Ryan Cook brings revolving cast back home

By Michael Gorman

THE VANGAURD

NovaNewsNow.com

Yarmouth's country music singing son Ryan Cook returns home this week for a show Friday night.

It's been a busy summer for Cook. He and his band have toured the Maritimes pretty much full-time, although what band you see him with changes almost as often as the town in which they play.

Cook has played with a revolving door of musicians during the last year. It's a difficult setup, he says, but he doesn't have much of a choice right now. When Cook first started, his band was made up of friends who were interested in what he was doing and found playing country music to be something of a novelty.

But as the novelty wore off and they went in other directions, Cook was left to find new musicians. For now that means working mostly with session or touring musicians.

"That's when I started to bring in either country players or bluegrass players," he says. "The only downside to that is those guys don’t really have any vested interest in the music."

Cook and his band has kept a busy schedule this summer and one of the benefits of that is it's made the band tighter in a camaraderie sense, which in turn helps the music.

"We've become friends over time because when you're travelling for four weekends in a row for two or three days at a time, well, when you're spending that much time with somebody you sort of become friends pretty quick. If you really don't like them it's not going to work."

Cook has watched the crowds at his shows grow. The venues and the dates are also getting bigger. He will headline the after party this weekend for the Keith Urban concert in Halifax. Cook has also opened for the likes of Sammy Kershaw this summer.

It's all about expansion, part of which extends to the man himself. In an attempt to keep his options open when it comes to his live show, Cook recently purchased his on pedal steel.

But like everything else, it's a work in progress.

"I've been learning to play, although it takes about two years to suck and I've only had mine for a half a year," he says with a laugh.

Cook plays this Friday at the Red Knight. Katelyn Saulnier will open with an acoustic set followed by stand-up comic Andrew Albert.