We had the good fortune of connecting with Ryan King and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ryan, what role has risk played in your life or career?
Risk is an inevitability. There will always be decisions to make, in terms of “playing it safe” or choosing the riskier option. It’s all about looking down the line and being realistic about how you’re going to feel at the end of the day. The decision to pursue a career in music is risky, from a financial perspective. Certainly not a lot of money in the arts. After making that already-precarious decision, making the further decision to try to do it by being in a band? Even riskier… And then – the cherry on top – to try and forge a career in the jam band scene, which is a relatively niche subset of music-listeners…. Well, that takes quite a leap of faith. But when you ask yourself where your priorities are, and for us its always been in playing music, seeing concerts, connecting with people as fans… The risk starts to seem like an inevitability. It’s that or do something that doesn’t inspire us to the extent that we know music can. And when you start to think about it like that, both options are risky. Do I go out on a limb and put everything in to where I know my heart lies, and maybe fail? Or do I hope that a more secure, but less inspired, existence is not that bad? For us the answer lies next to the heart, somewhere deep in our core. And once you realize the answer, the decision has already been made.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Stormy Chromer loves to balance musical composition and improvisation, and the two approaches really fuel each other. A couple of us have backgrounds in the classical music world, which is the pinnacle of grand harmonic motion, evocative melody, and careful composition. A few of us have backgrounds in jazz, which broke down the boundaries and limitations of improvisation and created an entirely new approach to chordal motion. We strive to draw from both of these beautiful traditions and apply their strengths to the world of rock music. So you could maybe say we are more deliberate and careful in our compositions than the stereotypical ‘jam band,’ and more improvisatory and experimental than the stereotypical ‘rock band.’ The more that we explore the different musical realms, the more we find beauty everywhere. We try and channel that inspiration in to our music all the time. We’ve started incorporating elements of electronic music, 1960s minimalist music, early-20th century atonal music… The world of sound is so vast, it seems silly to pigeonhole yourself to one style. I’m thankful that audiences these days have such open ears!

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Definitely we would stop by Your Mom’s House in Denver to catch a local show. The energy in there is through the roof! We would have to make a stop at Red Rocks, of course. It would be ridiculous to be so close to one of the most impressive amphitheaters in the world and not see a show there. We would stop by for a cocktail at my favorite bar, Forest Room 5. Then we would be out in the mountains, perhaps trying for the top of Long’s Peak. If we had time, I would try and get us out to Aspen to bike along the Rio Grande Trail to Woody Creek Tavern and have a drink in honor of Hunter.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to all the bands we’ve played with along the way, big and small. Community is everything. Shoutout to our families, who have backed us up with support and love along the way.
Shoutout to our fans, who always come ready to rock and keep this ship afloat.

Website: www.stormychromerlive.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stormychromer/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Stormy_Chromer

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StormyChromerlive/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyWlJp1LrqxntquXKD0fQLQ

Other: www.stormychromer.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
Photo 1 (personal picture): Jason Myers Photo 2: Callie Ann Photography Photo 3: Jason Myers Photo 4: Erika Ratliff Photo 5: (logo/no need to credit)

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutColorado is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.