Live Performance

rhY has toured the world: Ireland, Mexico, Germany, California, New York, Arizona, Scotland, Oregon, and of course Hawaii.  His rates are extremely reasonable.  He can play 3 hours of original music solo with no breaks.  5 hours if you add in covers.  He can bring an enormous PA or come play your stage as-is (or pack a smaller PA if that's appropriate).

​I don't play with a loop station.  I don't play with samples.  I don't use computers for anything but recording albums, and recording other live footage.  I grew up in orchestra, and have no respect for artifice.  If you want karaoke or a DJ, hire an amateur.  I play music.  Not records.  Not video games.  Not samples.  Real.  Music.

Group Live Performance

rhY has connections and contact with a host of incredible musicians, and has been fortunate to play professionally with many of them, including national tours, studio albums, and large outdoor festivals.

Song Writing

The songs have changed considerably over the years.  Early compositions were decidedly rock and blues, later developing into an old-school country or dirty Tejano style, and then incorporating a lot of Island life and reggae tonality.  Follow rhY from the remote deserts of the Southwest and Mexico to the sunny tropical islands, and then back to the murky, misty forests of the rugged Oregon coast.
I love to play and sing, obviously, but for me it's more about songwriting.  It's about making a connection between my story, the audience and their stories, and with the deeper meaning of what it is to be human.
Funny, Sad, Touching, Angry, Fun, Dark, and a bit frivolous, take the roller coaster ride!  And remember, nobody's perfect.  We're all the villain in somebody else's story.

Tumblin' Down
Early in the Morning he walked out in the snow
To break the ice and soil where the plants would grow
He lifted up the timber, drove the hammer down
to feed and clothe the family in this unfriendly town

She didn't like the farm life, she didn't like the cold
She watched the kids a-growin', and her face getting old
Looking for an exit, somewhere else to go:
She packed the little angels, and drove into the snow

Now it's Tumblin' Down
Now it's Tumblin' Down
Watch them TEARIN' it Down
See them Tumblin' Down

Now the house is empty, silent in the night
No one's making music, no one's in a fight
She moved to California, the children miss their Dad
No one had a funeral for what the family had

                                                                                                                  rhY c.2017

Violin

Classically trained for many years in orchestras and string quartets, once he started playing Irish reels at the pub, his rock and roll fate was sealed.  Using a highly customized effects pedal, his violin can sound like a cello, or an entire string quartet!

Vocals

rhY's voice has been compared favorably to Jim Morrison or Johnny Cash.  Taking inspiration from powerful vocalists such as KD Lang or Nat King Cole, he often belts out over the crowd without a microphone or amplification.

Guitar

rhY's guitar is his life.  He has been the department director at several music schools, played in innumerable bands, and can play bass lines and chords while singing, creating an incredibly full sound without a band: His voice, his songs, and his guitar.

Huge Variety of Music

​Besides original country music, rhY also plays original rock, reggae, ska, blues, ballads, and many other genres.

His cover repertoire includes a staggering variety of music from many, many artists including: Johnny Cash, Nicole Atkins, Holly Golightly, Dolly Parton, Ernest Tubb, The Doors, Radiohead, Garth Brooks, Luis Prima, The Cranberries, KD Lang, Hank Williams Sr., ColdPlay, Dwight Yoakum, and many others.
I could not believe how much music came out of him!  By the 4th hour, it was an endurance competition, and there was no way I was going to lose (besides, I was having a ball!).  And then another gem came out, and the crowd knew the words, and they were all singly loudly and badly.  I thought, "For sure, this has to be the end!"  But he kept playing, and finally we had to leave because of the babysitter.  For all I know, he's down at that bar playing still!
If you want a night of Jazz Standards:  He's got those.  If you want Classic Rock:  He can do that.  rhY also plays classical music on the violin.  And of course a TON of Irish music (including blazing Irish fiddle), if that's your thing!  These are just samples.

Classic Country

Rock and Roll

Classic Jazz

Irish Music

Book rhY

"Music has always been such a tremendous part of my life.  Other than family, I'm not sure I have anyone in my life that wasn't in some way directly connected to my musical journey.  I want to provide young people an example outside of mainstream corporate music that really connects on a human level with the WHY of music composition, performance, and our species' love affair with sound."

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