Mark your calendars! From March 26th to April 2nd, Ryan is bringing Chance's End on tour!
I know that it's not exactly a world tour, but it's a start. :-) If you live near any of the stops, please consider coming out to support Chance's End as I play in these towns for the first time.
Three of these events are social dancing events. Bailonga on Tuesday is the premier alternative tango milonga in Eugene, while Norse Hall on Wednesday is Portland's most welcoming milonga of the week. Even if you haven't danced tango before, you are encouraged and welcome to come learn to dance, or just to watch. Tickets for Urban Blues Recess are almost sold out, so Portland dancers make sure you get yours!
Hometown San Franciscans, you should definitely come out to Public Works on Saturday March 26th, for the SF Forage Night Market to see all of the wonderful underground food vendors and hear some great local music including Chance's End. And anyone in Redding, Chico, or surrounding areas, I'm playing an extended 3-set night at Tapas Restaurant in downtown Redding on Monday March 28th.
Unfortunately, Emily won't be able to join me for this trip. But she's got a great gig in that you should be at!
Having trouble viewing the tour schedule above? Go to my ReverbNation site to see it without Flash.
Bring your friends along and and share the love! I hope to see you there...
Chance's End is coming to play in beautiful Half Moon Bay for the first time, and will be sharing the stage with Emily Zisman!
Invite some friends along and come watch us sip delicious wine and eat paninis. Oh yeah, and we'll be playing music, too. :-)
Emily Zisman will be sharing her original Americana-infused folk, and Chance's End will be playing some violin-electronica selections from The Outsider as well as new collaborations with Emily.
Hope to see you all there!
The Wine Bar
Harbor Village Mall, 270 Capistrano Rd., #22
Half Moon Bay, CA
8:00pm, $5 cover
Feel like Phil Connors repeating Groundhog Day over and over again? Then come spend the evening with some great live music and delicious drinks!
Wednesday, February 2nd 2011 (Groundhog Day!)
50 Mason Social House
50 Mason St., San Francisco, CA
No cover, live music 8pm - 11pm
The Knickerbocker Blues Band
Ass-kicking blues led by Rich Werden
Chance's End
Unique violin-electronica
Emily Zisman & Ryan Avery
Folk-infused acoustic Americana
It's been awhile since Chance's End has played in Sacramento, but I've been invited by Chris Peake and Michelle Gorre to play at their annual anniversary milonga at the Firehouse 5!
I look forward to playing for all of you in the Sacramento area again, and am really looking forward to seeing some fresh faces, too.
What: Anniversary tango milonga featuring Chance's End (Ryan Avery)
When: 9pm - 12am, Saturday November 20th 2010
Where: Firehouse 5 (2014 B 9th Street, Sacramento, CA 95818 (map))
Cost: $15
Non-dancers, please note that this is a tango milonga. Those of you who don't dance, I would still highly encourage you to attend, as Chris and Michelle give wonderful lessons before the dance begins.
Those of you who were lucky enough to have seen our show at The Hotel Utah back in July, know how wonderful that space is to perform! So we're doing it again... :-)
Chance's End and Emily Zisman will take the stage to play some folk songs from Emily's catalog, as well as the violin-electronica tracks we've recently released.
We’re thrilled to play along with Bigelow's Treehouse and Zinc Finger this time. We last played with Bigelow at the The Blue Macaw in the spring, and are excited to hear Zinc Finger for the first time!
And cover is only $7 (cheaper than a single drink at some bars, and you get ALL this great music!)
Location:
Hotel Utah Saloon
500 4th Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 546-6300
See you there!
Over the past few months, I have been working with General Fuzz in his studio to track some violin parts for his upcoming untitled album.
This is not the first time that the Chance's End violin has been heard on a General Fuzz track, however. A couple of years ago, I recorded violin parts for two tracks on his Soulful Filling album (Comfort Zone and Second Thoughts. It's been a real pleasure working with him over these past years, as we have a very compatible way of working.
Usually, James will call me to let me know he has a few tracks he needs violin parts for. I'll come over, and he's got scores printed up ready for me to play. He doesn't print out scores very often (he's an electronica musician, after all), so he uses an entry-level version of Finale. The only problem is that the software won't let him do key signatures! I find it musically humorous when I run through a piece and some of the notes are written as their enharmonic equivalents - it makes it a bit of a mystery what the phrases are actually going to sound like. :-)
After we get a few good takes of the pre-scored melody lines he has prepared (of which there are usually multiple), he'll give me free reign to improvise as I see fit. Sometimes the improvs just aren't working well, but others (like in the case of Second Thoughts) turn into a major portion of the track!
So far, I think we've recorded 3 parts for his new album. He says he has even more planned, so we'll see how many we end up with good violin parts for...
Chance's End will be joining Emily Zisman to play some of the new vocal-driven violin-electronica songs we've released over the past year. This will be the first time we'll be playing these songs live, so be sure to check it out! We'll also be playing material from Emily's latest album Naked Day Alone, for all you folk nuts. :-)
We’re stoked to join Porkchop Express and The Hollyfelds at the Hotel Utah, a San Francisco music staple.
For only $7 you get all of this great music:
8:30pm – Emily Zisman & Ryan Avery
9:30pm - Porkchop Express
10:30pm - The Hollyfelds
Location:
Hotel Utah Saloon
500 4th Street
San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 546-6300
See you there!
Chance's End is coming back to the Bay Street artist series this Saturday, in Emeryville CA. The weather is going to be AWESOME! (70+F!)
What: Bay Street Artist Street
Where: Bay Street Mall, 5616 Bay Street, Emeryville, CA
When: 3pm-5pm Saturday, April 24th, 2010
If you're in the area, stop on by and say hi and grab an ice cream cone!
So after checking out many options online, I have decided to host the music section of my website on Bandcamp. By using Bandcamp, I will be able to put songs online for purchase almost immediately after I finish them! And you, my dear listener, will have your pick of whatever format you want - from high-quality MP3 to lossless FLAC for you audiophiles.
I have already put my entire catalog from Set Me Free, to The Outsider, to my recent singles The Blue Peculiar and Miles From Dawn.
How can you help me out? If you enjoy a song, please consider linking to it. On each Bandcamp player, there is a "share" button that allows you to embed it in a webpage, via Facebook, or many other social networking sites. This should make it very easy to post high-quality players wherever you desire.
Finally, PLEASE let me know if something isn't working quite right - I want to make sure that everything stays up and running.
Note that the December Bay Street event has changed dates!!
Ryan Avery will be bringing his Chance's End project to the Bay Street artist series this Saturday, in Emeryville CA.
What: Bay Street Artist Street
Where: Bay Street Mall, 5616 Bay Street, Emeryville, CA
When: 2pm-4pm Sunday, December 19th, 2009
If you're in the area, stop on by and say hi!
Ryan Avery will be bringing his Chance's End project to the Bay Street artist series this Saturday, in Emeryville CA.
What: Bay Street Artist Street
Where: Bay Street Mall, 5616 Bay Street, Emeryville, CA
When: 4pm-6pm Saturday, September 26th, 2009
If you're in the area, stop on by and say hi - it should be great weather that day!
Ryan Avery will be bringing his Chance's End project to the Bay Street artist series this Saturday, in Emeryville CA.
What: Bay Street Artist Street
Where: Bay Street Mall, 5616 Bay Street, Emeryville, CA
When: 4pm-6pm Saturday, August 29th, 2009
If you're in the area, stop on by and say hi - it should be great weather that day!
I don't often give wholehearted concert recommendations, but this is guaranteed to be a great concert! Two wonderful friends of mine are joining up for a concert at the Revolution Cafe in San Francisco. And the best part about it? It's FREE!
9:00-10:00 Opening Act (TBD)
10:00-11:15 Orange Mighty Trio (http://www.orangemightytrio.com/)
11:30-12:30 Emily Zisman (http://www.myspace.com/emilyzismanmusic)
Revolution Cafe
3248 22nd St, San Francisco
No Cover!
I have known violinist Zack Kline of Orange Mighty Trio since we were wee lads in Colorado, and I must say that his Minneapolis-based band is one of the tightest group of musicians I have run across. Take one part Bluegrass fiddling and combine with Classical technique and compositional chops, add a range of improvisation, especially Jazz flavor, and you might get a recipe for the Orange Mighty Trio’s fresh new music. Their music will definitely provoke awe and inspiration - a must see!
Emily Zisman has blossomed into an incredible singer/songwriter, whose lyrics obviously come from her heart and have the ability to touch even the most calloused soul. Influenced by the Difranco/McLaughlin school of contemporary folk, Emily's dynamic voice is a joy to be heard. And yes, I'll be joining her band on violin. :-)
Both Emily and OMT have recently released albums which will be for sale at the show, so be sure to come and check them out!
Chance's End's album "The Outsider " has been nominated for a JPF Music award! Ryan Avery got the news at the end of June, which came as quite a welcome surprise.
The Just Plain Folks Music Awards has grown into the largest Music Awards program in the world! They screen more than 350,000 songs and over 25,000 albums in 70+ genres from 100 Countries to honor artists all over the musical spectrum. Their volunteer judges include industry professionals, peers and music fans, and whose sole criteria for judging is "Does it move you?" The judging process took over 1 year to complete - quite an undertaking!
The electronica nominees are below - be sure to look them up if you get a chance. Believe me when I say there is some AWESOME music here! I myself will be making some purchases shortly...
| Album | Artist | Location |
| Aleph-1 | Aleph-1 | MI |
| Aliens and Strangers | Lancaster Transit | TN |
| Analogic | Jade | France |
| Antigravity | Zircon | PA |
| Brief Episodes of Joy | Arthur Loves Plastic | MD |
| Frequency | Naked Rhythm | CA |
| Mice to Meet You! | Musetta | Italy |
| Plastic Makes It Possible | Techno Squirrels | CA |
| The Outsider | Chance's End | CA |
| This Is Serious Business | Q*Ball | NY |
Winners will be announced at the 2009 JPF Music Awards show on August 29th, 2009 in Nashville.
For a full list of nominees in all genres, go to http://www.jpfolks.com/default.php?page=awards.
$5 at the door
Come at 8pm for the classes ($10)
See you there!
This is the second collaboration between Emily Zisman and myself. Emily is about to release her debut album "Naked Day Alone" in June, a wonderful set of her deeply introspective and personal folk songs.
Chance's End is playing at the Burning Man Flambe Lounge this February 28th!
What: Burning Man Flambe Lounge
Where: Mission Rock Cafe, 817 Terry Francois Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94158
When: 8pm to 3am (Chance's End plays upstairs at 9pm)
Cost: $15 in costume, $20 without
Evolutionary attire encouraged at this Flambe Lounge with plenty of art and dancing on two floors and an outside waterfront patio - Hope to see you there!
For more information, visit burningman.com
H.A. Eugene is the lead singer for The Luxury Tax and Burbank International, both based in the Bay Area CA. I invited him into the studio to record this track, as his voice added the powerful-yet-weak element I was looking for!
Produced last year for a Christmas album compilation of various artists, here is my rendition of this classic song. Apologies to those of you who aren't into holiday music... :-)
Chance's End will be playing a set at the Mission Bazaar.
What: Mission Bazaar
Where: 1800 Mission St, San Francisco, CA
When: 2pm - 3pm
Cost: $5 entry to the Bazaar
Info: http://www.missionbazaar.com/
Join host & DJ Chris Peake at the FIREHOUSE 5 MILONGA to celebrate the anniversary of alternative tango in Sacramento!
With Special Guest:
Electronic Violinist Ryan Avery (Chance’s End)
Firehouse 5 Studio
Saturday, November 15th, 2008
2014B 9th St (9th & T), Sacramento CA
Lesson: 8pm - 9pm
Dancing: 9pm until we drop!
$15 entry includes lesson, milonga, live performances & refreshments!
More information at TangoAlternativa
Screening Out Loud is throwing Get Strange, a Halloween Party raising money for a group of San Francisco filmmakers. Please join us for a night of drinking, music and dancing:
Thursday October 30th, 9pm - 1am
Peacock Lounge
552 Haight St (at Fillmore), San Francisco
$10 door
Featuring:
DJ Dave
Mr. White
Chance's End
Kadence (Nightlight)
All proceeds of the event will go toward covering the costs of producing a music video for a local artist.
The filmmakers throwing this event believe that among the talented local musicians in SF and the talented
local filmmakers in SF, we have the knowledge and talent, and thus the responsibility to collaborate
artistically to produce compelling music videos that can represent this city as the creative force that it is.
WE NEED THE HELP OF ONE MORE SF ELEMENT:
The help of fabulously interesting people like you to come out and support us, and to help us deal with
the all too often prohibitively high costs of film/video production.
So please, come out the night before halloween, and enjoy the party we've put together for you,
AND SUPPORT LOCAL ART while you're at it!
ALSO: If you like what we're doing and would like to support our promotion of the event, please feel free to
FACE BOOK, MYSPACE, TWITTER the flyer from http://www.screeningoutloud.com/
Chance's End is playing live violin-electronica at San Francisco Decompression!
Who: Chance's End (Ryan Avery)
Where: SF Decompression (19th & Minnesota St, San Francisco), 22nd Street stage
When: 6:30pm, Sunday October 22nd
Cost: $10 in Burning Man-style clothing, $20 in streetwear (entry fee is for the entire Decompression event)
If you've never been to Burning Man, this is perfect introduction to the madness! And if you went to BM this year, then you're probably already going to Decompression. So there's no reason for you NOT to go! :-)
JUST ANNOUNCED (07/20/08): JanedaPain (http://janedapain.net/) will join Chance's End to provide live visuals for the set! This is definitely a night not to be missed!
Chance’s End (Ryan Avery) makes a hometown return to Boulder Friday July 25th at the B-Side Lounge for a night of 21st-century violin! This is the first time Chance’s End has played in Boulder since 2004 - don't miss it!
Friday July 25th, 10:00 PM
B-Side Lounge (2017 13th Street, Boulder, Colorado 80302)
Cost:$8 adv / $10 door
Denver-based songwriter Molly Cherington is starting out the night.
Violinist Zack Kline is also making a homecoming, headlining with his Orange Mighty Trio (progressive acoustic music - INCREDIBLE stuff!)
Afterwards, Chance’s End brings the unique sounds of violin-electronica to the B-Side.
For more information on Molly Cherington: http://www.mollycherington.com
For more info on Orange Mighty Trio: http://www.myspace.com/orangemightytrio
Chance’s End is playing two special live sets of the best violin-electronica music San Francisco has to offer, at Soluna Lounge happy hour from 5pm - 7pm (drink specials from 3pm-7pm).
Come join me Wednesday June 4th to hear live violin-electronica at its best! CDs will be for sale.
Because of the extended set, I will be playing some lesser-known Chance's End material in addition to all of the current albums!
For more information about Chance's End, visit http://www.chancesend.com/.
Soluna Cafe and Lounge
272 McAllister St
San Francisco, California 94102
Cost: Free
A last-minute event has just been confirmed: I will be playing a set at the Late Shift Tango Milonga at the Metronome Ballroom in San Francisco. If you haven't heard Chance's End live, this is your chance for all you San Francisco locals!
The Late Shift Milonga
One great informal Milonga, for the Argentine Tango night Owls. Great DJ's, comfortable atmosphere, and tasty snacks keep you dancing until the wee hours of the morning...hosted by David & Mariana.
9:00-9:45pm -- Intermediate Argentine Tango Lesson
10:00pm-2:30am -- Milonga!
12:30am -- Violin-electronica performance by Chance's End
Intermediate-level Lesson and party (from 9pm): $15
Party only (from 10pm): $10
After 12:30am: $ 7
Join host & DJ Chris Peake at the FIREHOUSE 5
MILONGA for a night of alternative tango!
With Special Guests:
Electronic Violinist Ryan Avery (Chance’s End)
Tango Performance by Felipe Martinez & Rosa Corisco
Firehouse 5 Studio
Saturday, May 17, 2008
2014B 9th St (9th & T), Sacramento CA
9PM until we drop!
$15 entry includes lesson, milonga, live performances & refreshments!
More information at TangoAlternativa
Chance’s End is playing two special live sets of the best violin-electronica music San Francisco has to offer, at Soluna Lounge happy hour from 4pm - 6pm (drink specials from 3pm-7pm).
Come join me Wednesday May 7 to hear live violin-electronica at its best! CDs will be for sale.
Because of the extended set, I will be playing some lesser-known Chance's End material in addition to all of the current albums!
For more information about Chance's End, visit http://www.chancesend.com/.
Soluna Cafe and Lounge
272 McAllister St
San Francisco, California 94102
Cost: Free
Emily Zisman is a Bay Area singer/songwriter. She adds her wonderful vocals to this new Chance's End track. Check out Emily's music at http://www.myspace.com/emilyzismanmusic
A review of "The Outsider" has been posted by Marc Urselli-Schaerer at The Chain D.L.K., an online music review ezine:
Lately there seems to be an increase in the number of the talented violin players (Christian Howes, Warren Hood etc) who are pushing the envelope of what the role of a classically-trained violin(ist) is. Ryan Avery does so himself with his instrument and his passion for downtempo electronica. His pleasant new album called "The Outsider", showcases his Groove Armada, Hybrid and Vanessa-Mae influences. The 13 songs (including two Astor Piazzola covers) feature violin melody lines with counter-parts, rhythmical accompaniments and harmonies also played on the violin. The whole thing gently lays on a simple but effective backdrop of electronic drums, pads, sequences and all the other usual suspects of electronica. In fact the colors of the production vary from plain electronic music to more acid jazz material, reaching out to the far corners of accordion-graced tango-inspired lounge music as well as uptempo breakbeats. Definitely an interesting departure from what we usually receive and review in this category and a fresh of breath air from, indeed, an outsider!
- Marc Urselli-Schaerer
Chance's End live at Cellspace (SF) March 19th
Who: Chance's End (Ryan Avery)
What: A live violin-electronica alt-tango performance
When: Wednesday, March 19th
Where: Cellspace, 2050 Bryant St, San Francisco, CA 94110
Time:
8pm Lesson
9pm Dancing
10pm Chance's End plays
Beginning tango dancers and spectators are welcome! Entrance is $5 for the dance, or $10 including the lesson.
"The Outsider" CDs will be available at the show for $15 or online at http://cdbaby.com/all/chancesend
"I discovered this on an out of luck night, cold Monday to be exact, no good places to go, driving around and I happened to drive by and see Caffe Trieste on Gough and saw it SUPER PACKED.
Chances End is a guy named Ryan Avery that plays the Violin and mixes with electronic beats and some tango in between. All the music is produced by him, except obvious extracts from Piazzola, but he plays live! It was his CD Release event, place was full, people happy drinking Argentine and Italian wines and paying obvious attention to the show. After a couple of songs people started getting up and dancing tango along with his music. It was beautiful.
"I also bought the Cd he was releasing, his second one. All in all his music was great and masterfully produced. If you want to check him out you can go to www.chancesend.com or myspace.com/chancesend
"If you ever have the chance to listen to him live you should definetly do it, it's worth every bit of your time. I'm glad I decided to cruise around on a Monday night, I found a great artist!!"
Caffe Trieste and Tango Revolution host an informal CD release party for Chance’s End! Come out for an evening of dancing and music and to support Chance’s End (Ryan Avery), San Francisco’s unique violin-electronica musician.
What: Chance's End CD release party for "The Outsider"
Where: Caffe Trieste(1667 Market Street @ Gough, San Francisco)
When: Sunday December 2, 5:30pm - 9:30pm
$5 suggested at the door
Event Schedule:
5:30pm Doors open w/Live Tango music
6-7pm Beginners Tango dance class by Sonja Riket (voted Best Tango Teacher, 7x7 Mag. 2006)
7:30-8pm Performance by Chance's End (Ryan Avery)
8-9:30pm Live Tango Jam with Tango Revolution musicians, open floor dancing, and "The Outsider" CD Signing (CD available for $15)
More Info: 415.661.1852- www.IntimateEmbraceTango.com
Tango Revolution is a program of Intimate Embrace Tango, which envisions Argentine Tango as a relational matrix of connection to ourselves, each other and the world. We organize classes, workshops, cultural, social awareness-and fundraising events around critical issues of our time. Come watch, listen or join in the dance! All ages are welcome, no dance experience or partner necessary.
To all my Colorado friends:
My good friend Sarah Fridrich is a wonderful singer/songwriter playing in Boulder, CO for the first time. If you're available this Thursday, I recommend checking her out!
What: Sarah Fridrich plays songs from her new 2007 EP
When: Thurs. OCT 18th, 7:30 p.m.
Where: S. 34th Street. Boulder, CO
***LIMITED SEATING, so please RSVP to <sarahffridrich@yahoo.com>
for full address and info***
Backed by Elizabeth Trice (Bass player/SingerSongwriter), Sarah will do an acoustic show hosted by local
Boulder jazz player/songwriter buddies Michael Yaussi and Colin MacGregor.
Light refrements and great acoustics in a cozy private home.
Suggested donations $5 to $15
Chance's End is being featured on XM Radio this Thursday (9/27) at 10pm EST, on the Radar Report (XMU, Channel 43). This is a NATIONAL radio show - believe me, I'm very excited!
For those of you without XM Satellite service, I've been provided with a code that allows you to receive XM for FREE for a few days. Go to http://xmro.xmradio.com and use code XMB4MD. All you need is an email (no credit card needed).
A rebroadcast of the show can be heard on Friday (9/28) at 2pm EST.
For those of you with XM Satellite service, be sure to tune in and tell your friends!
After months of toiling through the summer, The Outsider is finally released!
Acoustic 12 string guitar with violin lead and cello accompaniment. Recorded August 2004. Originally recorded for Catharsis Infinity (Watson&Company - 2003). Darren Uses a 1973 Martin D Series in standard tuning. Ryan Avery of Chance’s End plays the violin on this recording with Darren Curtis Skanson on 12 string guitar and Kevin Johnson on cello.
The Chance's End song "Production to Perfection" is being featured on this week's Bowed Radio podcast. Bowed Radio has been around for over 2 years, and features string artists of virtually all genres performing new and/or original music.
Please check out the podcast, and consider subscribing to the feed if you're into innovative string music.
http://amiestreet.com/chancesend
I have put up the entire Set Me Free album for digital download at AmieStreet. AmieStreet operates differently than other online music download sites: Songs start out free, and once a certain number of people download and recommend songs, the prices start going up (to a maximum of $0.99).
The beauty of the system is that music lovers who recommend songs early earn download credits if those songs become very popular. And since you only get a limited number of recommendations, it rewards the trend-setters who wade through the muck of free songs to root out the gems!
The Set Me Free album is currently available for download for $0.94 (as of 05/30/07). That's for the ENTIRE ALBUM! Hurry before it goes up!
The MusicLog review service has recently partnered with BandBuzz, the service that I use for some of my embedded music players around the site.
A couple of weeks ago, unbeknownst to me, they did a wonderful review of Going On from the Set Me Free album. Check it out:
At the very early age of 6, I was exposed to music. My parents, bless their hearts, provided me with violin lessons with Paul Rowinski, a local violin teacher in Boulder Colorado. These lessons continued all throughout my childhood up through high school. Add to that all the violins, bows and strings a young violinist grows out of, and you get a small fortune that was spent on my music education! Though I always appreciated the classical side of the violin, the younger side of me always wanted the violin to be something else: modern, hip, and cutting-edge.
So I began branching out into other genres of violin work. My stint in old-time country and bluegrass saw me finish in the top 10 one year at the Colorado State Fiddle Championships. Small stints with jazz, rock, and eclectic bands came and went, though nothing really solidified from these outings. For quite a few years I was a violinist for Darren Curtis Skanson (external link), a classical guitarist based in Denver, CO.
Throughout all of this ever since high school, I was half-assedly experimenting with combining electronic music and violin. Never realizing that I had a concept that could work, I naively neglected the positive comments from friends and collegues when I presented my violin-electronica experiments to them. Instead, I focused solely on the dancefloor electronic side, thinking that going mainstream was the key to success. I produced two full albums without any violin whatsoever before decidi
Finally, as I was producing
Set Me Free, I discovered for myself what everyone else had been saying all along - violin electronic music not only would work, but it would be the hook that sets me apart. Though Set Me Free was praised for its use of violin in electronic music, it has also been cricized for not going far enough. With that in mind, my work post-SMF has concentrated extensively on incorporating violin into mainstream electronica.
The intersection of violin and electronica is a vast uncharted area of music that I am poised to explore. Stay tuned...