|
|
| Patrick Rydman |
This month's profile is on Patrick Rydman who resides in
Sweden but still uses TAXI to get his music heard. Very much
into Jazz, Patrick has had numerous successes he'd like to share
with you.
Do you come from a musical
family? Does anyone in the family play?
My grandmother on my father's side was a trained classical
pianist, but never pursued that career. My dad was a talented
amateur musician. He played the saxophone and the flute and
had a great ear. He could easily pick out tunes on the piano
without having much theoretical knowledge and passed on his
musical genes onto me and my brother, who also played a lot
(drums, guitar, and piano) when he was younger. A lot of music
was played in our home: bebop, Bach, Bacharach, Beatles and
my brother's rock/symphonic Rock years followed with Deep
Purple, Genesis, Yes, Mike Oldfield, etc.
What first inspired you to get into music and at what
age did this happen?
I started playing the trumpet at age 9, and dad used to have
me play duets with him on the sax. Mostly we went through
old standards and it was fun. A while later I started banging
on my brother's drum kit, and up to age 15-16 I guess music
was simply there, even though I hadn't decided to pursue it
professionally. After a junior year as an exchange student
in the U.S., where I played a lot of drums and a little trumpet
in addition to starting to feel that I probably should sing,
I was accepted to Music High School. (In Sweden, after 9th
grade, there are a lot of possibilities to choose what to
study.) Since then, there has been no turning back.
What was it about jazz that caught your attention?
I've been a musical omnivore most of my life, meaning I can
usually find something appealing about most every genre. But
since delving into the Great American Songbook in my later
teens I just found I had a feel for Jazz, and fell in love
with so many songs and lyrics. Songs that I had grown up with,
of course, but not really experienced for real until then.
A lot of my own influences, like Joni Mitchell, Bacharach/David,
Jobim, Sting, Prefab Sprout, Steely Dan, and so on, all have
had that tinge of Jazz without losing the Pop, which is where
I want to be. Most of the Standards where written as "Pop"
songs in their day, constructed to stop shows on Broadway
or in the movies, and even though their structure differs
from today’s "Pop," the catchiness is still
undeniable.
Do you still live in Sweden? What is the music scene
like in Sweden?
Yes, I still live in Sweden. The music scene is very different
depending on your focus. The "crisis" of the record
industry is evident, together with the expansion of the live
scene. And of course the home-based, indie music makers are
growing in number. However, making a living is not always
easy. I've been fortunate enough to be able to do a lot of
different things within the broad definition of music and
have supported myself as a freelance singer/musician/producer/performer/composer
etc for a good number of years now. Since the start of 2009
I am also one of 100 musicians that has a guaranteed salary
from something called the Musicians Alliance (a corporation
run by the Swedish Government). This means I don't have to
take every gig and can focus more on projects that I really
want to do.
Are there many opportunities for new, emerging talent
there?
I think there are a lot of opportunities but there are also
sooo many music makers that want to take part of those opportunities.
In a way, I think it is both easier and harder to make yourself
heard these days, no matter where you are located. Anyone
can make a CD, put up a MySpace page, and sell their music
on CDBaby for instance. But the avalanche of new music is
so great that being found in there is not that much easier
than it was before.
Have you been to America? If so, how would you compare
the two countries musically?
Yes, I've been to the U.S. three times (once for a whole year,
see above). I think the big thing with Scandinavian music
(I am actually of Swedish/Finnish descent and my passport
is Finnish) is a great melodic sense and a big part of melancholy,
a lot of which is a heritage from the traditional Folk music
in these countries. In classical music, think Grieg and Sibelius
for instance. Step on to the Pop scene of the ’70s and
to the present day and you find ABBA of course, and a multitude
of talented bands, writers, and producers (A-ha, Roxette,
Cardigans, Max Martin to name but a few). Since the big labels
sort of dictate the music taste globally, it is harder to
distinguish differences nowadays, but maybe I would say in
simple terms that Scandinavia is more melody-oriented whereas
the U.S. is more groove-oriented.
Do you remember the very first song you ever wrote?
What was it called, what inspired it, and was it good?
Tough question. I believe I was maybe 6 or 7, banging away
on the piano, having found a very primitive boogie kind of
pattern that I played while flooring the sustain pedal. The
melody and lyrics were very sketchy, but I remember it being
about a very cool guy called Chao. It must have been inspired
by either our Beatles records or one of the hits of the ’50s
collections we had. I remember feeling very grown-up while
playing it and at the time I thought it was masterpiece. Today
I don't think it would hold its liquor very well.
How did you first hear about TAXI?
If memory serves me right, I think I was surfing the Internet,
keyword "A&R." I thought it seemed cool and
made a note of it.
What made you become a member?
After having finished the first draft of my debut album, I
kept thinking that my songs could work well in movies or in
TV shows. I reasoned that it was worth a shot joining and
started submitting songs right away.
How has TAXI helped your career?
I've had one song placed in an NBC TV show through a TAXI
connection and that was of course a very nice thing. I've
gotten some extra exposure through TAXI's Web site as
well.
What have you learned from being a member of TAXI?
To hang in there. I've believed in my songs from day one and
those TAXI reviewers that didn't forward my stuff I could
usually understand by taking a second look at what the listing
called for. So I guess I've learned to put on the customer's
ears a little more while not losing my own.
What accomplishment are you most proud of so far
in your career?
Finally releasing my debut album in 2008, after being recording
on and off since 2001.
What goals did you set for the remainder of 2009?
PR: Recording my second release...
| Name: |
Patrick Rydman |
| Residence: |
Floda, Sweden |
| Age: |
40 |
| Year Joined TAXI: |
2005 |
| Website: |
www.patrickrydman.com |
|
Download 
