient, electronic and instrumental soundscapes (which make up his world, fusion and atmospheric body of work) range from the murky depths of psychedelic funk/fusion and prog, to Eastern-inspired ragas, to the swirling sound of his symphonic analog arrangements. Ryan is a talented multi-instrumentalist and accomplished guitarist who's stylistic, liquidy guitar playing and intricate scale work are staples of his rock and fusion compositions.
Born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1977, Kickland was fortunate enough to be raised by a family of musicians. His father, Rocky Kickland and his mother, Marcella Remund (along with step-father Al "AR" Remund) have been staples of the Midwest music community for nearly thirty years.
Kickland grew up and dug his musical roots in South Dakota, where he began playing music as a young child. In his late teens, he started the cult phenom psychedelic rock group, Animalcule, with bassist and longtime friend, Josh Hilpert. Over the next ten years, Animalcule, comprised of Kickland, Hilpert, keyboardist Pat Ondrozeck and drummer Clint Wood, went on to gain a substantial following throughout the Midwest. Animalcule was a psychedelic tour de force within the music scene of the central United States. Kickland began to truly dig into his folk roots around 2001, when he began releasing solo folk recordings in his spare time. Since the dis-banding of Animalcule in 2006, he has continued to pursue his solo music across multiple genres.
Ryan Kickland is a licensed artist through Rumblefish Inc. in Portland and Music Dealers Co. in Chicago. He maintains his own record label, "Trick of the Desert Records", he is a highly ranked favorite on Garageband.com, was a finalist in the 2005 "International Songwriter of the Year" competition, and has toured the Midwest, the South and the Northwest US. Kickland's music has been featured on television, film and his songs are featured on over one thousand user videos on Youtube.
Listen for Ryan Kickland's music on the following radio stations... Jango.com -- Uneon Radio -- Lime Light Radio -- Indiebandradio.com -- Babys Crib IAC Radio -- The Stashion IAC Radio -- Podcast of Myspace Podcast -- KAIC Radio -- USD Radio KAOR and more...
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