Ryan McAllister’s career began as the lead singer/songwriter for Dakona, a young Vancouver band that found themselves the subject of a seven label bidding war. They signed with Madonna’s Maverick Records and toured North America extensively. Following a massive reshuffling at Maverick, the band lost their deal and McAllister found his accidental profession, recording indie bands in the little rehersal space the Dakona boys had built with their record deal advance.
Today McAllister runs Five Acres, a professional recording studio in a converted barn a few steps from his home in a sleepy corner of Southwest B.C. He has taught himself the art of producing and recording, and has written plenty of music along the way. McAllister wrote, produced, recorded and mastered Music for a Rainy Town, his first solo effort. It is an honest, vulnerable and diverse record that covers the genre gamut between southern pop, story-telling folk, and straight-up rock. At times, it is reminiscent of artists like Tom Petty, Bruce Springsteen and John Mayer, but McAllister’s unique vocal stylings set it apart as something all its own. In an age of 99 cent singles, Music for a Rainy Town is a powerful 12 song album from front to back, with each track showcasing strong, seasoned storytelling, engaging melodies and lyrics steeped in imagery.