Ryanhood
Cameron enrolled as an art student at the University of Arizona, and they started what they would call "a long-distance musical relationship", mailing each other minidiscs of new song ideas and getting together during academic breaks to rehearse and perform. Within weeks of graduating college, Cameron took a leap of faith and moved to Boston to join Ryan. Determined to make a living as musicians, Ryanhood became full-time street performers at Boston's historic Quincy Market where they developed a rapport with audiences that has become a hallmark of their shows.
They soon took this high-energy, highly-interactive street-performers approach to the college market, where they quickly became one of the most popular bands on the circuit, playing upwards of 130 college dates a year. Cameron Hood's rich and folky lead vocals, Ryan Green's explosive guitar and mandolin riffs, and their airtight vocal harmonies prompted the Arizona Daily Star to call them, "a match made in radio heaven."
They would go on to tour with Jason Mraz, record an album with grammy-winning producer Ross Hogarth, share stages with Matt Nathanson, Train, American Authors, and Lifehouse, and even get tweeted about by Ellen DeGeneres. Ryanhood has collectively performed more than 800 shows in 45 U.S. states, where their cross-generational sound has been equally at home in colleges, coffee-houses, concert halls, churches, and living rooms.
And now, twelve years after their street start, Ryanhood's star is still on the rise as they were named "Best Group/Duo" in the 2014 International Acoustic Music Awards (IAMAs). Their sixth and newest album, Yearbook, released on March 3, 2017, and has been described as ""nestled in a great pocket, feeling all at once focused on storytelling and intimacy while not being afraid to wield a big musical stick" by For Folk's Sake.
They currently reside in their hometown of Tucson, AZ, where they have won more than a dozen Tucson Music Awards including "Best Folk Band" and "Best Rock Band" (you can decide for yourself which is most accurate).
"Discovery of the year . . . Fabulous harmonies and awesome musical chops."
- John Platt, WFUV New York City
"The duo's rock roots are evident in their high-energy performances but their music taps into contemporary folk and pop too, showcasing tight vocal harmonies as much as instrumental interplay."
- Acoustic Guitar Magazine
"True showmanship . . . They consistently deliver an amazing live performance."
- CD Blender
"Nestled in a great pocket, feeling all at once focused on storytelling and intimacy while not being afraid to wield a big musical stick."
- For Folk's Sak
Sophie Buskin
Raised in the heart of New York City by two accomplished musical parents, singer-songwriter Sophie started studying piano at age three and first set foot in the studio at four. Her parents recall she was undaunted by the adult singers as she sat on the tallest stool to be close enough to the microphone: "...the headphones were bigger than her head!" She caught the harmony bug and began working extensively as a child jingle singer, featured on many TV/radio spots from GE and Hess Trucks to Six Flags and the Kidz Bop CD series.
Completely at home in the studio, Sophie was initially shy about performing onstage. While continuing lessons in guitar and voice, she poured herself into another lifelong passion, earning a specialized degree in visual art from New York City's LaGuardia High School. In 2008 Sophie was accepted into the Berklee College of Music in Boston and fully embraced her musical side. She joined Berklee's celebrated Gospel Choir and the Motown ensemble, and fell in love with collaboration. She wrote her first song in 2009 and began steadily writing and performing, often alongside her father, David Buskin.
A decade later, Sophie is based in Brooklyn and has more than outgrown her initial stage fright, appearing at venues such as Rockwood Music Hall, the Cutting Room, Passim, the Red Lion, and White Eagle Hall. She has performed with Judy Collins, Mason Jennings, Little Anthony, Livingston Taylor and Paul Schaffer and founded the songwriters' circle at Pete's Candy Store in Brooklyn. Her first solo CD, "Sweet Creature", recorded and produced by Jagoda and Neale Eckstein at Fox Run Studios, is a testament to her ongoing journey of artistic self-discovery.
"Oh my god...She is amazing!! [This] CD should be everywhere!"
-Judy Collins
The Roots Music Report's Weekly Top 50 Alternate Folk Airplay Chart
February, 2019: "Sweet Creature" Debuts # 1 Top Album
