I first met Ryanhood at NACA West 2007 in Spokane, Wash. At the closing dinner, the UP delegation table had an open seat because one of our members wasn't feeling well, so she was resting upstairs in the hotel room. With the open space, Danielle and I decided to take the forks because we had food from Olive Garden upstairs but needed utensils. I put them into my bag. Little did we know that one of the artists was going to be sitting at our table in the open spot.
Ryan Green sat next to me, and I lied to him about how his forks weren't there. I felt completely guilty that we took his forks, so I told him what why we took them. He seemed pretty cool about it and said that he would just use his dessert fork to eat his three-course meal. Throughout dinner, he told us about Ryanhood and the band's history - moving from Tucson to Boston and back. They were also going to perform at the last Showcase. Jo asked if he would dedicate a song to us, and he said he would.
At the last showcase, Ryanhood performed, and I was amazed. They were fantastic! Ryan kept his promise and dedicated, "Welcome You Into My Head" to us. Love that song!
At CAMP, we got signed pictures and CDs from Ryan and Cameron. It was great! They definitely became my favorite NACA artist that day.
At NACA Nationals 2008 in St. Louis, Mo., Katie Greisen, Katherine Miller and I hung out at Ryanhood's booth every time it was time for CAMP (Campus Activities Marketplace).Flash forward to February 2008, Katie, Katherine, and I went to NACA Nationals 2008 in St. Louis, Mo. I knew Ryanhood was going to be there, so when I went looking for their booth when it was the first CAMP. I went there and was like, "Hi, I'm Tarra." Didn't need to say more than that because Ryan recognized me and said, "Dinner buddy!" I was stoked that he remembered. At the end of every CAMP, I ended up in their booth, just chatting with them or switching ties to help promote them. Unfortunately, they didn't perform at this NACA, but it was still awesome hanging out with them. I filled out a form to show interest in them, hoping that they would come to UP in the 2008-2009 school year.
No such luck. The scheduling during my first year was really off for both of us, but we kept them as an option.
Over the summer, my Coffeehouse coordinator and I started to plan our first coffeehouse, and I mentioned Ryanhood to her. She liked their music, so it was good to go. I got in touch with Abby Green and got the wheel rolling. Ryan even contacted me through Facebook to see if we were still interested. It was finally going to happen! Ryanhood would be performing at UP! :)
October 9 was the day. Finally they would be here! Hours before the event, Chloe' and I went on a Cash and Carry run to get the supplies we needed to make coffee and Italian sodas. When we were chilling in St. Mary's Lounge, we started talking about how the event would pan out. Honestly, we were both a bit concerned because there were multiple events happening that night, including the CPB Movie (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince). I told Chloe' that I'm usually nervous before events, but they typically turn out okay in the end. Besides, Chloe' did everything she could to promote the event, and if people were going to miss out on it, that was their fault.
The time drew closer to the actual event, so we started prepping by getting the food from Bon Appetit and decorating the room with stars from Homecoming, and setting up the sound equipment (Thanks Aaron and the sound crew!). Gradually, CPB members came to help out, looking snazzy in their CPB shirts.
CPB Members in their snazzy shirts. :)In photo: Katie Greisen, Ona Golonka, Alli Romolino, Chloe' Ruffin, Justine Roades, Mara Kouides, Bianca Singh, Tarra McCurdy, and Katherine Miller
I had to meet up with Ryanhood over by Waldschmidt Hall because they were in the wrong parking lot. I rode with them in their van to the right parking lot behind St. Mary's Lounge. I was kind of nervous and didn't know what to say to them. I'm not very good at small talk or whatever. I hope it wasn't too awkward. When we got to St. Mary's, I helped them unload, and then they got ready to do their sound check after meeting Chloe' and Jillian.
We also showed them the rider items they requested - one gallon of water and three Clif bars. Chloe' didn't think that was enough, so we bought them 70 water 16.9 ounce water bottles and six Clif bars. They appreciated our hospitality.
CPB Coffeehouse featuring Ryanhood on October 9.Ryanhood gave a spectacular performance! It was definitely one of the best coffeehouses we have seen. The front row was completely filled before they took the stage. The rest of the seats filled, and people stood in the back away from the exit. It was great! The audience was engaged as well. Ryanhood would ask them to sing and clap their hands, and they responded automatically. There were even times when the audience would just grasp the beat of the harmony and start clapping. Fantastic!
After the show, the acoustic duo didn't get very far from the stage. A crowd swarmed around them for meet and greets, complete with autographs and pictures. CPB even got a group picture with them.
CPB + RyanhoodIn photo: Sean Ducey, Katie Greisen, Jillian Smith, Katherine Miller, Chloe' Ruffin, Alli Romolino, Justine Roades, Mara Kouides, Cameron Hood, Tarra McCurdy, Megan Kirchgasler, Aaron Morris, Ona Golonka, and Ryan Green
Duos do do it better and Ryanhood just proved it. Thanks again guys! :)
Katie Greisen, Katherine Miller, and I reunite with Ryanhood after the Coffeehouse.
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