Steven Taylor Photography
David Ryan Harris has traveled the world in his guitar/vocal work for pop icons Guy Sebastian and John Mayer, but true fans know him best for his eclectic approach to songwriting, his silky falsetto runs, and three profoundly romantic solo albums released in the last twelve years. The most recent, Lightyears, marked the continuation of Harris' soulful pop sound and his ever-growing fan base.We caught up with Harris to chat about what he's up to now and his Jan 20 show in Nashville.
Nashville Lifestyles(NL): Before the release of Lightyears, you toured as a guitarist for several other big name artists. How were you able to pursue a solo career while supporting these acts?
David Ryan Harris (DRH): They are just two separate disciplines. Even if I'm out playing with other artists, I'm still writing. I get little ideas to kick around and I know that I'll get to those ideas when it's time to make an album. But also, it's incredibly gratifying when I play with those other artists you know. I never took guitar lessons, so the way that I play is just kind of my personal bag. When I play with John Mayer, I have to learn what his bag is in order to do that gig. And I'm able to do it in a way that's sort of fun and practical, and it stretches me in ways that I just wouldn't stretch if I were not playing with someone else.
NL: Have you ever recorded in Nashville before?
DRH: I've never recorded there, but I come about three times a year or so to do some writing and kind of poke my head into the scene. I love the discipline of the songwriter in Nashville, and that it's a legitimate profession. You know, here in L.A. when you say, 'I'm a songwriter” people say, 'well that's cute, but what do you do during the day?” In Nashville, the musicianship is incredibly high, and I also just love the songwriting craft, so I'll continue to spend as much time as I can there in the next few years.
NL:When you're in Nashville, what do you do in your free time?
DRH: Tons of people that I've known throughout my career have moved to Nashville, so I kind of have my own crew that I spend time with. A good friend of mind, songwriter David Hodges, is actually about to move there in May. I've stayed with him recently, in a condo he'd been sharing with Chris DeStefano who's all over country radio. But every time I come it seems like I know more people who live there, it's like a little reunion every time!
David Ryan Harris performs "Us" from Lightyears
NL: Who have you been listening to these days?
DRH: I listen to a little bit of everything. I really like the first Alabama Shakes record, and I like Sia. I also really like that new Jason Isbell record. But really, I tend to gravitate towards producers that I like, like Greg Kurstin. He produced the last Sia record. He also did Adele's 'Hello,” and I just like his style, and how he puts things together sonically.
NL: Your January 20th show at The Basement is your last on this tour. What's coming next?
DRH: I'll come back to L.A. to work on an EP that I hope to have out in early Spring called Songs for Other People. And then just more of the sametrying to branch out a little more into producing stuff, and finding artists that aren't signed and helping push them along. I feel like I have a good ear for helping artists articulate what their vision is. I know enough writers and enough producers that I can put projects together for them. It's traditional A&R, and I'm just trying to carve out a little business where I sort of do that.
NL: Tell us more about Songs for Other People!
DRH: I set out to do something that was kind of like Elliott Smith sonically, in terms of how the vocals are treated, and kind of keeping the instrumentation relatively small. You know, acoustic or piano up front, without necessarily making it like a singer/songwriter record. I think a lot of times that can be boring. I don't think I could listen to me just playing acoustic guitar and singing for a whole album. So I figure out how to make those seven songs interesting sonically, but at the same time not paint in all the colors.
NL: What can we expect from this month's Nashville show?
DRH: It'll just be solo acoustic!