Ryan Raines took out all the stops for his set at The Fable (a Ryan Pollie showcase night). His backing band included the standard bass, drums, and guitar setup; but he also added on a saxophone, and for the last two songs of the set a harmonium. Along with vocal duties, he added to the instrumental orchestral sound by switching between guitar and keyboard. His alt-rock sound had me thinking retro indie Los Angeles from back in the day when Spaceland (link here for some music history) was the center of the Los Angeles music scene. It was a night of dreamy music, highlighted by Raines' bass vocals.
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| Ryan Raines at The Fable |
His Spotify bio is brief, "was born in Key Largo, FL and is currently based in Los Angeles, CA where he works primarily as a producer/songwriter and sometimes plays drums." The "sometimes plays drums" is an understatement (though he did not play drums on this particular night). When it comes to his drum skills, he is best known for playing with Dominic Fike. He is true multi-instrumental talent.
What I noticed #1: There was only one microphone stand for the saxophonist. He had dual duties for the night, playing the saxophone and singing backing vocals. So when it came to singing, he had to bend down in order to sing into the microphone.
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| Ryan Raines at The Fable |
What I noticed #2: The harmonium was played with two individuals. One played the keys while the other operated the bellows. My understanding is that the instrument is meant to be played by a single individual. That's a side comment. Anyways, one of the two individuals determined that the fastest way to get near the harmonium was to walk through the band when they were between songs. That got an amused look from Raines. On the other hand, that indicates how packed The Fable was on this particular night.
The song spotlight goes to "Please Quit Your Job." Before singing the song, he mentioned that he had a story behind the song, "My girlfriend and I were dating long distance for about a year and a half. That's the story. She quit her job." Ha ha, that's a really short story.
Raines switched to keys for the song. The keys gave the song a fairy tale sound. Why not, she was in the audience.
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| Ryan Raines at The Fable |
You just need to get up and go
What happened next was a most magical moment that surely indicates that a right decision was made here. The audience, without prompting, began to sing a call and response, "I'm begging you. Try something new."
Setlist: Pretty Is So Easy, Rise and Shine, Airplane, Window, Don't Tell 'Em, Please Quit Your Job, What I Want, Hit the Drum.
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