RICH RAGANY TO RELEASE NEW SOLO ALBUM ‘YOU CAN GET DARK WITH ME’
15th May 2024The last few years has seen the Calgary, Canada born, New York City seasoned, and now UK based songsmith, Rich Ragany, build up quite a reputation with his various bands of rock n ’roll trailblazers, The Role Models, The Loyalties and most recently, RR & The Digressions.
Rich’s songs have won over the hearts of many, most recently with the critically acclaimed albums ‘Beyond Nostalgia & Heartache’ and ‘What We Do (To Not Let Go)’ gaining considerable airplay on BBC Introducing, and rave reviews and features from the likes of Classic Rock, Vive Le Rock, Louder Than War and Powerplay etc.
Rich over the years has shared stages with the likes of Ramones, Bad Brains, SNFU, Rammstein, Oasis, The Lemonheads, Warrior Soul, The Men They Couldn’t Hang, Whitfield Crane, Ginger Wildheart, The Professionals, Steve Conte (New York Dolls), as well as each band packing out venues in their own right.
All this experience and resulting attention has brought him to signing a deal with Barrel And Squidger (who have released music by CJ Wildheart, Massive Wagons, members of Status Quo and Sex Pistols) with a brand new solo album titled ‘You Can Get Dark With Me’. Due for release this coming June 14th, the album features ten songs of heartfelt soul searching and rousing anthems that are uniquely personal to Ragany and really get to the core essence of his personality and song-writing talents.
“After the big dramatic production of The Digressions’ albums I wanted to create something more personal, a world of its own, so I decided to deconstruct to reconstruct,” explains Rich. “Every song is a mix of home recording, from the first day of writing each song, and proper studio stuff, to keep a real personal ‘straight from the moment of inspiration’ feel but have a sonically and emotionally expanded spirit as well.
“Guitars recorded on the fly in my bathroom as I wrote, in real time. Mostly acoustic, later taken and manipulated to sound ‘electric’ (inspired by the Stones’ similar sonic experiments on Street Fighting Man). Backing vocals done on the spot, some of these literally recorded on a phone mic in my bathroom. I then took all this to my trusted friend and talented producer, Andy Brook and added big studio-grade bass and drums via the talented duo of Simon Maxwell and Ricky McGuire and experimented some more. Then JUNO and Canadian Country Music Award winning producer (and another old friend and brother) Russell Broom got involved in a few tracks. Travelling back to my early home of Calgary and recording with him really brought things full circle.”
The first single from the album is titled ‘A Pleasant Fiction’ and features a very special guest in guitarist Ken Mochikoshi-Horne of Los Angeles punk legends The Bronx.
“It’s a song about addiction and where it leaves the person struggling through it. Where it leaves that person’s loved ones. How emotionally both parts of the experience are very close in the emotional landscape. The attempts of chasing the horrors away, while struggling to embrace the foundations desperately needed, while maybe being chased away by others. The musical backdrop gives a strut and hope, with an uplifting and tough melody to embrace the idea that sometimes singing or sharing your life, reaching out, can give one the strength to stand again. There’s hope.
“It’s amazing to have Ken Mochikoshi-Horne play guitar on the track,” continues Rich. “We’ve been friends for years and always spoke about doing a fun collaboration. Upon hearing the song, he immediately got the streetwise strut and gritty feel. I have been a fan of his from The Dragons to The Bronx, so grateful for our friendship. His playing really adds something special to the song, and to the whole vibe.Deep in its beating heart, ‘You Can Get Dark With Me’ has ten songs that started out so simple and solitary but have travelled so far. In its own world, reaching out now…
Pre-order ‘You Can Get Dark With Me’ HERE:
‘You Can Get Dark With Me’ credits and album info:
- EMPTY AND FREE +++*
- A PLEASANT FICTION +*
- YOU CAN GET DARK WITH ME +++**
- SIERRA BONITA ++***
- TRAGIC CELEBRATION +*
- REACH OUT +*
- THE GREAT NOTHING +*
- SHINE AROUND ME +*
- WE’RE ALIVE ANYWAY +*
- WORTH +*
RICH RAGANY – Lead And Harmony Vocals, Acoustic and Electric Guitar, Piano and Keyboards
With…
SIMON MAXWELL – Drums And Percussion
RICKY MCGUIRE- Bass
ANDY BROOK – Piano on “Alive Anyways” and “The Great Nothing”.
Harmony Vocals on “Sierra Bonita” and “The Great Nothing”
Drum Programming on “The Great Nothing”
RUSSELL BROOM – Additional Guitars on “Empty And Free”, “You Can Get Dark With Me” and “Sierra Bonita”.
Bass and drum programming on “Sierra Bonita”
Keyboards on “You Can Get Dark With Me”
KIT SWING – Harmony vocals on “Empty And Free” & “Reach Out”
KEN MOCHIKOSHI-HORNE – Additional guitar on “A Pleasant Fiction”
MADDIE LEE – Duet Vocals on “You Can Get Dark With Me”
Catch Rich Ragany live at the following album release parties:
June 14 Huddersfield, The Parsh INFO
June 15 London, The Black Heart INFO
