Reservoir Droogs in conversation with Ryan Hamilton

It gives us the distinct pleasure to feature Ryan and the Traitors (Again). Without gilding the lily we can hand on heart can say that he is one of our favourite artists.
One who jumped to the toppermost of the poppermost for us on hearing him midway through 2017. Embarrassingly so, we are a tad evangelical in spreading the word. Give us the slightest encouragement and we will drop his name into pretty much any music conversation we have.
If you haven't heard Ryan Hamilton & the Traitors, or any of his collaborations and solo work, then do something about that now. You will not be sorry.


It's not long until your UK dates with The Main Grains. Does it feel good to be getting back on the road? 

Ryan - Yeah it does! We've worked REALLY hard to gain our reputation as a great live band. It's important to me, and I LOVE playing shows and being on the road

We often hear that there's a different vibe to how audiences react depending on what country it is. How does the UK feel in comparisons to others? And do you feel there's even a difference across the UK too? 

People in the UK sing along louder, drink more... and just seem to have a better time! Haha. Seriously though. There's this extra cheerful, extra fun, extra "ohmygod we're at a concert!" thing that happens in the UK. I love it. The only difference is, some cities in the UK go even crazier than others. But it is ALWAYS a good time on tour in the UK. 

I love America, but it's way more chilled out to tour over here. 

You could be described as the new breed of artist. One who has taken the independence angle to heart. It's not that this is in itself a unique approach, but you self release, tour book, promote yourself, and in short cover as many of the bases as you possibly can that would have previously been the responsibility of a label/management team.

Tell us about the pros from your perspective, and the cons of working like this?

I could spend an hour talking about the cons of working with labels and managers... but I'll save you that hour. Haha. In today's world, we have the freedom, and the tools, to do what we want. Sky's the limit! You're really only limited by your work ethic and your imagination!... and money. That's the one place where the big, bad, major labels stay ahead of us independents. 

They have lots and lots of money to spend. 

People don't realize that all the radio play, all the magazine interviews and ads... it's all PAID FOR. So much money is spent on acts like Ed Sheeran etc... it's nearly impossible to compete. Somebody like that also has a huge team of people to pay, and take care of. They also have a long list of people to answer to and obey. It may sound crazy, but I prefer being a medium sized successful independent artist. I'm in it for the music. Not the money. 

Are you one of those people who believe that you make your own luck? From the outside some may consider that you are in an enviable position just now, but might not appreciate that you have committed so much time and effort to get this far. So what is considered luck is really a relentless drive to create, and get what you create out there. Is that possibly under appreciated?

This is what I believe. I believe you have to work as hard as you have to... relentlessly. You can absolutely get there with a talent, and A LOT of hard work... and any "luck" that happens is an added bonus. I will say though; it's usually some random, "lucky", out of nowhere thing that results in the extra big breaks. 

As we are now onto talking about the perception of luck do you want to let us in on how the album with Tony Wright came about? Pull back the curtain. Obviously it wasn't just luck.

I don't know if I would call it luck, but it was super coincidental. We were both working with super talented producer & friend, Dave Draper. Tony with Terrorvison and me with the Traitors. Really just through the buzz we have going on in the UK, and a couple of conversations with Dave, Tony decided to check us out. Before I knew it, we had emailed back and forth a few times, and were recording a song together. It's strange, actually. I can't remember exactly how we got from there to here. But I'm really glad we did. Love that dude. Got a feeling we're gonna be friends for a very long time. We made an amazing album together, too. 

Pretty much as an aside I've got to say that your cover of Wild Horses blew me away. Similar to how Johnny Cash took Hurt away from Trent Reznor I'd say the Stones should just accept it belongs to you now. That being said, what's the track on the album that you are most proud of?

Haha. Awww, man... that's very high praise. Thank you very much. I think the track I'm most proud of is Whiskey River. We tacked that tune differently than anyone ever has. It's so simple... but so pure. I love the whole vibe of that tune. 

Will there be any live dates to promote the album? 

There will, indeed. In June. That's all I can say, for now. 

Jumping away from the Grand Ol' Otley to go back to your Traitors material I had noticed that you had an offer from a label and decided to keep going as it is just now. Personally I would say you made the right decision, but what would they have to offer for you to be interested in signing on the dotted line?

Yeah, it's been tough. We started getting some interest from "industry" types... and labels. I was excited at first, but it left a really bad taste in my mouth. If we ever partner with a label, I want to do exactly that, PARTNER. I don't wanna talk too much shit about the label folks. Because I know how lucky we are to even be in a position where people like that are paying attention. So, I'll just say this: Currently, we wouldn't change a thing. We are in control of our own destiny, and things couldn't be going any better :-) 

You've been honest on your podcast about being burnt before, and expressed a less than enthusiastic opinion on the music business in general. Have you got a once bitten, twice shy, attitude about that old style of approach to artists by labels and such?

Yeah I do! Haha. Again, as much as I'd like to, I don't wanna talk too much shit about labels or past experiences. I have definitely learned better. There's no way I would have rejected an offer 10 years ago. Very happy to be in a place now where I know when I'm getting screwed or manipulated. I try not to be jaded. But I'm a product of my own experience. 

And to tie that in with your equally honest revelations about your own mental health do you think the business side the mainstream labels promote are mentally unhealthy and just add an unjustifiable mental strain on artists?

100%. Can't tell you how many friends I've seen get pushed to their limits. It is SO unhealthy. Especially when you suffer from real Mental Health issues. It's an issue that is clearly very important to me. There's so much more that can be done to educate people on the issue. I will always do my part to do just that. That goes for the folks in this business of music too. Sometimes the most creative people suffer the most. 

On a lighter subject I heard you mention how you lived in a tiny home for a period. I love the whole idea of them, but I would need two. One for my record collection. What attracted you to living in one, and was it a positive experience?

Haha. I hear THAT! Holly (my wife) and I, our decision was primarily financially driven. We built our Tiny House on the base of an old travel trailer and lived in it for just over a year. I was essentially starting over in the music business, and need to find a way to survive financially WITHOUT going back and getting a "real job". I worked my ass off for the 8-10 months it took to build it. You learn A LOT living so minimally. Parts of it I loved, parts of it I really loathed. I am forever grateful though that Holly and I have that experience together. We now own about an acre of land, and have a new house we lovingly refer to as "The Medium House". The Tiny House has been converted into a studio... and sits just behind the new house. 

Back to the music now. You often speak about the authentic rock and rollers, and I think I recall you saying that you don't consider that they exist now. Or can't exist.

Now I'm happy for you to say I have got that wrong, but do you really think we won't see a Keith Richards, or the likes, again?

I'd say I know a few authentic rockers who just don't have a band, or any artistic talent, but they do tick the rest of the boxes. Swashbuckling heroes of the gutter. Even if that's only at the weekends. ;)

Isn't it maybe just a matter of the times, and not a paucity of rebel rousers?

You know, I wonder about that all the time. Are the last of the real rock n rollers gonna die and go away forever? It appears to be so. But, I'd be super happy to get proven wrong. For now though, it appears I am correct.

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