Daily Inspiration: Meet Ryan Smith

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Smith.

Hi Ryan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstories with our readers.
I fell in love with music around 11 years old when my neighbor introduced me to punk. He had punk o rama mix CDs and I loved the energy in those songs. My parents got me a snare drum and a bass guitar eventually and I would bang on the drum and learn songs on the bass and play along to CDs. My love for music grew more complex and varied in genres and instruments. I’ve played alto sax in ska and R&B projects, drums in jam bands and metal bands, and written my own music in the rock genre, singing and playing guitar. I did all this in the New Jersey and New York City scenes from 2007 to 2018, while touring nationally at times.

I’ve got ADD with styles and genres and feels, I’m a jack of all genres. Today, I release music under Crusasis, a word I made up in 2008. I have 15 or so releases on Bandcamp and a few of those on Spotify/iTunes/youtube. I’ve been a traveler for 5 years, playing different types of music around the world as I ride my motorcycle around North America or fly internationally and explore other countries, all working odd jobs to sustain myself along the way. Now I am switching gears and will create a live band for Crusasis again soon.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The music scene is like living life on Facebook. You play a show and get a bunch of likes and pats on the back, then the next day it disappears. You work really hard to share your music, and people consume it for a few moments and then are on to the next thing. It is a difficult system, it is what it is and some people find success and sustainability in it. For me, it hasn’t been the case, and I’m still in the process of figuring out how to share my music successfully.

What are the elements holding me back from having a continuous audience? I believe I can fix those issues within myself, and be authentic. I am not interested in algorithms and marketing. I believe if my product is relatable and strong enough, I can produce material and present it in front of an audience whether digitally or live and achieve a more sustainable result. It has been a dark road, I’ve sacrificed many lifestyles, health, and money for art. I didn’t choose that, I was compelled to do it. I believe the struggling artist stereotype isn’t a choice, it is a reality that happens to people who don’t put money first in their goals and maybe their passion or way of expression isn’t working in the culture at the time.

Or maybe struggling artists suck half the time, that’s a possibility too. It all comes down to taste, some pop stars suck, some indie artists suck and some struggling artists suck. Maybe we’re just not producing a professional enough product to be competitive. I’m just rambling now!

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a musician. I specialize in writing, performing, and recording my original music. I am proud of all the releases and ideas I’ve captured and embalmed in a sound file. I write, perform and record my own material which most people don’t do.

Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
Riding my dirtbike into the woods, turn it off, sat on the ground, closed my eyes, and breathing in the mix of fresh air with the hint of gasoline from the engine of my bike. Listening to the wind in the trees.

Contact Info:

• Website: crusasis.bandcamp.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dorfking3/?hl=en
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC32h7QBr4PpL1ROJDhoVupQ