Since the late ’90s, Akron musician Ryan Humbert (originally from Canton) has been an energizer and catalyst for the music scene there. He’s organized benefit concerts and special events, such as his annual Holiday Extravaganza. He also put out a series of folk/rock-style albums from 2005-2014, showcasing his impressive songwriting and vocal skills with an affinity for Americana. He also did a series of tribute evenings, honoring musicians such as Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison and Johnny Cash.
He’d always shown affection for country music, so it wasn’t entirely surprising when, in late 2015, he debuted a new project called Shooter Sharp & the Shootouts (now simply the Shootouts) at the (now closed) Euclid Tavern, which he co-founded with guitarist Brian Poston from his Ryan Humbert Band (It now also includes that band’s vocalist Emily Bates and the rhythm section of bassist Ryan McDermott and Drummer Dylan Gomez).
“As of late, I’ve been listening to tons of country music and not the cookie-cutter bro-country that is being force fed to country music fans these days, mind you,” Humebert said at the time. “I’ve been listening to Buck and Merle, Patsy and Webb, Ernest and Hank, Willie and Porter, Waylon and The Possum: Country music when it was still COUNTRY.”
The group released its debut album Quick Draw in May 2019, getting airplay at Americana radio stations across the country and landing the band opening slots to respected alt country/roots-rock artists such as Robbie Fulks, Marty Stuart, Radney Foster, Lake Street Dive and Sheryl Crow.
They’re now followed up with their second album Bullseye, produced by BR549’s Chuck Mead, an in-demand producer in the Americana/alt-country scene. It draws on country styles such as the Nashville honky-tonk, Texas swing and the Buck Owens-style Bakersfield sound, sounds that Humbert has a long affinity for.
“I always loved country music,” he says. “I feel like there’s always been a slight bit of twang in my music. I made some pop rock records but would dip my toes into something a little twangier or a little more rootsy.”
He says that his affection for the genre goes all the way back to his childhood.
“When I was a kid, I would root though my dad’s records while he was at work: Waylon, James Taylor, Flying Burrito Brothers, blues, old country,” says Humbert, who also curates on online radio station called The Americana Roundup, also the nam of his long-running radio show on Akron’s WAPS-FM. “When I first started playing guitar I would play for my grandpa and he’d sing and we’d play old country music. When my mom was driving around, we’d listen to the radio. And she’d listen to country and this was the 90s, when it was still very listenable.”
The album focuses on upbeat, energetic tunes, saying in the press release for it that their aim was “to create an album that puts a smile on listeners’ faces—music that helps them escape from the difficult times they’ve recently faced.”
“This needed to be a fun record,” Humbert said. “We’re living through a time where people are suddenly out of work, have lost loved ones, and have been experiencing unimaginable stress on a daily basis. Even if it’s just for 30 minutes, we want them to take a break, crank it up, and enjoy themselves.”
To find out more about the band and how to order the album go to shootoutsmusic.com. It’s available now.