From Rock to Folk : William Ryan Key's Concert Review + Selfish Things

To be honest, I didn't know that William Ryan Key used to be in the rock genre (Ryan from Yellowcard), because I listened to his acoustic folk music on YouTube before going into the show. Then when all these rock bands were opening for him, I was very confused, until he mentioned that he was in Yellowcard. Other than the confusing hype for a rock concert, I was very soothed with the harmonizing melody, and relaxed vibe. This a concert I would want him in the crowd while there is a light show going on all around us to be fully immersed, or in a little coffee shop setting, like The Hotel Cafe. I could see a Coldplay-esque sound to him, with a lot of opportunity I think he can really make something special. I wish there was a catchy hook that we the audience could sing along with him. For the couples at the concert, this was the perfect concert for them to just hold each other, and the lyrics were about love. As a single person, I was like FUCK, which random guy can I take and just snuggle up while standing haha. As much as the concert was soothing sound wise, William should try to make it more audience interactive when it comes to a bigger venue.

The way you start off a show is everything, well mostly everything. I almost tuned out this band just because their lead singer was a bit off key at the beginning. Then I listened a little longer until they got to the chorus of the first song, and were harmonizing beautifully together which helped the lead singer get back to the right key. Each of their songs had such deep lyrics with the instruments backing up the emotion to the song, which was really pleasurable. Not only did they use the ranges of the instruments to get that message across, they also used their vocal ranges. It was very euphonious. In some punk rock/rock bands/songs I feel like musicians are pressured to sing a certain type of way, but that really shouldn't be the case. I feel like the singers should sing to whatever feels right to the song, and not change it just because they are known to be in the rock genre. Alex (lead vocalist/piano) had this beautiful solo song on the piano, and if he sang the whole song the way he sang the 3rd verse it would have been that much better! Other than that, Selfish things had a great performance. Every one, both the band and the audience, were rocking out and singing to the lyrics because it matched with their views. Another thing that I think was really special was that Alex brought us into his life a bit, his struggles and how he overcame that. I feel like telling your story helps you connect with your audience a bit more.

I hope this helps with you choosing who you will see next! Happy Friday Everyone!