Meet Ryan Lang | Music Producer & Mechanical Engineer

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

Hi Ryan, as a parent, what do you feel is the most meaningful thing you’ve done for them?
I believe the most important thing I’ve done as a parent in terms of the impact it has on my children is to stay true to myself and pursue my dreams with passion and determination. I think that there can be some level of stigma around pursuing self-driven goals as a parent, but I find that to be a bit naïve. I think there is an incredibly positive impact on on a child who is able to see the person they love and respect most in the world pursuing their goals and fulfilling their dreams. There is, as with all things, a balance which must be sought and maintained, but that is yet another important lesson a child can learn and view firsthand. Allow me to clarify that I am in no way disparaging those who may choose to take on a role of “full-time parent”. My own mother was a stay-at-home Mom. That was, in fact, her dream and she pursued with utmost passion and dedication. My father, on the other hand, had a very successful career as a performing/touring musician and pursued that with every part of his being. He was around less than my Mom, but he was an inspiration to me as a child and inspires me still today as an adult. Both of my parents followed their passion and supported each other such that their dreams were both made reality. Their influence showed me that whether you are a stay-at-home parent or a touring musician, as long as you are happy and full of passion about life, you can impart your child with a will to flourish and grow up inspired and ready to take on the world.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I would say that I am compelled to create. I have been involved in music since I was born, being in a very musical family. My father was a Band Commander/Conductor for the U.S. Air Force until he retired in 2019, so I spent my entire childhood and adolescence attending concerts of all kinds for concert bands, jazz bands, rock, funk, and more. I also spent a great deal of time with my dad in the recording studio, watching the process and talking to the Engineers. I played guitar for a couple of metal bands during high school, and it was only once I started college that I began my journey into Electronic Music Production. Ever since that journey began, I have been compelled to create and perform and have had many amazing opportunities over the years to play alongside incredible artists like Infected Mushroom, Clozee, Charlesthefirst, Mr. Bill, Mimosa, Keota, Cuali, and more. I don’t think that it was “easy”, but it did feel like a natural flow. I have been blessed to be surrounded by inspiring people that have fostered my urge to create and perform. It may sound cliché, but I think the most important lesson I have learned is to never give up on your dreams. The further I push myself into this world of art and music, the more exciting it gets. It can be disheartening at times, and there are moments when I wonder if I can keep it going alongside all of my family obligations, but in the end I know that I wouldn’t be whole without this part of my life, and I truly believe I couldn’t quit doing it even if I “wanted” to. All of those incredible shows I mentioned playing were years ago, and I have taken a bit of a step back since then to work more on developing my sound, which has been somewhat of an arduous process, but I feel that the payoff is visible (or audible, rather) in the music I am creating now, which I am very excited to start releasing again and sharing with the world.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I live in Colorado Springs, so any time people come through to visit I take them to Garden of the Gods. If we have more time and the weather is nice, then I love taking people up Highway 24 to any number of awesome nature spots for hiking/camping. I also usually grab some food from Bird Dog BBQ for friends who visit because I worked there for six years back in the day and it is delicious local food. It may just be because of the people I tend to hang out with, but generally what we’d do to hang out is just collaborate on some tunes, which is super fun and interesting (for us at least). As far as exciting people, those would just be my other friends that are awesome at whatever art they pursue. Colorado Springs can be kind of a sleepy town, but it is beautiful and there is no shortage of nature stuff to get into. Also, Denver is only an hour away, so any night-life type stuff is super accessible. On that note, the last time I had a good friend come out to visit was last year, for about a week actually, and we did all the things I just mentioned plus Tipper at Red Rocks, which was an amazing experience, as always.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am forever grateful to my family for supporting me in all I do and providing endless love and encouragement along the way. However, as much as my family has supported me, I don’t think I would have gotten to where I am today without my tight-knit group of incredible friends. It is my group of peers who consistently drivesme and keeps me accountable. I watch them all doing incredible things and making amazing art or music or whatever they may do and it keeps me focused and determined. I feel a healthy dose of competition when I look around at them all and see the amazing work they do and it makes me want to ensure I have something cool to share at our next gathering, because I know they will all have some mind-blowing new art in the works. I think it is incredibly important to surround yourself with people who inspire you and help drive you to be the best version of yourself.

Website: https://linktr.ee/mrlangmusic

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

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-lang-653060b3

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

Other: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6Mmg25kSCugxPPj3es2weC?si=9_AtNv9lT5q_f2WX-HvsXw&utm_source=copy-link Bandcamp: https://mrlang.bandcamp.com

Image Credits
Photos by Endless Spectrum Photography