Guitar-o-Rama set for Osprey

The fourth annual Guitar-o-rama will be hitting the boards at the Osprey Arts Centre on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. Organizer Mike Elliott always chooses a group with an interesting guitar style and this year he has chosen Ryan Cook and Sunny Acres, a Country group from Yarmouth. According to Elliott, Cook is an old fashioned country singer, and Sunny Acres there are two great county-style guitar players, one on pedal steel and one on lead guitar. Ryan and Sunny Acres play old time Country music with a modern touch.

In describing himself, Cook says he writes and sings country music for the working class. He creates music as rural and nostalgic as the town he grew up in. Bringing a fresh face to an old tradition, Cook develops a vintage style of Country Music and keeps it alive and kicking for young and older audiences alike.

Coming from the unlikely background of playing Heavy Metal music to a Punk Rock audience for ten years, Cook decided to switch gears and focus on a different kind of sound. Growing up in a family of dairy farmers, spending time between ox-hauls and hockey rinks gives Ryan an honest and heartfelt approach to his Country Music; the kind of traditional sound that has been replaced by today's commercial Pop/Country.

It hasn’t taken the boys long to make a mark on the Nova Scotia music scene. Their first album, Sunny Acres, has been nominated for Country Recording of the Year and New Artist Recording of the Year for 2007 by Music Nova Scotia. The winners will be announced in Liverpool at Music Nova Scotia Week in early November. Featuring some of Nova Scotia’s best musicians such as John Campbelljohn, this CD contains a mix of original songs by Cook and some new arrangements of old County favorites.

Ryan Cook and Sunny Acres is a band that appeals to many, old time Country fans and young audiences alike. The show will be at the Osprey Arts Centre on Saturday, Oct. 20 at 8 PM. Tickets are available at The Whilrligig, $15, $5 for EyeGo. Also available at the door.