thanks everyone!

Thanks everyone for coming out to Cafe Diem? It was a great night.

ISU WINS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ISU beats Nebraska 9-7 in Lincoln! yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.cyclones.com/

Poems

Hi all,

Many of you didn't know this but I also like to write poetry among other things. I have an English minor on my Masters degree. I've written many poems over the years.

http://www.ryansheeler.com/Poems.html

Ryan LIVE at Mars Cafe 10/23/09

Come one come all!

I'm playing tonight at Mars Cafe (2318 University) in Des Moines tonight 9PM -11PM.

www.marscafe.net

LITR National Push #1 - 10/23/09

Hi all,

I just sent out a bunch of demos and flyers to radio stations and venues in Central Iowa, the midwest and around the country. I'm really serious about plugging LITR this time, I really believe in it. Here's a partial list of places I'm contacting...

Des Moines Radio Group - Des Moines, IA
Capital 106.3 FM - Des Moines, IA
KFMG Studios/Hotel Fort Des Moines - Des Moines, IA
KC Radio KC Café Internet Radio - Lee’s Summit, MO
IndieWorld Country - Brush Creek, TN
Indie 103.1 / Entravision - Los Angeles, CA
KEXP 90.3FM Seattle, WA
WFMU - Jersey City , NJ
Lightning 100 FM - Nashville, TN
WEVL FM 89.9 - Memphis, TN
KOOP 91.7FM - Austin TX
Fearless Radio - Chicago IL
Colorado Free Radio - Durango CO
RocklandWorldRadio.com -Nyack, NY
INDIE104 - Covina, CA

Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile - David Allan Coe

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxfEMlBhv8

This is a song from my childhood (I grew up on a lot of 70's and 80s country music when I was young) that I've recently rediscovered. I've been listening to it lately, as it seems to hit home especially hard for me due to the events of this summer (see post "Journal Entry 10/10/09").

So I've been letting this song soak in to me to a lot. I've even been playing on my recent solo gigs.

MONA LISA LOST HER SMILE - David Allan Coe
(Written by : J. Cunningham)

Chorus:
Mona Lisa lost her smile
The painter's hands are trembling now
And if she's out there running wild
It's just because I taught her how
The masterpiece that we had planned
Is laying shattered on the ground
Mona Lisa lost her smile
And the painter's hands are trembling now

Verse I:
And the eyes that used to burn for me
Now they no longer look my way
And the love that used to be
Why, it just got lost in yesterday
And if she seems cold to the touch
Well there used to burn a flame
I gave too little, took too much
Till I erased the painter's name

Chorus

What I Wouldn't Give

I belong to the Internet Songwriters Forum at http://www.thesongwritersforum.com/. Somebody posted this song the other day.

All I can say is WOW!!!!! :) It is by far the best indie country song I've ever heard.

http://www.songramp.com/mod/mps/viewtrack.php?trackid=75013

new song....well...no

Well, if you blinked you prolly missed it. I have a new song to unveil, but had to pull it due to some legal issues. I hope to have them cleared up soon, cuz I wanna share this song with ya soon!!! :)

PLEASE VOTE - NSAI Survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ax2vULO8tw6cWI78CU_2bzaw_3d_3d

I am entering the Nashville Songwriters/CMT Fall contest (http://nsai.cmt.com). I need your help! What do you think is my best song that I've written? Please take the above survey and let me know which is my best song and the one I you think I should submit. I need EVERYONE to take the survey. Voting closes at the end of business October 29 2009.

If you don't own my CDs (and shame on you if you don't! lol) then you can listen to clips at:

CDBABY: http://www.cdbaby.com/all/rsheeler

SOUNDCLICK: http://www.soundclick.com/ryansheeler

ShowcaseYourMusic: http://www.showcaseyourmusic.com/ryansheeler

ReverbNation: http://www.reverbnation.com/ryansheeler

Anything and Everything - Top Ten at RRadio Network!

Hi all,

The accolades and great notices from Light In The Rain keep coming! :) The latest news is that "Anything and Everything" has broken the Top Ten on the RRadio Network!!! yay!!!! Be sure to go to this link, and request or download it!!! PLEASE help me keep it in the top ten!! Thanks so much.

http://www.rradiomusic.com/artists/pop.htm

LITR Promotional Push

Hi all,

My promotional push nationwide for LITR will commence next week. I have stations in Minneapolis, Kansas City, Chicago, Denver, New York, and Los Angeles that are interesting playing my music. I'll be sending out promotional stuff and demos to all of them next week.

Meanwhile I need your help! Please get out there and help me by requesting "Light In The Rain" and "Heart of the Person" on Internet Radio. You can use the links below.

http://www.capital1063.com/new2/artists/i/254968

http://www.iheartradio.com/new2/artists/i/254968

http://www.last.fm/music/Ryan+Sheeler

Top Ten Live Blues Albums - Gibson Guitars

Top Ten Live Blues albums as ranked by Gibson Guitars. I can personally vouch for BB King's Live at the Regal - I own it and yes it truly is as great and legendary as people say it is.

http://www.gibson.com/en-us/Lifestyle/Features/10-Great-Electric-Blues-108/

Journal Entry 10/10/09

Journal Entry – 10/10/09
Wow. My last entry was on 5/13… wow how things have changed since then.

2009 started with so much promise. I had a great job, steady income and benefits, and a wonderful relationship. Now at the end of 2009, I have lost all of those things – all of those things are gone. :( What started out as a wonderful and special time of year, has now descended into a winter’s heart. I have alienated, confused, hurt, and wounded many people close to me…burning bridges and relationships.
Worse of all, I have managed to hurt myself. For the first time I have hit rock bottom…in years past I thought I had at various points. This year I know I have. My heart doesn’t feel very much of anything these days – nothing is enjoyable to me. I cry a lot, and am a lot more defensive and self-protective than I remember myself being in years past. I have seen the blackness of my own fallen heart. Something in my heart is so sick and wounded, that I hide it most of the time from people. I lash out and have burned so many bridges. It scares me and I know its scared others.
I am a creative and resourceful person by inclination - I have this inner drive to create. So I need fuel to create with. And it seems unfortunate to say – but I’ll take any kind of fuel even if its not good.
These days hurt and pain surrounds me much like the cloud of dirt that followed Pig-Pen around in the Peanuts clips. Its sunny outside – but I’m not happy. I’ve had success with my music- but I’m not happy. I have my health, friends, family – but I’m not happy.
I’ve looked in the mirror and noticed the dark circles that seem to be permanent fixtures under my eyes. And I see and feel things inside of me that I despise – selfishness, rage, jealousy and fear. All too often these things win out – and the spring/summer of 2009 is the worst possible example. I lost so many things, my job, love, new friends, and new horizons. When you can see it in people’s eyes they’re afraid/concerned or somehow that you’ve changed for the worse in their eyes…then you know something is wrong...

I’ve done charity work with the homeless before. I’ve never been homeless, in the classical definition, in my life before. But I understand the concept, because I’ve felt homeless in my heart…in my own skin…
Now its October and the leaves are gently falling off the trees again. Things are quiet. I end up staying up well past midnight, thinking, writing, and praying, because I can’t calm myself very soon after going to bed these days. Sometimes I’ll either go for a walk late at night or listen to music – anything to get away from this ugly, black silence for a vain attempt at calming myself.
So I’ve turned to the only things that I can seem to rely on these days – prayer and writing songs. I haven’t been to church in more than 6 months but intend to return soon. But I pray everything to God and ask him to be with the people I hurt…but God doesn’t audibly tell me much these days other than just to trust him and that something really wonderful is going to happen to me in October.

Late this summer I released my 3rd solo album Light In The Rain. Writing songs is the one thing I’m sure I was put on this earth to do. w/o songwriting I would be much much less sane. Lol  Writing songs – brings together my two favorite activities – music and words. I have spent A LOT of time studying both music and words. And I can’t describe to you the mystical, spiritual feeling you get when you write a song – its incredible. Then to have it resonate with someone or somebody, is even more so incredible. With LITR, I was writing to process the pain, but little did I know that the songs would resonate with people so much. As of this writing several songs have taken off and received airplay on Internet Radio – which is beyond my wildest dreams! :) so I'm really happy about that....but...
I seem to have a major Catch 22 – as good as those songs are and as happy as I am for their success. Everytime I hear them, I stuck with reminders of the times and situations they portray, and I get to live with that now. For better or for worse….
But the pain and loss of self-esteem hasn’t gone away….like I secretly hoped it would…. In many respect its as bad as it was those months ago. I don’t think there’s such thing a moving on from a trauma (death, job loss, divorce or relationship breakup) and I think people who tell you to move on are misguided. You never really move on, you just learn how to deal with it. The scars are there as permanent reminders, and you’ll always have them. You can’t move on from scars, you have to acknowledge the scar’s existence every day because it’s a part of you that never goes away. That’s why I say people who tell you to move on are misguided – it’s like them giving you a Hallmark card for your incurable cancer and that’s supposed to make believe that you’re gonna be just fine.

So why am I writing this...who knows.... its more theraputic to see and process your thoughts when they're on paper in front of you I guess. I just wish the first half of 2009 didn't go so wrong. if you asked me 6 months ago, if you thought I'd be where I am actually right now, I'd thought you were crazy...but alas its true...my life became not to far off from a tabloid. I wish it didn't turn out this way...

So here we are, and all I've got are God silence, a prayer, some songs, and my journal.

So…
Dear Journal,
I hope next time we meet on better terms. :) Thanks so much for your open pages and your willingness to listen to me. Sorry that my pain was kinda hard on your nice white pages. :) But thanks for being there for me, and for all the countless hours of unfinished prayers, half-baked songs, unspoken dreams, and longing for love. Thanks for being my friend.

Your friend, Ryan

more writing - poems and lyrics

I've long been a writer. Mrs Gibson was my third grade teacher at Meeker Elementary - and she really installed on us the values of reading and writing.

Many of you don't know that I am a writer as well as a musician - this would explain my love for lyrics in songs. But I'm also REALLY into poetry, memoirs, historical non-fiction, detective fiction, Russian and American Lit, and more. Check out my new POEMS section on my website

http://www.ryansheeler.com/Poems.html

Heart Of The Person - writing and lyrics

From time to time, I've had people ask me about the lyrics and I'm always glad to share them.  :)    I work very hard in my lyrics to my songs and have always had a passion for words. Go to my website: http://www.ryansheeler.com --- > Click on the LYRICS section in main menu bar. All the lyrics to my 2 vocal solo albums (Letters from North of Town, and Light In The Rain) are available.

If you ever have any questions or comments about my lyrics, drop me a note. I'd love to hear from you!

c. 2009 Ryan Sheeler/Sheeler Music Group (ASCAP) - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Heart Of The Person (Lisa Swab/Ryan Sheeler)

VERSE 1
A long time ago you said to me
Some words I remember, ones that made me see
“I don’t care where you’re at, I care where you’re going”
But don’t look now, I think your heart is showing

CHORUS
You always had a special gift for seeing someone’s life
Compassion sees it all when love comes alive
It’s the heart of the person you taught me how to see
The heart of the person is a new kind of believe

VERSE 2
All the things you told me and all the reasons why
How you skinned your knee running from the moment that never passed by
God called you into darkness so you’d reflect His light
I’ve never see a more beautiful soul prepared to fight

CHORUS

BRIDGE
One moment, one day. Two hearts, one way
Shine down, peace and light. Give us the only true sight

VERSE 3
I’ve never loved anyone quite like I loved you
Now that time has passed I know that’s its true
You see, your heart is so beautiful like I’ve never seen before
Loving, seeking beauty.  How could I ask for more?

LITR Promo and Radio

Kinda beginning the rollout of LITR promotion. I've heard from independent stations in Minneapolis, Kansas City, Denver, and Los Angeles that want to play tracks from LITR. How cool is that??????? More soon....

Coach Carter - "What Is Your Greatest Fear?"

I just watched Coach Carter again last night. I forgot how much I love that movie. IMO, It's Samuel L. Jackson's best performance.

"What is your greatest fear?"

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is ... Read Morenothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” - A Return To Love by Marianne Williamson (1992)

LITR Promo Push

Hi Sheeler friends and fans,

I will be doing a big promotional push for Light In The Rain. I'll be sending out demos and info to Central Iowa venues and radio stations, and also contacting regional/national independent rock, pop, country and R&B stations. You can help me A TON by requesting "Light In The Rain" and "Heart of the Person" on Internet Radio sites, and also commenting for me on CDBABY, MySpace, Soundclick and my other sites. Keep these dates on your calendar:

October 23 - An Evening With Ryan Sheeler, Mars Cafe 2318 University Ave, Des Moines IA 7PM

October 24th - CD RELEASE PARTY for LITR, Cafe Diem, 229 Main Street, Ames IA 7:30PM

LITR - Radio Single #2

Well...the listeners have spoken! And they have voted "Heart Of The Person" as the 2nd single off of Light In The Rain. A new radio-edited version and lyrics are available on ryansheeler.com

Here are a few online stations to request the new single.

http://www.capital1063.com/new2/artists/i/254968

http://www.iheartradio.com/new2/artists/i/254968

http://www.wrnx.com/new2/artists/i/254968?psid=334808

Winter in Iowa???? so soon??

Low of 28 and Freeze warning tonight. Snow and hi of 39/low of 23 tomorrow????? What's up with that?

Feature song - Believe In Me

www.ryansheeler.com

A sneak peak at the bonus track on LITR. Dan Fogelberg is my single biggest influence as a songwriter. His music has a personal resonance with me that goes back to the first time I ever heard "Leader of the Band" and "Same Old Lang Syne". His songs are beautiful and tough, sad and joyous all at the same time.

"Believe In Me" has to be one of the most quietly beautiful songs of his repertoire. I've always wanted to put it on a project of mine...and it seems perfect for Light In The Rain. Here's also a bonus clip of Dan performing the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMfv9HALUro

Believe In Me – Dan Fogelberg
(from the album Windows and Walls)

VERSE 1
If I could ever say it right
And reach your hostage heart despite
The doubts you harbor then you might
Come to believe in me.

VERSE 2
The life I lead is not the kind
That gives a woman peace of mind
I only hope someday you'll find
That you can believe in me.

VERSE 3
Those other loves that came before
Mean nothing to me anymore
But you can never be quite sure
And will not believe in me.

BRIDGE
Too many hearts have been broken
Failing to trust what they feel
But trust isn't something that's spoken
And love's never wrong when it's real.

VERSE 4
If I could only do one thing
Then I would try to write and sing
A song that ends your questioning
And makes you believe in me.

“Believe In Me” by Dan Fogelberg. (From the album Windows and Walls)
c.1984 EMI April Music/ Hickory Grove Music. Used by permission ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Ryan now featured on Last.FM radio streaming!

Check it out here!!

http://www.last.fm/music/Ryan+Sheeler

Mona Lisa Lost Her Smile

Its funny, how a song from your past that you haven't heard from at all, somehow seems to resurface a time when you need to hear it the most. Sometimes when you're grieving a loss, its like every song you hear hits home. Every word this song rings true for me; I truly have lived this song.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxxfEMlBhv8&

MONA LISA LOST HER SMILE
(Written by : J. Cunningham)
David Allan Coe


Chorus:
Mona Lisa lost her smile
The painter's hands are trembling now
And if she's out there running wild
It's just because I taught her how
The masterpiece that we had planned
Is laying shattered on the ground
Mona Lisa lost her smile
And the painter's hands are trembling now

Verse I:
And the eyes that used to burn for me
Now they no longer look my way
And the love that used to be
Why, it just got lost in yesterday
And if she seems cold to the touch
Well there used to burn a flame
I gave too little, took too much
Till I erased the painter's name

Chorus

Autumn in the heart

sigh.... its gonna be 37 degrees in Central Iowa tonight. Fall is here.

It feels kinda like fall in my heart too. :(

shameless plug.... please don't forget to buy/download/listen to Light In the Rain :)

For your viewing and listening pleasure...

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ryansheeler3


http://www.apple.com/search/ipoditunes/?q=Ryan+Sheeler

http://www.indierhythm.com/product.php?cdId=5957

http://www.soundclick.com/ryansheeler

http://www.ourstage.com/fanclub/ryansheeler

promo push for LITR

Hi friends and fans,

Well...I figured that life is too short. I've always wanted to be a songwriter and I believe that LITR is my strongest work to date. So I wanna make sure that I do everything I can to make sure it gets out there and gets heard. So I am gonna do an extra special promotion push to Independent/Internet Radio in the rock,pop, country, singer-songwriter, and CCM markets over the next few weeks. More to stay tuned with! But keep an eye out and keep requesting "Light In The Rain"!

Blessings, Ryan

The Heart of the Matter - Summer 2009 Reflections "If God is for us, who could be against us?"

...this is Walter Concrete speaking.... lol (Good Morning Vietnam reference!) ;)

Now that its October (wow did the seasons change fast or what???), I thought I'd take a little time and reflect on the summer that was or was not.

Let's back track.

Fall of 2008... I composed the entire orchestral score to my church's Christmas musical in about two months. ugh! Creative burnout...but in a GOOD way. Meanwhile I was still in a job drought that began all the way back to summer of 2006. Lo and behold I did land a job but soon found that I perhaps shouldn't have taken it, as the fit was not good at all (it was a non-fit, actually lol!)

OK on to 2009...after the creative hi-functioning period that was 2008 (2nd solo album, wrote a book, and scored a musical all in 12 months!), I promised myself that I would take action to make myself less busy. Which is a Catch 22 -- I'm at my best when I'm insanely busy, but I HATE myself for it! It affects my spiritual health too :(

So anyway....I did manage to meet a special someone during this time and it would appear that 2009 was going off swimmingly....but all of the sudden my entire life came crashing down. First got laid off from the job - which was both a HUGE relief (cuz I hated it), and also a huge blow to my self-esteem cuz you think you're not good enough any more. Being wired such as I am, the news was a blow to other facets of my life. My girlfriend and I broke up, family stress and financial worry seemed on the increase and more. wow...what a summer! So I spent the last part of the summer with a broken heart and spirit. all of the sudden I felt so alone in my own skin I often wondered "what next God" "ok, is this the end? Are you calling' me home God? because I really don't feel like living right now"

More than 3 months later, I'm doing ok, but wow... its all a blur....God has stood there with me when I didn't wanna stand any more. but I can still say this "God is God, and He's my God, and I am His Child!". All the wrong I've done, He's still My God. :) As the Bible says "if God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

Keep the faith, keep praying, keep dreamin', and keep loving. Never EVER forget to tell someone "I love you" -- there's someone in your life or in your path EVERYDAY that needs to hear that from you. Family, friendships, and time are too precious for you to miss the opportunities.

A song that I keep coming back to over the years is Don Henley's The Heart of the Matter. I play this song at every solo appearance I make. Henley is my #1 influence as a singer, and a huge influence on my songwriting as well. This song rings so true for me all the time anymore.

I've played this song for 10 years now, and I've played it *for* many people and *with* many people. I'll never quit playing or performing this song...because someone needs to hear it even if its just yourself that you need to forgive!

Blessings, R

The Heart of The Matter - Don Henley
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLgUuHl2xJo

and remember...

"if God is for us, who can be against us?"

New DEMO CD sampler

I'm pressing a new DEMO CD sampler that I will send out to US Radio and media outlets in the next week or two. It won't be available through any online store for sale, but I will send you one free if you want it (a $5 gratuity would be nice), email me at ryan@ryansheeler.com

Ryan Sheeler - Demo CD Sampler

1. Light In The Rain
2. Heart Of The Person
3. Anything and Everything
4. I'm There With You
5. Chasing Heaven

Song of the Week: I'm There With You

Song of the week for 10/4/09 - I'm There With You (Sheeler)

My best vocal and most personal, poignant lyric on LITR. True story. I got the idea from a card a bought at Walmart. :)

I’m There With You

VERSE 1
You meet me at the door imagine my heart’s surprise
Speechless as I am seeing your beautiful eyes

But the distance in those eyes is breaking my heart
I know that it’s my foolish pride that’s keeping us apart

CHORUS
There are days I miss you so much - It’s then I love you more
Can we come together, hearts as one and love each other true

Pretend that I there with you ‘cause in my heart I am

VERSE 2
All the times we’ve had so far laughing, crying, holding on
I see the love that’s in your eyes shining like the dawn

I offer prayers at night time asking for His Peace
On your life and in your heart while you sleep

CHORUS

VERSE 3
We’ve pushed and pulled each other in a million different ways
Not meaning to cause the pain our words too often say

But when each day ends and you sleep the night away
“I love you” are my silent words with a gentle kiss, I pray

keep requesting LITR and help me choose the next single

Hi all,

Be sure to keep requesting Light In The Rain on Internet Radio. Do a Google search for "Light In The Rain Ryan Sheeler" pick one of the dozens of stations that come up.

Also, go to my website, and take the survey there. Help me choose the next song I release to Internet Radio! You can help me decide! :)

www.ryansheeler.com

10/2/09 - Caribou Coffee gig in West Des Moines - CANCELLED

Ryan's appearance at Caribou Coffee in West Des Moines scheduled for tonight at 7PM has been CANCELLED.

FYI, the appearance at Wellspring Cafe in Urbandale scheduled for 10/3/09 is still ON!

www.ryansheeler.com