Ian Moore Vinyl Release - 30th Anniversary of Modern Day Folklore
Ian Moore
“ You should be playing stadiums!”. Ian laughs while hearing this after another blazing performance at the 2024 SXSW music festival. Is he laughing because he has played his fair share already, from shows with some of the most influential musicians of all time, from the Rolling Stones to Bob Dylan, to a long line of headline festival performances, or because he knows the folly of the music business? “I’m always aiming for the fences,” he says, but you can tell he’s also motivated by something deeper.
Ian is a triple threat and an artist’s artist. He came up in Austin, mentored by the greats. Stevie Ray Vaughan famously gave him his first guitar, and you can hear the lineage in his lingers, but then you hear that voice…” I was obsessed with the soul singers as a kid,” he says, and you can hear those influences in his silky falsetto and his soulful phrasing. Spin magazine described him as a cross between Aaron Neville and Jimi Hendrix, and that duality sets him apart from so many other guitarists. There is a sensitivity within the re and an economy in his playing that came from years and years playing with the greats as a young man, sharing stages with Willie Nelson, Albert King, Jimmie Vaughan, Albert Collins, Doug Sahm, and many others while still in his teens and early twenties.
At the same time, Ian is always searching for new ways to expand and rene his music, working with groundbreaking producers like Mark Howard/Daniel Lanois(Bob Dylan, U2), Joe Chicarelli(White Stripes, Elton John), and more recently, Adrian Quesada, whose band ‘the Black Pumas’ was starting to hit as they were making Ian’s ‘Strange Days.’ He looks at songwriting through a lens just as serious as Guy Clark or John Prine, but through a scope that includes influences from country blues to brit pop and back. “Man, many people don’t even listen to lyrics anymore, but to me, it is the core of a great song, and if the core is hollow, the rest of it will echo that.” That solid foundation has led to four top 20 rock radio hits, countless TV appearances, and even a feature role In the lm Slingblade, Billy Bob Thornton’s southern gothic masterpiece.
With such a rich history, it would be easy to rest on his accomplishments, but Ian doesn’t see it that way. “When we pull into a town, nobody cares what we’ve done in the past; they want to be electried, and our focus is to be the best thing they have ever seen.” Watching him play to yet another capacity crowd and leave them screaming long after he’s left the stage, you can see his dedication and hunger are just where they need to be. He’s staring down another touring season lled with festivals and marquee shows and gearing up to record later this year in what will be his twelfth release. It’s a dizzying pace, and you have to wonder how anyone can keep their focus and integrity with that much action and movement.“I have to speak from the heart.” He says. “It’s the only thing you have and the only thing that matters. Trends come and go. When you speak from the heart, you never go wrong.” Looking across the eld and seeing thousands of fans completely immersed in his music, you can see a lifetime of soul smiling back at him.
Ryan McGarvey
Ryan McGarvey is a globally respected guitarist, vocalist, and song write admiration of his own musical heroes. Over the course of his luminous career, McGarvey has shared stages with legends including Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, B.B. King, Joe Bonamassa, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, and many more—an achievement that speaks volumes about both his talent and reputation.
McGarvey’s recordings have received critical acclaim worldwide, with reviewers praising his explosive yet nuanced guitar work—ranging from searing delta slide to hard-driving rock—his unmistakable vocal style, and his mature, emotionally resonant songwriting. His live performances are equally unforgettable: powerful, dynamic, and deeply engaging, leaving audiences breathless and eager for more. Rooted in early delta blues and classic hard rock, while seamlessly incorporating modern blues-rock influences, McGarvey’s sound is both timeless and forward-looking. In 2010, he and his band were hand-selected from over 4,000 artists worldwide to perform at Eric Clapton’s prestigious Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago. That invitation was followed by a return appearance at the 2019 Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas—performed in the midst of a demanding European tour. McGarvey also held a standing invitation for the 2023 Crossroads Festival in Los Angeles. His work has been featured in leading publications such as Guitar World, Guitar Player, Premier Guitar, Music Connection, Guitarist, Blues Magazine, Rock Times, Blues Review, and more. In 2013, he was named “Best New Talent” in Guitar Player Magazine’s annual Readers Choice Awards, and has since received numerous additional honors, including Hall of Fame status at the European Blues Awards.
Backed by a formidable rhythm section often featuring A-list musicians such as Logan Miles Nix (John 5), Brant Leeper (W.C. Clark, Coco Montoya), and legendary bassist Carmine Rojas (David Bowie, Rod Stewart, Joe Bonamassa), Ryan McGarvey is entering an exciting new chapter. With a long-awaited comeback album on the horizon and national and international tours currently in development, McGarvey continues to evolve—expanding his loyal worldwide following and pushing his music to new heights.
