Veteran Savannah bassist Ryan Kelly, of many Savannah bands, including Patti & the Mild Mannered Men, opens up about his lifelong love of jazz, his wildest Savannah gig stories, his passion for experimental music, and much more.
What first got you into music?
I was exposed to family members playing music, and I assume that influenced me without my knowledge. With my knowledge, I know that I was way into my mom’s Beatles albums that had the cool psychedelic covers like Magical Mystery Tour or Sgt Peppers. They were in costumes like a kid’s TV show, and that is how I Am The Walrus becomes a children’s song.
Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
My mom had 60s rock and soul, my dad had mostly country music. Once again, to a child looking at a giant album cover, the rock and soul albums were always more inviting. The country albums typically had some guy in a hat looking at you like you might be in trouble. Later, college radio would show me that music can be made however the creator likes and jazz is one of the ultimate gateways to musical nirvana. Jazz influences me the most.
What draws you to your preferred genre(s)?
I love jazz for so many reasons, the main being that it is at it’s purest in the moment and then it’s gone, performance wise. I love to improvise and react, probably because I’m lazy or something musically when comes to playing music exactly as written on a page. That shit is hard to do. I do understand that for many people, jazz can be a little much some times, or it’s sounds way outdated, depending on what type of jazz you are listing to. If someone tells me they don’t like jazz, I get it.
Jazz is pure in the moment — here one second and gone the next. If someone says they don’t like jazz, I get it.
How did you get started in the Savannah music scene?
John Tisbert and James Smith gave me some of my first opportunities when I still lived in Statesboro. After moving to Savannah, I played almost exclusively with Danielle Hicks for several years and when COVID it shook all the gigs up and now I am grateful to so many band leaders out there hustling for gigs. Getting a gig seems to be a real talent. Playing the gig is probably a lot easier.
What are your favorite Savannah venues to play, and why?
I haven’t played all of the venues, so I can’t really name a favorite. I will send my love to the places I am currently performing the most – which are Jazz’d Tapas, Rancho Alegre and The Grey for Sunday brunch. Amazing staff at all three of those. As far as music specific venues, again, I’ve mostly played Victory North and Tybee Post Theater, both of those venues sonically are great, and again they have amazing staff. My old me from twenty years ago would be jealous of the cool gigs I have now.
What’s your most memorable or craziest Savannah performance?
Back in the 90s when I was touring with Dayroom, we always had weird Savannah experiences. In a bar that is now Barrelhouse South, Dayroom was playing to a packed house (not because of us) and some guy at the back of the bar had way too many cans of skoal, and he was chucking them at the stage like he would win a prize at the fair, if he hit us. During a song the keyboardist had enough and left the stage, threading through the crowd to fight this guy, followed by the rest of us, and thankfully the bar tender stopped everything before I had to prove that I can’t fight.
What are your thoughts on the current state of Savannah’s music scene?
I am amazed at the level of musicians I get to play with, people are so talented around here. I know the beauty of the city attracts so many talented people. I can’t really comment too much on the “music scene” that I would experience, were I in my twenties, but I see a lot cool looking stuff just walking around before and after my gigs that younger people are doing. It makes me happy to see people getting weird musically.
What is your creative process like?
I think it’s mostly to keep learning how to be better at music. Most recently, I am fascinated with my Roland sampler as a musical catalyst, and learning more about how DJs create electronic dance music and how I could mix that in with playing live instruments.
How do you prepare mentally for a live show?
I try to remember to slow down and take a deep breath – look before you leap.
Before a show, I remind myself to slow down, take a deep breath, and look before I leap.
What’s a “guilty pleasure” song or artist you secretly love?
I was a big Duran Duran fan when I was a kid and had all of their cassettes, and of course hair metal is my generation too.
If you could play ANYWHERE in Savannah — even a weird location — where would it be?
As far as music venues – I haven’t played at the Enmarket Arena – that would be cool.
If you created an All-Star Savannah Band, who would be in it?
My All-Star band would be huge – it would be an orchestra of sorts – too many people, I can’t name a short list. The moment one name pops in my head, five others immediately follow.
What’s next for you—any new music, shows, or collaborations coming up?
I have Christmas performances with Trae Gurley and Chris Mitchell next week, and I am in the Georgia On Mind house band for that benefit show in January and some other stuff I’ve been told I’m doing. Patti Kelly & the Mild Mannered Men are always looking for new opportunities to play, we have so much fun and cover many genres.
Are there any styles, genres, or sounds you want to experiment with?
I am always looking for more experimental outlets, with the understanding that it’s for the love of the music and not the commercial viability. I got to play my first set of completely improvised music with Andrew Sovine and Brandon Miller this year at El Rocko, and I loved it. I love so much music, but I don’t get to do the experimental side as much as when I was young and no one expected to get paid 🙂
Is there a collaboration you’re hoping to make happen someday?
I want to make music with people from different music backgrounds who also are in awe of the different skillsets of all these musical genres and how we could leverage all of that collective talent into a cool “Savanah” sound to be embraced by the world.
I want to blend different musical backgrounds into a cool ‘Savannah’ sound the world can embrace.
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