Mating Ritual - I Can't Dance

1.    Who is this slick scenester?

Mating Ritual is the solo indie pop rock project of Ryan Marshall Lawhon started in 2014. The man hails from Los Angeles and has a handful of singles on his resume. I Can’t Dance (March’16) is from his self-titled debut short player Mating Ritual (March’16).


2. What kind of trick is I Can’t Dance?

I Can't Dance brings glam stomp to electronic indie pop and has a wedge of guitar propping up the edifice. Marches with purpose to the final objective.


3. Who do Mating Ritual sound like?

An indie Phil Collins with a sense of purpose. Indie Shuffle were feeling Arctic Monkeys and Joywave and couldn't see their way past mentioning Ryan's previous band Pacific Air. Whatever.


4. What have the esteemable folk in the press got to say about I Can’t Dance?

“Classic rock’n’roll style” – Indie Shuffle.

“Galloping drums and sharp guitars” – Buzzbands.

“We’re digging it” – All Things Go Music.

5. Which bands put the rumble in Mating Ritual’s tumble?

Mating Ritual’s early influences were New Age music like Enya, Ray Lynch and Laurie Anderson. Later influences were post punk and early emo bands.


6. Why should I give I Can’t Dance a whip past the ears?

Mating Ritual have spun together a handful of top order nut cracking tunes early doors. I Can't Dance continues the theme of oozing mainstream appeal while retaining a knife sharp rock edge and eshewing bubblegum. Ryan Marshall Lawhon is a visionary musician. You can dance without embarassment.


7. Do Mating Ritual have any more of these gems?

Fuck yes. Hum Hum is top of the pack but I Wear Glasses is insanely good. Toxins is sublime.


8. Any more words?

Ryan Marshall Lawhon considers his short player a modern story-telling of the millenial dating scene. For a breakdown of all four songs go to Bullett Media.

“I can’t dance to the beat of your drum”

 

Walter Lukens is an indie rock/blues/soul musician from Austin, Texas, and generally considered the best thing in town. Mr Lukens has two long long players in the bag and Every Night (2015) is the lead single from the second album Baked Goods (2015). Produced by Jim Eno, drummer for Spoon, Spin compared Every Night to Led Zeppelin meets the Four Seasons and called it an “excellent new strutter.” Every Night is a laid back strutting rocker with soul.

“Every night is the same old beast”