The King of Long Island

When it comes to being in a band, recording new music and of course touring, you’d be surprised at how many bands are DIY when it comes to certain aspects. Obviously some hit the studio when needed, they get opportunities and guidance. But if we go behind the scenes it’s pretty remarkable at how much goes into the whole entire process. And also how much of it, besides the music part, they or one of the band members do themselves. The hours can be grueling, the time away from your norm and the people who you love the most can be mentally and physically challenging. But when it’s all said and done I think a lot of them will tell you that it’s most definitely worth it. To hear those lyrics you wrote screamed back at you, to see people show up for you and to just be in the moment doing what you love.

Let’s go behind the scenes with a gent who has become a master at DIY, puts in the hours and is in a band that is soaring. Let’s Keep Flying back to the East coast for this one and here we’ll find, John James Ryan.

John James Ryan. JJR. A name we’ve come to know, love and associate with fab bands and musical projects. Some call him “dad” and rightly so as he is one of the most supportive and genuine beings. Born and raised in Long Island, NY and becoming passionate about music at an early age, it's no wonder this guy has the drive and dedication he does when it comes to the scene and music he's apart of. We know him has the sax man in the band Keep Flying, but he also contributes his sax skills to other bands as well. And as of late, one of those bands is the ska punk gem of a band, Title Holder. It seems there's never a moment that we don't see him or Keep Flying sitting in one place for too long. The band has already toured quite a bit this year and it seems the fun is just beginning. Last month they even announced a tour where they will be hitting the road with Less Than Jake and Bowling For Soup. A dream tour for them as they've stated. But wait, there's more! Just last week the band released a revisited version of their song Firesale. They worked with the legend himself, Nik Bruzzese (The Gradwell House) and together they made an already incredible song even more amazing. To give us more more history on himself and Keep Flying, John was kind enough to take moment from the busy and answer a few questions for me! Grab some snacks from Buc-ee's and enjoy this interview!

Now of course we know you from all your musical endeavors, but can you give us a little JJR history lesson? Where you’re from, when did you start playing/writing music, was the saxophone your first instrument?

Absolutely! Born and raised on Long Island, NY and like many other humans I got into music during my early schooling years. High school was when the big switch as far as instruments go. I was actually a drummer for my whole childhood up until high school when I asked my teacher if I could play literally anything else because I felt a little unfulfilled. She chose bari sax because we didnt have one in the band. Thankful everyday thats what she chose as it quickly became my favorite thing.

If possible, can you tell us who your top five biggest musical influences are?

Top 5 is easy. Number one by and large is Weird Al Yankovic. If you're not down with that I'm not down with you. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones is right on up there as well as Dashboard Confessional, Bouncing Souls, and more recently, Ruston Kelly.

Now let’s chat about the amazing band you’re in, Keep Flying. Y’all seem to be nonstop when it comes to hitting the road and putting on some amazing shows. Since the start of the year, has there been a show that has been most memorable for you? And is there a run of shows coming up that you’re really stoked for?

You know us, we love to play. Most memorable for 2022, lets see...I would say the very last Fredonia, NY show that happened this past spring. We have been going there since the band started as least twice a year and it was nice to all be together to close it out for good. Really excited to hit the road with Less Than Jake and Bowling For Soup but before that we have a run being announced to celebrate another record and that is going to rock ass!

Staying on the topic of Keep Flying, can we expect any new tunes this year from you guys?

AHA! As I just said, yes, we do in fact have another record coming out in August. Hope yall like it. It's different.

And lastly, let’s say all the Disney movies were about to be locked up in the vault forever, but before that happened you could watch one of your choosing, one last time. Which movie would it be one and why?

Thats an easy answer, Heavyweights, because it is truly in my top 10 of all time and might be up there as one of the most quotable movies ever. Also, its stands up strongly today. Take a watch!

Dedicating your life to what you're most passionate about is truly admirable. Though the road can be mentally and physically taxing, there's no better feeling than knowing that what you're doing can actually be inspiring and influencing others. And in the case of JJR, well he most definitely is one that inspires and supports those around him on the daily. He continues to be supportive not only when it comes to his musical endeavors, but those of bands in his community and some even across the country. And for that I hope he knows how much he's valued and appreciated. Be on the lookout for that new KF album, catch a show and have your socks rocked and as always, Keep Flying and keep shining on. Enjoy the new video for the revisited version of Firesale below ⬇️