Ryan Cook and Sunny Acres

Location:
Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Ca
Type:
Artist / Band / Musician
Genre:
Country / Western Swing / Screamo
Site(s):
Label:
No Scene Records
Type:
Indie
On Ryan Cook's sophomore album Peaks and Valleys, stories are born somewhere between small towns and big cities, and packed with sudden bursts of romance and tragedy. An award-winning singer-songwriter from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Ryan's sound is a smooth ensemble of Country/Western, Roots, Folk and Jazz music.
Raised in a large dairy farming family, Ryan did all he could to outrun the expected cliches of cowboy culture. In fact, he started playing in punk rock and heavy metal garage bands as a teenager, and helped to shape a popular Yarmouth music scene along with artists like Brian Borcherdt (Holy F*ck) and Paul Murphy (Wintersleep).
In college, Ryan worked part-time at a retirement home where he began taking requests to play traditional Country music and soon found himself falling for the sounds of Hank Williams, Roger Miller and Tom T. Hall. In 2008, Ryan entered the studio with his then touring band Sunny Acres and released his debut LP Hot Times. The record won a Music Nova Scotia Country/Bluegrass Recording of the Year award, was nominated for an East Coast Music Award and named the 8th Best Canadian Country Album of 2008 by Country Music News.
In 2009, while performing in Nashville, TN during the CMA Music Festival, Ryan caught the attention of John Walker from WSM Radio. The two developed a partnership to assemble a killer cast of performers and record his upcoming album at the legendary Quad Studios. The result, Peaks and Valleys, features some of Nashville's most prolific players past and present including Lloyd Green, Andy Leftwich, Guthrie Trapp, Bruce Bouton and multiple Grammy-award winner Alison Brown. Staying true to Ryan's old timey influences, Peaks and Valleys resonates with the vintage sounds of steel guitar, clarinet, banjo and fiddle. His songs celebrate colourful characters forged between fantasy and fiction, en route to their highest peaks and often deeper valleys.
Above all else, Ryan Cook is a die-hard performer, having played over 350 shows since the release of Hot Times. He has shared the stage with Taylor Swift, Brandy Carlile, Sammy Kershaw, Steve Poltz, Catherine MacLellan and Juno-award winning artists Joel Plaskett, Wintersleep, and The Good Lovelies. He has showcased at Music City Roots and the Ernest Tubb Midnight Jamboree in Nashville, TN and performed over 30 theatre shows as Hank Williams in the Maynard Collins play The Show He Never Gave.
With his release of Peaks and Valleys, Ryan Cook is travelling near and far with a cast of country-pickin' friends in search of the next booming town, and the next colourful story about to unfold.
www.ryancook.ca



For full press and media clippings please visit:
www.ryancook.ca



"He's a cool customer with little regard for adhering to trends, which makes him dangerous."
-Exclaim! Magazine



"The guy is a 'winner'…and his 'Dwight Yoakam – meets George Fox' approach to his music makes for a truly enjoyable listen"
-Country Music News



"Cook's songs sound traditional, but his setlist is largely original tunes with a modern sense of melody and a healthy dose of personality"
-The Chronicle Herald



"Fitting somewhere between dyed-in-the-wool country and indie rock, the band's crossover appeal has translated to a lot of live shows. Beginning his music career with punk music and switching gears to country has also brought about a sentimental, introspective quality to his songs."
-The Coast
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