Spotlight: Thinking out of the genres
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Ryan Persinger is a musician with many personas.
There's Persinger the acoustic rock solo artist, of the Ryan Persinger Project. Then there's the humorous performer of Five in a Hand. And previously, there was Delta 9 of the electronic act Johnny on Point, which performed with former Iowa City musician Derek Pulliam.
The musician regularly plays in Iowa City, and he will play a solo gig Thursday at Tornados, 1400 Third St. S.E. in Cedar Rapids and on Aug. 8 with Five in a Hand at the Yacht Club, 13 S. Linn St.
Persinger, 21, said he enjoys playing music in many genres, including the electronic sounds of Johnny on Point.
"It's just so different than anything I've played," he said. "I didn't even listen to electronic music until Derek asked me to play with him."
Pulliam met Persinger when he was in the band Hunab, after the musician stopped by for an after-show party. He then asked Persinger to join him in Johnny on Point in February 2008.
"The first time I really noticed Ryan, he was sitting on my couch at my old house playing a cover of Britney Spears' 'Hit me Baby One More Time,' " he said. "I was like, 'Who is this dorky red-haired goon?' "
Persinger is known to play cover songs with Five in a Hand ranging from Bloodhound Gang's "Discovery Channel" to Lil' Jon's "Get Low." The group's bass player, A.J. Wessling, said Persinger is a great addition to the band.
"I've known Persinger for a while, and I felt that something was missing from the group," he said. "I just kept thinking about his style of playing and how it would mesh with the band."
Wessling is impressed by Persinger's ability to play a diverse range of music.
"He's the guy that can do it all," Wessling said. "He can lead the song or do the extra sounds."
In addition to playing both original and cover tunes, Persinger likes to beatbox during live shows.
Brooke Beelman, a big fan of Persinger, has seen him perform in all three bands.
"I remember seeing Five in a Hand before Persy joined," she said. "They were still good, but once he joined, it added a new dynamic that set it aside from the jam-band scene Iowa City has."
Another popular song Persinger wrote and performs both solo and with the band is "Call Your Mom." The track is about a dead friend of his named Phil "Philthy" Conway, who died during a construction accident in 2008. Persinger also made T-shirts with Conway's picture on it to give to friends. The shirt can be seen draped over the drum kit of Five in a Hand drummer Alfred Mannix.
Beelman also loved seeing him play with Pulliam in Johnny on Point. Her favorite song from that band is "Keefin' it Real," which was written after Pulliam and Persinger smoked a lot keef (marijuana residue) one night. It became the title track to Johnny on Point's first album.
As a touring musician, Persinger said he loves each city and feeds off of the energy of his audiences.
"Almost everywhere I go, it's like a little or big version of Iowa City," he said.
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