Serena Ryder and Lee Dewyze at Lincoln Hall on August 25, 2013

Ryder rocks out Melissa Etheridge style singing "All For Love":

I mistakenly thought it would be a sold out show but not so much.  Lee Dewyze, winner of American Idol in 2010 and from Illinois, along with the talented Serena Ryder at the great Lincoln Hall venue.  A win-win night.  I will review Dewyze later but must cut directly to the fabulous Ryder!

How lucky was I to see Ryder at Lincoln Hall with less than 100 people?  She is Canadian and maybe the USA is slow to catch on.  Ryder performed on Leno in July which is not always a sign of stardom but is fairly eventful.  My prediction is that she is bound for greatness just like Adele was when she sang at Martyr's, to a likely enthusiastic yet small crowd, just one year before she exploded internationally.  Ryder has a sound that while uniquely hers is also a blend of Adele, Amy Winehouse, Duffy, and Melissa Etheridge.   She has performed with Etheridge and has a duet recorded and released with her also (see video below).



Her major influences also include Nina Simone and Ella Fitzgerald which resulted in her song "For You" an up-tempo ballad.  Her writing is personal and she connects well with her audience, even complimenting us for dancing or playing air guitar as one fan saw fit.  During the show she played acoustic (but plugged in) and electric guitars with an occasional foray to the drums.  Ryder obviously is close with her band mates, introducing them on more than one occasion and singing/playing drums with her back up vocalist and singer, whose name I could not quite catch.  They looked like best friends, practically cuddling during the final song, "Nobody But You".  Ryder was self-disclosing when she revealed, as an introduction to her song "Mary Go Round, that she had suffered from clinical depression about four years ago and has been able to recover, or keep it in check, largely through her music.  Hopefully this means she will be performing for may years to come, if even for the sake of remaining depression free.

The show was nothing short of amazing, only to be topped off with a meet and greet (no extra charge) and a pre-release CD signing.  She was poised, talented, friendly and great to talk to (if only there was no line of others wanting a chance to meet her I would have gone on and on gushing to her about her fabulousness).

I told her that I will tell others that "I saw her sing at Lincoln Hall when no one knew who she was"!  This is likely going to change once her CD is released in the USA and she continues her tour with Michael Franti and others.  Her song "Stompa" is her first single and a very catchy one at that.  Keep your ears open for much anticipated air play. If you can catch her in your town you better get those tickets.  The low price tag won't be for long, trust me on this one.

Lee Dewyze

(check back soon for a video and review)