Author Archives: Ryan Mark Elliott Music

SEASPIRACY

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This Netflix documentary riled a lot of people.

On one hand, you have members of the public and watching in shock horror of the reality of the situation in regards to fishing and the industry.

On the other you have companies responding to defend themselves and marine biologists weighing in to debunk some of the misinformation that was included in the documentary.

And whilst I get that the prediction that fish being extinct from the sea by 2048 and the source used for that number was debunked, the intention was in the shock factor.

Misleading? Perhaps, but humans like predicting the future and we are also terrible at it.

I haven’t eaten fish in 7 years after turning vegetarian so I watched it more out of curiosity than looking for it to change my thinking about my diet.

I however, learnt a lot, and for all the defence and debunking that the documentary will come under scrutiny for, I have to credit Ali Tabrizi for having the courage to tackle a daunting subject, one in which consumers for the most part would rather avoid the reality.

There are revelations where people watching have a right to be angry, here are some that stuck with me:

‘Dolphin safe’ being a completely meaningless and disingenuous message for consumers.

Bycatch being far too unregulated.

Shark fin soup and cutting shark fins being a completely pointless and cruel business.

Media hysteria for plastic straws that ultimately accounts for 0.03% of all plastic in the ocean and the blind eye that has been given to plastic pollution caused by fishing. (One criticism I’ve seen about the documentary is that it downplays consumer habits making a difference, I don’t agree, it was much needed relativism).

Human rights abuse and slavery of poor people in the fish trade.

Developed countries fishing in a way that leads to a domino effect of poverty and health crisis in under developed countries.

Salmon fishing being outright gross.

No proper definition on sustainable fishing. Once again the documentary was criticised for saying there was no such thing as sustainable fishing but it’s a bit understandable for Ali to conclude that that is the case when no one was willing to give him a straight answer. I imagine there is sustainable fishing but I’m none the wiser for what that actually looks like.

I’m sure there’s more but it’s 90 intense minutes and a lot to take in. The documentary is designed to provoke and when there’s not much of a mainstream discussion point that has been established, that’s what it has done so my belief is that it contributes to the narrative in a very positive way.

Final thoughts. The documentary steers towards a conclusion where a plant based diet is recommended but it’s not done in the way that some critics have pointed out. For me, I felt it was more of a personal story and what Ali thought was best for him. In no way, do I believe it imposes the notion that vegan diets are a viable alternative for everyone.

As a vegetarian, I acknowledge it as a personal choice and whilst I encourage it, I don’t expect it to be right for everyone. I do however, think that the western and developed world relies far too heavily on meat.

Ultimately, we are amidst a climate and environmental crisis that I’ve grown up in. I’m sick of people denying it, I’m sick of corporations and politicians turning a blind eye to the facts whilst playing lip service and going down the same consumerist and capitalist path of unsustainably. Our generation and future generations have to live through this and clean up this mess.

Things have to change and they are, but they need to change faster.

And to make it happen, you have to hyperbolise the worse case scenarios, you have to piss people off and you have to make a ruckus.

Ali and his team did just that.

Make of it what you will, and if the fishing industry comes under fire and sees a decline in demand, the world will be a bit better for it.

Continents Away

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I’m lucky to have friends from all over the world. The not so good thing about that is being away from them for long periods of time.

Continents Away was written about the moments you get to spend with the people you love, but those moments heightened by the fact you know that you are going to be thousands of miles away from each other.

Living in the Middle East had me experience sense of transience in a more frequent way than I had ever experienced before.

Relationships that are long distance most definitely teach us to seize the moment, but there is also that desire in us to make sure we support each other whilst we are away drawn to whatever it is that steers us in different directions.

Kaleidoscope

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I remember losing my gaze in a kaleidoscope my Grandmother use to have and the twisting motion bringing about a new wave of symmetrical colours and patterns.

I wrote this song about celebrating curiosity, especially through the form of travel and the whole notion of things being the same, but different.

Working out in the Middle East gave me that opportunity, to see the world but also meet people from everywhere, and I am happy to have friends that are from all the world.

Whilst there are cultural differences, there are many common values we all share no matter where we are from. Especially in a time where Xenophobia has creeped into the narrative, I wanted to write this song to celebrate the idea of cultures and people from anywhere in the world being able to integrate with each other.

The Upside Down

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There’s a reference here but it’s not ‘Stranger Things’

The title was inspired by a quote from ‘Mary Poppins’ the musical where she describes the Banks family as an upside down family.

So much of the story of Mary Poppins is about the tension between a Father’s duty to business, working life and his family.

There are plenty of instances where this has been the case in real life where there are complex problems within a family set up that can sometimes end up buried and cause long term resentment.

Lyrically, it is one of the most complicated topics I cover in the album. The idea of disillusionment and how choices can impact any family but how introspection and seeking resolutions with empathy and forgiveness is a way to come to terms with everything.

The story of Mary Poppins has a wonderful arc for Mr. Banks. I wish that arc can be true for life itself as well.

Myopia

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Myopia was written in response to short term thinking from people in power. Another track that justifies the word ‘disillusionment’ in the album title.

Initially, the lyrics explore the trap of making selfish decisions that in turn, leave other people in worse off positions and exploited. Another running theme is about profit being a priority above duty.

The big closing moment that finishes this track is in regards to our climate and the mess we are making of the planet and whilst positive strides have been made, there is still a lot of lip service, empty promises and unsustainable processes going on.

The use of the word ‘Prudence’ has declined in the last few years but I think it should become fashionable again.

I certainly wish that we all behave in a way that is more prudent and less myopic.

Grey Day

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There are days when you wake up and feel like rubbish.

It could be just a horrible phase, a rough period or clinical depression. Nothing exact as such.

I wrote this song about those kind of days.

The voices in your head that keep telling you that you’re not good enough are winning (I call this ‘resistance’) and you are left with little energy to do anything else other than wallow.

The thing I’ve learnt is that things always get lighter when you take a walk and open up to someone about it.

Men in particular are awful at this, and it’s becoming more prevalent in the media how false sense of masculinity and bottling up feelings is doing more harm than good.

I wanted to write this song to express the fact that’s it’s okay to have these kind of days and it’s also okay to talk about it.

Half Notion

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I wrote Half Notion after reading this brilliant quote from Guillermo Del Toro.

I always say, when you’re young and unsuccessful, you don’t have the money, and if you’re not careful, when you’re old and successful, you don’t have the passion. To be put in either of those two positions is a tragedy. I think one of the toughest times in any man’s life is his twenties, because in your twenties you’re fiercely screaming who you are, but you have only half a notion of who you are. Then as you grow older, you whisper who you are, but people are closer to you, and they listen. By that time, you have half a notion, a quarter of a notion, of who you are. I think the tragedy is when you finally have all the people that you need surrounding you, and you have nothing left to say.”

Reading this passage from ‘cabinet of curiosities’ gave me a heck of a lot of comfort in my early twenties. The very idea that it’s okay to not have a clue about anything. The problem is school and society tells you that you need to get your act together swiftly, and that you need to be successful sharpish.

Passion, desire and anxiety go hand in hand whilst you’re still trying to figure it all out. Half Notion musically and lyrically deals with me living that experience.

The middle solo is one of my proudest moments on the guitar as well.

If you’re in your twenties, early or late and you feel like you are still figuring everything out, that’s fine and you’re far from alone in feeling that. You’ve got time and in the meantime, enjoy the exploration.

Dreams to Ashes

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Track 1 of my solo debut album was initially written in 2015 and completed in 2018.

Musically, it’s a progressive metal track through and through with 5/4 being the opening time signature amongst other jagged rhythms and riffs.

Most of the track is guitars, bass and drums but there are moments where I use acoustic guitars, synths and other textures. The ending is particularly dense.

Lyrically, the album is about what has been called by some as the lost decade. The growing chaos and division that occurred from 2016 onwards and futures being determined by lack of upward mobility, soaring house prices and inequality, prejudice and hatred.

This opening track was one of the reasons I wanted to include the word ‘disillusion’ in the album title.

Amidst all the frustration I expressed in this track, and my observation of it all, I throw in an element of hope in there. The problems are definitely there, but many of us see them and are doing something about it. Here is to changing things for the better.

Between a Disillusion and Resolution

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A year ago today, my debut solo album ‘Between a Disillusion and Resolution’ was released.

Before this, I had released my music as the progressive rock group Eden Shadow and decided to release music under my own name.

The whole process felt liberating and the nine tracks on the album features many facets of my musical personality included some progressive rock and metal elements, but I also steered towards a songwriting focus with songs such as ‘Grey Day’, ‘Kaleidoscope’ and ‘Anything is Possible’.

I wrote a lot of these songs whilst I was teaching music in Dubai and thematically the album was an exploration of transience and personal evolution. The music is eclectic and probably the most personal I have released and I thoroughly enjoyed the process of writing and recording it with my team of fellow musicians and artists.

The album is available digitally and when live shows can happen, I will be going through the process of having physical copies available, the links are below.

In the meantime, I am working on my next solo material and go into the studio next month.

I look forward to sharing more musical creations with you in the not too distant future.

Writing and recording a solo

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When I write music and have a basis for a solo, I get really excited. This is an opportunity to take my musicianship further and express myself on the guitar in a way where I push my limits.

Once you have the chords and know what scales you need to use, there’s then the possibilities and choices you can make to unfold a narrative.

You can use a variety of techniques, dynamics, and pitch to build tension and really take the track to a new height.

Very rarely do I achieve this in the first take. I don’t even achieve it in the next ten either. It takes exploration and trial and error and eventually you find yourself in a flow state where the magic starts to happen. That may be a hundred takes later.

Don’t give up before you get there.