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Midwestern AF.

Midwestern AF.

 

Since departing his South Dakota home for Minnesota, Clayton Ryan's pointed, angsty songwriting has become a recognizable howl of the Midwest music scene. The brooding, heartbroken tones of his twangy voice paint a melancholic picture of the desolate main streets and choked upbringing familiar to much of Middle America.

 

Within one year, the electric performer sold out his first ticketed show ever at The Bryant Lake Theater, shared stages with Joshua Quimby, Liam St John, Canaan Cox, and John Morgan, and his Whiskey Jam debut yielded one of only a few encores in the show's 1000 run history, and the only solo performer since Zach Top. His audience then gathered over 10,000 streams on day one of releasing his debut LP, GHOST TOWN. Produced by Isaac Levy (Ryan Lewis, Jonah Marais, Cory Wong) and multi-platinum selling artist Michael Shynes, the 11-track, live band record has given Clayton an impressive step forward with a sound that boldly steps between rock and roll, Midwest emo, and alt-country territory. Over the course of his career as a writer and performer, he has shared songs and stages with Liam St. John, Evan Honer, Cristina Vane, Julia DiGrazia, Joshua Quimby, and Tori Miller, and appeared at Miner Music Festival, Big Turn Music Festival, Des Moines Art Festival, Wild Bill Days, Sturgis Musicfest, Whiskey Jam, and Hotel Cafe.

"First of all, Clayton Ryan has a fantastic voice. Just this huge bellow, this vibrato that just resonates... It's ridiculous."

Pretty Fort Weekly

"The lost art of the story song. I could almost hear Gordon Lightfoot singing this."

- Marcus Hummon, Grammy-Award Winning Songwriter

"Simply put, Ryan is the kind of singer-songwriter Americana and roots music needs right now. He’s that good."

B Sides & Badlands

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