Wednesday, July 31, 2013

First/Last-Ryan Dillaha & The Miracle Men


"Ryan Dillaha and the Miracle Men play the kind of music you wish people still played; call it Detroit Americana call it soulful folk rock and roll, but whatever you call it raise a glass and bring your dancing shoes. Born & bred in the downriver area, singer/songwriter Ryan Dillaha is truly a product of Detroit. After playing with drummer Tim Rios for nearly a decade, The Miracle Men were formed in 2013 with the addition of Millman on bass and Portier on guitar. The band is already earning rave reviews from critics and fans for their exuberant live shows. Their debut album will appear in 2013. Ryan Dillaha and the Miracle Men play the kind of music you wish people still played; call it Detroit Americana call it soulful folk rock and roll, but whatever you call it raise a glass and bring your dancing shoes."

Check out the band at their official ReverbNation and Facebook. The band stops in Pittsburgh tonight at the Thunderbird Cafe with support from local favs Dan Getkin & The Masters of American Music. My thanks to Ryan Dillaha (Acoustic Guitar/Vocals) himself for taking a few minutes to participate in this edition of First/Last.

The first album you ever bought?
The Beastie Boys “Licensed to Ill”, I was 12 and walked up to the local K Mart. I remember I thought it was so scandalous that the airplane said 3MTA3 on the wing. Still a great record.

Your last album bought?
Jason Isbell's “Southeastern”. The band and I have been listening to it a lot on the road this last month. It is amazing.

Favorite album of all time?
That is a tough one. On principal, I can't answer just one. Stevie Wonder's “Songs in the Key of Life”, The Band's “The Band” and Public Enemy's “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” are definitely in my top 100, and those three probably give a good idea of the range of the other 97.

Least favorite/most disappointing album?
Since I haven't actually heard the records that I would classify as least favorite, I will say I hate anything that was written by a team of songwriters for another person that had little to no hand in the creative process - I'm looking at you Nashville. And Kenny G, that dude has ruined way too many free wedding dinners for me to forgive.

First concert attended?
The Bon Jovi ‘Slippery When Wet Tour’. I went with my big sister Jill and her boyfriend. I think it was an early indication that Detroit would be an important city for the merging of rock and rap, because I remember Jon Bon Jovi made a disparaging remark about Run DMC - who had played the same venue the night before - and was booed by his own crowd. It also taught me that folks in Detroit like what they like and fuck you if you don't like it.

Last concert?
The last concert I went to was a big music night in the Detroit music scene. I saw three of the best bands in the country that night. Detroit's own: The Beggar's, Duende, and Bars of Gold. We have an extremely diverse and inspiring music scene in this city.

Favorite concert ever?
That is another tough one. Two transcendent experiences that come to mind are seeing Josh Ritter solo acoustic, and sitting at the end of a 9 foot Steinway and watching the Ahmad Jamal Trio...I think Ahmad is from Pittsburgh, right?

Least favorite concert?
I don't have a least favorite concert, but I will tell you two things I cannot stand at shows: folks talking loudly during quiet songs, and folks not dancing.

Any thoughts, experiences about Pittsburgh?
This show will be my first visit to Pittsburgh, but I already feel an affinity for the city because of its industrial and working class roots. Our drummer Tim Rios said he likes that all the sports teams in Pittsburgh have the same colors, and likes even more that Art Blakey is from there.


Thanks, Ryan. You are correct in that all of our sports teams share the same colors...don't all city teams do that?

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