1
October 8, 2010 Student Life 5 Photo by Alexandra Valenti via bighassel.com Former student of Circle High School, Nate Ryan found success playing bass for the band Black Angels, just released a new album “Phosphene Dream.” The band is currently on tour in Europe. Circle’s 1998 alumnus, Nate Ryan has gone worldwide in the music business. Ryan became the bass guitarist for the band Black Angels in 2004. Music has been Ryan’s passion all his life, and it is no surprise to the teachers that knew him that he has made a career out of that passion. Ryan’s family left Los Angeles and moved to Towanda when he was 15 years-old. He said that move was one of the most important transformations for him musically. For the first several months while trying to make friends, Ryan would turn to music. English teacher Marty Hays organized a club called Strings, a group meeting Ryan never missed according to Hays. It was a group of people that would meet during seminar or after-school and play guitar. Ryan said this group influenced him musically and helped him get to the place he is at. “Mr. Hays had a huge influence on me when I attended Circle. Strings Club was the coolest thing in the world. That’s how I made a lot of the closer friends that I had at Circle,” said Ryan. “I would play songs I was working on or that I loved, and Mr. Hays would give me feedback and turn me on to other artists that I hadn’t heard before.” Ryan moved to Austin, Texas from San Diego, California in 2004. He was at a bar watching the Black Angels band perform. They were missing a bass guitarist, so Ryan approached them with the offer to play with them. The band has been touring since in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the United Kingdom. They have hopes to tour Japan and Australia next year. “My favorite part of performing is when the band has been touring for awhile and we are playing in top form and there is a sort of synchronicity or almost psychic connection that is on stage with you. There is magic and suddenly everyone is doing something that we’ve never done before. We all just know and feel it. It’s a very special moment and it doesn’t happen every night,” said Ryan. Ryan’s life has centered around music. His dream has been fulfilled by turning that love for music into making a living. “It’s important to do what one truly wants to do. This is my bliss. It has most certainly not been easy. There weren’t any short cuts. But all the difficulties I have met along the way have only tempered my craft. I will never stop or quit,” said Ryan. The Black Angels are moving up in the music business. Their new album, Phosphene Dream, was recently released. It is said to be their best one yet. “There are many different paths to take in life. Schooling seems to me to be an opportunity to explore and learn as much as you can about these different paths. Take the opportunity in front of you and learn as much as you can. After all, the present moment is all we truly have,” said Ryan. Ryan has dedicated his life to music. “Life is full of sacrifice and you will have to sacrifice what you love at times whether you are following that inner voice that dwells with your passion deep withing you or arranging your life in different ways,” said Ryan. “I would rather sacrifice comfort for what I love than sacrifice what I love for comfort. Though it’s been difficult, I am happy.” He greatly values his path that intersected with Mr. Hays’ Strings Club and led to musical adventures around the world. From small town to famous By Maddie Stephens Student Life Editor “It’s important to do what one truly wants to do. This is my bliss” “I would rather sacrifice comfort for what I love than sacrifice what I love for comfort.”
