There is an old saying that goes, “hard work pays off.” Sacramento based singer/songwriter Ryan Gillmor has proved this to the fullest extent. After working his ass off for years, both in bands and as a solo artist driving all over the country with an acoustic guitar slinging his CD’s, Ryan is finally starting to reap the benefits of his efforts. Now equipped with a full band, (dubbed Gillmor) Ryan and company are ready to take on the world with their highly infectious pop-rock sound. In fact, it’s so infectious that it caught the attention of some big wigs at Fox who chose Gillmor’s tune “Hey!” to be the main theme song for the new prime time comedy series Unhitched. Not only can we hear them on TV every Sunday night at 9:30, but in the coming month Sacramento will get a couple chances to see them live. First, on March 29 at The Underground in Roseville, and again on April 19 for a KWOD unplugged performance. Make sure you catch one of these shows; it may be the last time you can see them before they blow up and start touring arenas with Good Charlotte or New Found Glory. Although he is extremely busy, Submerge caught up with Ryan to pick his brain about sweaty tours, sex and collaborating with rock stars.
It’s common knowledge that you are a Sacramento native, but I’m curious what your thoughts are on the Sacramento music scene? What was it like being a singer/songwriter trying to catch your big break here? I love the Sacramento music scene. This city has such a solid group of loyal music fans, and a very supportive community of disc jockeys, promoters and club owners. I’m lucky to have broken into the scene years ago when there were a lot of press heavy bands making noise. I made a lot of friends at that time, and learned from their successes and failures. I have had plenty of both over the years. Through those experiences, I was able to establish myself and build a strong group of friends and fans that have stayed with me along the way. Stripping down the music to acoustic gave people a chance to get to know me on a more personal level. You can’t hide anything when it’s one guitar and one voice. It brought us all closer together. The shows became weekend sing along’s. It helped pave the way back to a full band lineup. At that point, people knew me well enough to know I wouldn’t come out in a headband, chains and nail polish. I added all of the elements back into the mix, but kept the music true and honest. It made for a smooth transition.
Tell us about some of your experiences following the Vans Warped Tour two years ago, and again last year working for Music Saves Lives. I know from experience that traveling with that tour can be brutal with the ever-changing weather, demanding schedules, etc., and that’s from the perspective of someone living on a bus. How was it for you traveling in a car all by yourself? If I had known how brutal it was going to be, I probably would have spent my summer eating fudge popsicles under a big umbrella by the swimming pool. Fortunately, I’m a sucker for punishment. I’ll be honest, driving myself coast to coast in a small car in the dead of summer was tough. Waking up every morning at 5:30am and slinging CDs for $5.00 a pop is a hard way to make a living. With that being said, it was the best thing I’ve ever done. I was able to push just under 5,000 CD’s and make fans all over the country. I even made a little money along the way. I have to pat myself on the back every time I get an email from a kid in another state that met me on Warped Tour. It gave me a thick skin. The tours I’ve done since have been a walk in the park.
What made you ultimately decide to build a full band? How did you meet up with the current guys? And have you said goodbye completely to the solo stuff? I haven’t completely abandoned the solo career. I still play my acoustic shows as often as possible. It’s a totally different experience that I love as well. There are songs that I’ve written that just don’t translate to a full band. Some songs are meant to be naked. I always want to leave myself open to these opportunities. On the other hand, there’s nothing like playing with a band. When everyone drops into a song and the stage rattles below your feet its breathtaking. The energy between a band and the audience is comparable to a night of the best sex you’ve ever had with Marvin Gaye rattling the speakers on the stereo in the background. I met my band through my piano player (Tyler Thompson). He came into the studio to do some session work with me last year and we hit it off. His old band broke up shortly thereafter and left three amazing musicians homeless. I invited them in for a visit, and they haven’t left since. I must confess, I found the band I’ve been looking for my whole life. It was a match made in heaven.
When you first got the news that your song “Hey!” was going to be used as the theme song for Unhitched, what was your reaction? How did this all come about? Did you simply submit the song to Fox, or did you have the assistance of a manager, or a publishing deal, etc? I had just gotten home from LA and was having a BBQ with my family. I was already a little loose from the wine my sister brought over when my phone rang. They told me the directors, producers, studio heads, approved us, and “Hey!” was their top choice for the theme song. This threw me into full on celebration mode. It’s hard enough getting your song placed in a scene of a show, let alone the theme song, especially being an unsigned artist. It was a huge break for me that has since brought a lot of exciting opportunities to the table. All it took was getting the right song into the right hands at the right time. Dozens of phone calls, edits and remixes later I found myself in my lawyers office signing papers. It’s pretty awesome to turn on the TV and hear myself singing. You should try it sometime!
On the EP, “Counting the Days,” you have guest appearances from some pretty big names including Tim Pagnotta of Sugarcult, and Tom Higgenson of Plain White T’s. What did you learn from working with such seasoned, professional rockers? I learned that musicians, no matter the amount of success, are just kids playing drums on pots and pans in their bedrooms. They have such a passion for the art. At the end of the day, we’re all just fans of music. They’ve had the opportunity through their talent to experience a great deal of success over the years. I was able to take in some of their knowledge and apply it to the final product. It made “Counting The Days” an even better collection of music.
On March 29 you have a show at The Underground in Roseville, what can your hometown fans expect at that show? Got anything special planned? They can be sure they won’t be disappointed. I never let Sacramento down! I don’t get to play here as often as I would like to, so when I do, I want it to be special. I always talk about breaking out the acoustic in the middle of the set, but never get the chance to, that’s definitely in the set this time. We’ll play until the sun comes up. It’ll be great!
