Hailing from British Columbia, singer-songwriter and musician Ryan McMahon unleashes his desire for life and togetherness with his new high-energy single, "One More Fire."
Growing up loving the feeling of evoking emotion from audiences at an early age led McMahon to carve out a 20-year career in Canada's vibrant indie music scene. His goal to create songs that speak to the human condition has landed the BC-based artist on stages alongside Mother Mother, Nickelback, Buffy Ste. Marie, Lisa Loeb, and more.
Fuelling the fire that powers our existence is the core concept and theme within Ryan McMahon's latest single, "One More Fire." The song itself is this thrilling country backroad foot-stomper that leans into folk-rock through the beaming electric guitars and upbeat drum patterns. That said, it's what's deeper that makes us feel included, seen, and ready to hit the next concert in town.
Expanding on "One More Fire," the tune kicks off with a toe-tapping upbeat drum arrangement and a plucky acoustic guitar with some added background banjo. As McMahon jumps in with his ferocious and lively vocal performance, he begins setting the scene with picturesque lyrics that forget our times locked inside, ready to seize each day that comes.
The song's hook offers all the energy and passion we missed out on these past couple of years. If anyone's in search of a good time, trust us when we say it all starts with Ryan McMahon's new anthemic single. A few transitions, anticipation-filled breakdowns, and guitar solos keep us locked in until the song's very last beat.
Keep your head held high with Ryan McMahon's latest feel-good tune, "One More Fire," now available on all digital streaming platforms.
Welcome to BuzzMusic, Ryan McMahon. We're singing along with you in your latest anthemic single, "One More Fire." What fuelled your fire to write this optimistic hit?
I can hear you! "One More Fire" exists due to a conversation with my friend Aaron Pritchett. He and I worked together, along with his son Jordan and future daughter-in-law Danielle. We talked about writing something inspirational and fun to shake off pandemic blues. I had a desire to stay true to myself lyrically as I always have but also wanted to create something up-tempo that could potentially move a large audience, no matter the genre; Country, Americana, Folk, Polka…
Did you want your audience to hear "One More Fire" and picture those nights at a memorable concert or event? What did you want to evoke in this listener?
Hope, most of all. After rolling through a couple of years of no touring, family health issues, and my wife's near-death experience in a car accident, I knew the lows that I was going through and that many others out there were going through the same or worse. I wanted to have some lines in there that were reassurances that better times could be ahead if we could keep our heads and focus on them. When we created the video, I wanted the message to be simple: a room full of my friends and hard-core fans who've been with me forever, just getting together and celebrating being alive once again.
Did you have any other hands-on-deck during the songwriting or instrumental process for "One More Fire"? What did that look like behind the scenes?
Recording at the Warehouse in Vancouver is amazing. The live room is almost like its own instrument in itself. Huge and ancient; it gives whatever is being tracked in there its natural reverb that I love. As far as the writing process goes, I did that. But once you gather great studio musicians Scott Smith (guitar, banjo, pedal steel), Jeremy Holmes (bass, mandolin), Pat Steward (drumkit) & Darryl Havers (keys) together - playing all the main tracks live off the floor - that's when things take off. Everyone in that room is so accomplished, and other than asking for a few things here and there, I just let 'em go. It's inspiring as a vocalist to ride the wave that all these folks are creating for you; it all came together so fast, and it just pushed me to sing my lungs out with my whole heart. Once Jordan Pritchett and Danielle Marie King (co-producers) got their mitts on it, the song morphed once again. They're both so talented. The harmonies they came up with weren't anything I had thought of myself, and they're sonically my favorite part of the song.
Why did you want to create "One More Fire" to be so anthemic and bold? Do you feel this loud and proud sound captures what we've missed during the pandemic?
I feel that the loud and proud sound captures something that I might've been missing even before the pandemic. Sometimes, as a writer, I tended to get lost in subtleties and inside stuff that might not reach all audiences, ya know? It's really important to me, at least at this juncture of my career, to land a couple of cuts that are more shareable with the listeners. Something relatable that we all feel, not just 'my story.' That lesson has taken me a little longer to learn as a songwriter, but better late than never, I hope!
What's next for you?
Once "One More Fire" comes out, we've got a couple more singles that we recorded at the Warehouse just last week. They'll get released one by one as 2022 unfolds. The goal is to have a collection of songs released on a full album in early 2023. It's a long game and a new method of releasing music for me, but it makes the most sense for us at the moment. I'm focusing on getting a new agent and getting the band on the road for longer stretches as well… I don't know if it's a mid-life crisis thing or what, but playing loud and up-tempo sure feels good to me these days. I'll always have that acoustic show in my pocket - I still love playing solo - but when great musicians are onstage helping you deliver your message to the audience, well, that's just the best feeling in the world to me.
