Introducing: Ryan O’Connell – Dog & 3 Questions

“Making Atlanta slacker tunes.

“A laid-back slacker tune about dogs, fish, and friends.”

I am always wondering what is the difference between lo-fi rock and slacker rock, but I guess it does not matter because I am enjoying both genres. Most certainly I am enjoying this new track from Ryan O’Connell, which got me hooked. I have re-listened to it a couple of times and I can say it gets better over time. I am really enjoying the slacker style of vocals, the guitar sound is so cool and the riffs are quite catchy. Just a great track.

I am also loving the lyrics, somehow they are so easy to listen to and highly enjoyable. Just a nice slacker tune for your lazy summer days when outside is completely hot and you want to listen to some fresh indie rock.

One of the tracks that will be stuck with me even after the summer is over. Good job Ryan!

At first, I wanted to share just this track, but then I decided to ask Ryan our 3 questions. Here are the responses that you have to read:

What inspired you to start making music and what keeps you making music?

I’ve always had a love for a lot of different genres of music, and have had this idea of fusing them together in some sort of cohesive way. I grew up listening to Neil Young, and I think it’s safe to say he has always been a huge influence on me as an artist. I love his honesty with lyrics, but also the fact that he isn’t afraid to go out on stage and wail on the guitar and play with a lot of emotion. I’m also really inspired by artists like Dinosaur Jr. or Frank Black who have managed to take some of that 60’s sound and infuse it with punk aesthetic. As for what keeps me going, I’d say I just love the idea of trying to create something from nothing. I have these weird ideas in my head, and through whatever weird process I am able to put them out into the world in a tangible way.

What was the most challenging thing in your music (artistic) path?

I think for me the most changeling part of all of this, goes back to what I said earlier. When writing music, you have a million ideas in your head and a million more ways to go about translating them into a song. You sometimes can hear the way you want the song to sound…you may have a fragment of a lyric that’s running through your mind. The difficult part is being able to turn those thoughts into music, to be able to sit down, put the time in, and make those ideas a reality in a way that is hopefully compelling and enjoyable.

What would you dream to do if anything was possible?

I feel like the dream for a lot of artists, including myself, is to be able to make an impact on someone with my music. It’s not an ego thing, but because I know how much of an impact the songwriting of others has had on my own life. The power of music is real and can shape people in really deep meaningful ways. My own memories are held together by the music that I was experiencing at the time. I’m just happy to have the opportunity to share my stuff with others, and hope that perhaps I’ll have left some type of impression on them…however small it might be.

You can find more music on Bandcamp or Spotify.