Where the End Begins

After a long spell, in which a lifetime took place in the span of a few years- I decided to record an album to mark the times. Songs of remorse, joy, faith, doubt, love, foolishness, lament, pandemics, anxiety and relational turmoil...the usual musings. The kind of stories that get stuck in my bones.

A few years back I felt compelled to hang it up- as if I could just stop writing and stop playing. When I told this to my good friend and musical brother Cooper, he replied with a scoff, "Do you know who you are? Do you know your name? You're Knathan Fucking Ryan. This is what you do. Go do it." He said this while battling cancer- a battle he ultimately lost. I kept this in the back of my head during the recording and am so glad I did. Sometimes we forget who we are- and good friends, family, songs, stories can remind us. I'm grateful and thankful for that. As I slowly worked on these songs- some of them written through a severe identity crisis- I kept Coop's words in the back pocket of my mind. One of these songs was written years ago, when I was in a band called the Silent Ks and some of these were written on the back porch during the lock-down. Regardless, I try to lay it on the line as much as I can.

As I was preparing to step into the journey of recording, a week before laying down the tracks with AC on drums, my buddy M.S. Singer texted me saying he just got his studio up and running (Singerland) and wanted to test drive it. He asked if I had any projects in the queue. I told him...as a matter of fact, I'm starting to record an album at the end of the week. He dove in head first with his clothes on for a full dive and didn't come up for air for the next few months. It was awesome to work collaboratively with him- we always had a great connection during our Silent Ks years and it felt like we hadn't missed a beat, even though eight years has passed since our last show together as the Ks. He really pushed this project to where it went- always listening for the heart of the song and really trying to develop and explore. It was life-giving to record with him- we only recorded together in the same room a handful of times, the rest of the time we shuttled songs back and forth through the vast frontiers of the interwebs and into the confines of a hard drive perched in a soft cloud. I am beyond grateful for his contributions, this album literally couldn't have been done without him. A few others recorded from home- my dear first cousin Eric Englehorn, Kevin "Bumpy" Slota, Amelia Alberts and Nick Merz from sunny/smoggy LA. Thanks for taking the time to work your magic. Norman Baker, AC Purdum, Dan Wrenn and Suzanne Brewer are all Bruised Hearts and I am SO thankful for their contributions on this album. Their instincts and musical voices always inspire. I was glad to actually record with them in-person, for the most part.

I hope you enjoy this collection of songs, thanks for taking the time to listen. I hope there are songs that resonate with you and maybe give a lift or maybe make you hum a bit when you're on a stroll, walking streets, or taking time for yourself.
During the recording I was asked by my lovely wife Jessie- "why did you decide to record again?"...I replied, "Because it's what I do."...see Coop- I learned.

PS> I wrote little introductions to each song too, for a little history- if you like that sort of thing.
credits
released October 8, 2021

All songs written by Knathan Ryan ©2021, North and Rainy Music. Additional songwriting credits to Cooper Smith on the coda of "Hey Rooster"; Flannery Ryan on "Quarantine Queen".

Recorded October 2020-May 2021 at:
Bethany Green Lake Chapel, in Seattle, WA
Singerland Studios in Ballard, WA
and The Nomads in West Seattle.