Everyone remembers the kid on the school bus who always had the headphones on and Channel Theory front man Derek Ryan used to be precisely that kid. It was this plugged-in passion for listening as a child that electrified a determination to learn every instrument. “I was really into soundtracks, compositions, bands . . . I imagined myself playing all the instruments and really connected with the way music could access my emotions.” Ryan started recording himself as early as fourteen.
During his undergraduate years, Derek Ryan’s personal and musical growth went hand and hand: “At around twenty-one I became determined to produce a solo album where I wrote and recorded everything: vocals, guitar, bass, drums, and keys. I was lovesick and searching for something. The album turned into a pseudo diary and a source for emotional release.” It was in reflection of this album, Something to be Said, that Derek Ryan began to view himself as a sincere musician. So he traveled to England to have the album mastered by an audio genius from the golden days of rock: Simon Heyworth.
Although the inspiration and beauty of Something to be Said was born of purely individual creative force, it was precisely the album that got Ryan noticed by artists such as Bruce Kulick formerly of KISS and producer/composer Jeremy Rubolino. The well-established pair decided to give Derek Ryan a shot: record a real album in a real studio with other real musicians. However, the timetable was not exactly generous. He had to write ten songs in ten weeks. Ryan says, “What followed was a whirlwind of anxiety and frustration, because everything I tried to write seemed contrived and unoriginal. I would conclude that it couldn’t be done. I didn’t get it until I completely let go, and then the songs wrote themselves. It was a huge struggle I wasn’t prepared for, but eventually I was on a plane to L.A. , along with ten of the best songs I had ever written.”
With a chance to become the voice coming through the headphones, Derek Ryan discovered the thrill of collaboration with some highly regarded musicians. Gary Novak, formerly of Chic Corea and Alanis Morrissette, coupled with Chris Chaney from Jane’s Addiction, put their mastery to work drawing from Ryan’s demos of every instrument. The virtues of real performance and musicianship behind him, Derek Ryan was able to focus on exploring his voice and taking his own performance to a new dynamic. He shaped the album as a journey, drawing upon world travels and emotional musings, and discovered the power of his vocals as its own instrument.
After completing the evocative new record These Things, Derek Ryan sought out musicians close to home that could honor the album’s creators yet translate it into a live performance. Together they formed the band Channel Theory. Ryan explains, “Channel Theory, as I know it, deals with acupuncture and the use of acupuncture meridians for treatment. It also has a spiritual meaning regarding meditation . . . more specifically channeling frequencies of the universe, which can give you access to anything in the past, present, and future. I truly feel like art, especially music, is sort of out there already and you just tap into this source when you write from your heart and soul. I feel like this record came from somewhere else, so Channel Theory could also be seen as another way of describing that source where art comes from.” Under its newfound name, the band has already played world-renowned festivals in 2009 such as RedGorilla Music Fest and Summerfest.
Derek Ryan may have started out as the kid with headphones, but he took his private journey and amplified it to resonate with audiences everywhere. The band stays focused on “art for art’s sake,” or as Ryan puts it: “Today, music seems to be more about selling products and the ‘look’ rather than expressing yourself, and reaching out to connect with people. I’m not interested in music taking over every aspect of my life, but because it is a passion of mine, I want to give it a chance to reach its full potential.”
