Some could say that musician Ryan Cabrera received his fame by dating America's newest up and coming pop princess, Ashlee Simpson. Others would disagree and say that this young talent earned his day in the sun with his ability to actually play the guitar and write his own songs.
For some people, music has the tendency to come naturally. This is exactly the case for 22-year-old Ryan Cabrera. At a young age, Cabrera had the itch to pick up the guitar and begin to play little snippets of songs. Throughout high school, Cabrera found himself involved in a punk-rock band called Caine. However, once he heard songs from the Dave Matthew's Band, he left that all behind and formed a new band of a more acoustic caliber called Rubic's Groove. With a new sound and new band, Cabrera toured the city of Dallas and complimented the stages of Ben Harper, Cheap Trick and various others.
After, being bitten by the "music bug," Cabrera was able to record three songs onto a demo in a recording studio. Feeling confident in himself and his musical talent, Cabrera sent the demo to Atlantic Records and was instantly signed. Knowing that this was his calling, he dropped out of college and flew to Los Angelas where he was taken under the management of Joe Simpson, father of Cabrera's on again off again girlfriend, Ashlee. With Joe at the helm, Cabrera was able to create a debut CD with the help of Goo Goo Dolls front man John Reznick.
Take It All Away, Cabrera's debut CD released last August, took people by surprise. The album has a taste of rawness and vulnerability that audiences didn't expect, as well as a hint of subtle clichés. The guitar is quite beautiful throughout the album, and at times, it would be better if you could just listen to Cabrera play. However, Cabrera's soft voice does "woo" listeners in many of his songs such as "On The Way Down" and "Take It All Away." Due to his collaboration with Reznick, there are times where you almost think you are listening to the Goo Goo Dolls, and yet, when a ballad comes on such as, "True," you think you are listening to a boy band. Overall, it is a well-put together album.
In order to complete the fame and fortune circle, Cabrera is now embarking on his first solo tour in which he is headlining. He will be gracing Milwaukee with his presence Tuesday at The Rave. Those skeptical of whether or not this young star has made it because of his talent, or because of his pop princess girlfriend can check out the show to decide.
Ryan Cabrera will be at The Rave Feb. 15th at 8 p.m. with Aslyn and Kyle Riabko. Tickets are $19. More information is available by calling 342-7283 or by visiting www.therave.com.
This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on Feb. 10 2005.