Epic storytelling.
  • "Epic storytelling."
Dylan Ryan is an LA-based drummer who plays in a million genre-spanning bands: from the electronic group Rainbow Arabia, to Saddle Creek mainstays Cursive, to singer/songwriter Tim Kasher, and then into jazzier stuff with Icy Demons and Herculaneum. Ryan's most recent endeavor is his project Sand, a psychedelic band that he wanted to contain elements of "Black Sabbath, the Cure, Jaco-era Joni Mitchell, and free jazz.” The result is songs with minimal surf/spaghetti western movements, somewhat folk-y influences, and a striking ability to evoke familiarity while remaining inherently unique and melodic. Sand plays at the Royal Room in Columbia City tonight to promote their new record Sky Bleached on Cuneiform Records.

Naturally, I decided to interview him with a few hard-hitting questions about TV and movie discoveries while on tour. Here’s what he had to tell me:

What are some memorable movies that you've ended up watching on tour? Which ones do you find yourself repeatedly re-watching? It changes from tour to tour. Sand, for example only watches No Retreat, No Surrender. With Cursive, there was a tour where Step Brothers was really resonating with the group of us young men. I think my favorite is on one Icy Demons tour, we got totally immersed in Some Kind of Monster, but not in a healthy way at all. Our tour manager started referring to us by the names of who he thought each of us was acting like, and guess who I got? The fucking producer! I thought I'd be an obvious choice for Kirk, in the role of master steedsman/shredder. Or at least the drummer.

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