Global Music Star Ryan Tennis Announces 'Two Days on the Fence' and 2018 Tour Dates
By: Julie Musbach Dec. 19, 2017
Having recently wrapped a triumphant six-week tour of Europe and a knockout homecoming pre-holiday show in his beloved Philadelphia, global music sensation RYAN TENNIS and his seven-piece Clubhouse Band will release a brand-new studio EP, Two Days on the Fence, on January 12.
Co-produced by Tennis and Tom Spiker (Calvin Weston, Sun Ra Arkesta, G. Love) and recorded at the expansive Rittenhouse Soundworks studio in the Philly suburb of Germantown, Two Days on the Fence sees Tennis and his virtuosic band ? Joseph Keim (drums), Shaun Hennessey (percussion), Brahm Genzlinger (bass), Maxfield Gast (sax), Nate Graham (keyboards), and Christopher Farrell (guitar) ? locking in with telepathic precision on five luminous new cuts that draw heavily on sounds and rhythms Tennis absorbed during his extensive travels throughout South America and his performances with legendary South African musicians Bakithi Kumalo and Morris Goldberg, both of whom performed on Paul Simon's historic Graceland album.
"I wanted to explore more powerful rhythms than you get with the usual acoustic singer-songwriter thing," Tennis explains. "My band can play a lot of incredible grooves, so I know I can throw anything at them and they'll turn it into genius stuff that makes people move. I'm flat-out amazed at what they did on the new EP."
Over the years, Tennis has been compared to artists such as Paul Simon, Ben Harper and Bill Withers. The songs on Two Days on the Fence range from soul-enriching ballads to exuberant, body-moving groovers, and they see the inveterately creative singer-songwriter spreading the waters of his influences ("a lot of folk, soul and Afro-Caribbean sounds") while micro-targeting his lyrics to soothe today's information-overloaded society.
"I wrote these songs with the intention of giving people hope and positivity in their lives," Tennis says. "In general, we're inundated with negativity - from the news to Facebook, it's so easy to get bogged down. I'm not one to write protest songs, but in a way I did that by writing songs to make people feel good. There's a lot of power in that message, the audacity it takes to feel joyful in tough times."
The upcoming live music video for the title track of Two Days on the Fence was filmed in Paris during Tennis' most recent European tour. Having won over audiences in Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, Ireland, Colombia and Argentina, he's looking forward to expanding his global reach in 2018. On the heels of the EP's release, Tennis heads to South America in mid-January for a month-long tour of Columbia. Prior to his departure, Tennis will lead a pair of all-star "Graceland" 30th Anniversary shows (featuring original Graceland bassist Bakithi Kumalo) in Washington, D.C. (Jan. 5) and Philadelphia (Jan. 6). He returns to the U.S. in February to launch an East Coast tour, which includes an appearance at Folk Alliance International.
"I can't wait to get back out there and play," Tennis enthuses. "When you come to one of my shows, you're going to get an explosion of funky soul music mixed with Afro-Caribbean beats and textures. Everybody in the band sings backing vocals, so it's a loud and joyous sound. It's a welcoming environment, so come on and shake off your troubles. We'll have you moving in no time!"
Two Days on the Fence is out January 12th on iTunes and Spotify.
Two Days on the Fence - Track Listing
Down & Up
Two Days on the Fence
Strange How It's Changing
From the Water
Segundo Piso
RYAN TENNIS U.S. TOUR DATES
Sat. Dec. 23: Dogtooth Bar & Grill, Wildwood, NJ
Fri., Jan. 5: Pearl Street Warehouse, Washington, DC**
Sat., Jan. 6: Ardmore Music Hall, Ardmore, PA**
Wed. Feb. 21: Rockwood Music Hall, New York, NY
Sat. Feb. 24: Club Passim, Boston, MA
**Graceland All-Star 30th Anniversary Tribute
More Dates to Come ...
Ryan Tennis on the Web
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