Songs & Stories - Music Nova Scotia Open Mic - Saturday, February 20th - 1 to 4 PM - FREE

Ryan MacGrath is this week's featured performer at Music Nova Scotia's Songs and Stories Open Mic at The Carleton Music Bar & Grill.

Ryan Macgrath is an unconventional study in contrasts. His rural roots anchor a musical and personal style that is opulent, but never ostentatious. He possesses an authentic, old-school glamour that is as rare as it is refreshing. His music reminds us that, though life is seldom simple, there is beauty in the complexity, in the journey, in the telling. Through his songs, he is himself and everyone. He is a lover - both scorned and adored. He is sometimes a diva, occasionally a desperado. He is that friend whose words help us wade through the tough times ... and frolic in moments of fun.

Whether sharing the stage with stellar musical colleagues like Buck 65, Matt Mays and Gentleman Reg, amazing an audience in front of a full band complete with barbershop quartet or quietly captivating the room with a haunting solo set, Ryan never demands but rather powerfully elicits admiration. After receiving national press, praise and two 2009 Nova Scotia Music Award nominations for his ep In My Own Company, Ryan is currently collaborating with prolific producer Jason Michael MacIsaac (Jenn Grant, Brent Randall, The Heavy Blinkers) on his debut full-length album slated for release in early 2010.

As his voice soars and crescendos and we are transported to landscapes of truth and tragedy, melancholy and mirth, we may not know what to expect, but having heard him, we know enough to listen for songs that are both larger than life portraits, and exquisitely melodic miniatures. Ryan MacGrath: memorable magic.