Having played bass for fifteen years -- eight of which were spent playing professionally in the band, Matchbook Romance -- Ryan's life has been filled with music and all that surrounds it. As a group, Matchbook Romance put out four releases on Epitaph Records, selling a total of over 350,000 records in the United States alone. In support of these releases, Ryan and the other members of the band spent three consecutive summers performing on the Vans Warped Tour (2003-2005), supporting popular acts such as Taking Back Sunday and The All-American Rejects. The band played large festivals including KROQ Weenie Roast, Summerfest, and Pukkelpop (Belgium) and also headlined the 2005 Epitaph Tour and the 2006 Take Action Tour. Throughout all of this, Ryan had the distinct honor of sharing the stage with several notable artists including the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Twisted Sister, Billy Idol, Steeley Dan, The Wailers, Fall Out Boy, Alice Cooper, Bad Religion, the Foo Fighters, Snoop Dogg and many others.

As a member of Matchbook Romance, Ryan was fortunate enough to travel to and perform in all 48 continental United States, as well as eighteen foreign countries, spanning four continents. The success of the band also provided him with the opportunity to perform live on NBC, MTVU and Fuse. In addition to his experience performing live--both on stage and TV--he has had the pleasure of recording in such noteworthy studios as Sound City (Tom Petty, Weezer, Nirvana, Queens of the Stone Age) in Los Angeles, Nada Studios (Brand New, Midtown, Armor for Sleep) right here in the Hudson Valley, and Longview Farm (The Rolling Stones, Muse, Aerosmith) in rural Massachusetts.

Aside from performing and recording, Ryan also has experience teaching music. In 2007, he was a producer/counselor at Power Chord Academy - a highly-advanced, sleep-away "Rock & Roll Summer Camp" - as part of a compelling program that gives teenage musicians the opportunity to experience being a professional musician first-hand. He assisted two groups of adolescents in writing, arranging, recording, and shooting a video for one original song each during their week-long experience as campers. Teaching at Power Chord Academy was a uniquely moving experience for Ryan as a musician and made him realize that teaching is truly the best method of learning, which inspired him to continue teaching while pursuing a degree in music.

Click here for an article about Ryan in Guitar World's Bass Player Magazine