The Eye of the Hurricane

5 Questions For Fans – Ryin Jones

Welcome to the 4th run of 5 Questions For Fans where we’ll hear from Ryin Jones (aka Steamboat Jesus), who was selected by Heather. Ryin pays the bills as a design/development gun-for-hire, but often pretends to be a musician and songwriter when copious quantities of Jameson come into play. He is a man of few enemies, high spirits, and uninhibited opinions. It has been rumored that he spends more of his free time in Texas than he does at home in Oklahoma City.

1) If you had to pick 2 albums that you would be the only music you could listen to from now on, which would they be?
If it’s just two, then I’d have to go for a balance of sorrow and joy:

2) When was the first time you realized that music was going to be an impacting force in your life? Or perhaps a “turning moment” in your love of music.
Music has always been a part of my life. My parents were music enthusiasts (read: snobs), which led me to being one, and I’ve always somehow gravitated towards friends who were the same way. I can’t really recall the “first moment”, so I’ll opt for a relevant turning point: I spent the late 90′s in a fairly depressing OKC music scene, and eventually moved to Amarillo for a change of pace. One night I was feeling particularly homesick and saw that a local band I knew from back home, Cross Canadian Ragweed, was playing at the Golden Light Cantina with Cooder Graw. So my roommate and I ventured out to catch the show. It was the first time I’d seen them play since high school, and I was immediately hooked on the fun spirit of the music and the great people that it seemed to bring together. The rest, as they say, is history.

3) Do you have any words to live by… something written in a song or spoken/quoted from a musician?

“Don’t let the sun go down on your grievance. Start each day with a clean slate.” ~ Daniel Johnston

4) Any concert/road trip/meet & greet/restaurant/hotel advice to share? Choose one…
Road trip tips? Hmm … the shortest route isn’t always the best, sick days were meant to be used, don’t be afraid to venture out alone, and sometimes the “irrational” choice has the best result in the end.

5) Tell us a story that sticks out in your mind when you think about all your experiences in this music scene.
My first “Galleywinter experience” is a good one I suppose – since it was when I first met Tank, Heather, Tracey, and a few others. It was late October ’06, the weekend of both Zeigfest and the Fall Acoustic show with Stoney and Adam. A group of us flew into Houston and rented a car (in my name). First stop was Ziegfest – which ended with me carrying Tracey on my back through a swampy field mere hours after meeting her (this was long after we had already been kicked out of both Crazy Frogs Saloon AND Baker Street Pub for “some reason”). The next day we crossed the ferry into Galveston for lunch, had a few MGDs at a random bait shop, and explored the coastline to kill time – then made our way to the acoustic show that night. Since our flight home left early the next morning, we opted to just stay up all night to be sure we made it to the airport on time. We found ourselves back at the hotel after-party, and at some point (under the direct influence of whiskey and peer pressure from certain unnamed individuals), I decided that the others should take my rental car back for me and just leave me behind … which they did with very little hesitation or protest. The next morning I found myself stranded 450 miles from home, by my own doing. I hooked up with Stoney and crew and caught a ride to his next stop in College Station. We checked into The LaSalle Hotel in old downtown Bryan, and after being heartbroken that you can no longer get “a steamin’ greasy plate of enchiladas with lots of cheese and onions … with ice tea and a waitress who will smile every time” (it’s now a Starbucks if I remember correctly), we headed on to Stoney’s gig. Later that night I hitched a ride to Fort Worth with my new friend Jenny and got a bit of sleep. Early the next morning, I packed up my gear, walked down to the nearest auto parts store I could find, and hit up an elderly farmer for a ride into Dallas. He obliged and we shared stories over coffee and smokes as he took me from River Oaks onto I-35E. He dropped me at a Shell station off the interstate, and from there I caught a cab to Love Field. I explained my situation to the clerk at the Southwest Airlines counter, and after a series of odd looks, I was finally on my way home to OKC …with a $40 flight refund to boot.

Who should I ask these questions to next?
Andrea Hill : my oldest friend in this circle of misfits, and the reason I know most of you reading this today. I first met Andrea at a video shoot in ’01 or ’02 and we’ve somehow been connected ever since. One of the few I know that can compete with my “road warrior” habits. She has a plethora of stories from the road … which, of many, I am probably the punchline.

Previously, 5 Questions for Heather Jank, Meg Ruffing and Suzy Johnson.

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