Carla Ryder Concert

She's Carla Ryder and she's spinning to crazy. Well, maybe not actually spinning, but this chick knows how to sing and rock the stage like crazy. Fronting her own band, Carla Ryder is touring the East and West coasts promoting her debut album Pulling Down Sky and preparing for the summer's follow-up release.

This isn't the first time Ryder's been fronting a band. She used to be the lead singer and participating songwriter of the local band, The Mudhens. While with The Mudhens, she shared the stage with Beck, Ben Folds Five, Morphine, Cake, Toad the Wet Sprocket, Letters to Cleo and Soul Coughing.

In 1999, Carla Ryder set out to record and produce her own album, Pulling Down Sky with the help of the members of The Mudhens and other talented artists. From the first song on the album to the last, the rhythm of her songs and the compelling nature of her voice makes this album one to be enjoyed. "Spinning to Crazy," the first track on the album, is a catchy tune with lyrics that are fresh and personal, sung with as if Ryder was talking to the listener as a friend. Phrases like "You asked me what it felt like when I finally found my fire/I could tell you but you might have to translate," are honest and open- a kind of candid tone rarely seen in music these days. "Please Don't Go," the third track and story of an abusive relationship, is a gripping song about the problems of mental abuse, and is featured as the background music on a web page for The Casa Myrna House, a Massachusetts battered women's shelter.

Although many of the songs on "Please Don't Go" focus on failed or failing relationships, the bitterness that is commonly found in such music is absent from Ryder's songs. In a review of the album for The Patriot Ledger, Jay N. Miller writes " The closest equivalent to [her music] is some of those classic 1930's 'screwball comedies,' where the repartee is so fast and cleverly layered you can't appreciate every little facet without a second listen." Even her cover of "Stewarts Coat," originally preformed by Rickie Lee Jones has the notable markings of a Carla Ryder song. Each song on the album is a perfect compliment of the others, and the entire listening experience is enjoyable. A new album will be available sometime this summer, with a whole bunch of fresh tracks that Carla Ryder current performs. Her concerts are a wonderful mix of old Mudhens favorites, "Pulling Down Sky" greats, and rhythmic new songs like "Nevada," available on MP3.com.

Carla Ryder is a stellar singer & songwriter who is bound to make your toes tap while she and her band are rocking the stage. Check her out at http://www.carlaryder.com, http://www.wpi.edu/~radio/carla and onstage in the Odeum, Campus Center at 8:30 p.m. on April 6th! Tickets are $2 with a WPI ID, $5 general admission. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.