Chattanoogan Who Had Success On American Idol Releases Unique Chattanooga Christmas Tune

  • Tuesday, December 10, 2019
  • Joseph Dycus

Ryder Pierce can be found at places like the Camp House on MLK Boulevard, singing in front of small audiences at coffee shops around Chattanooga. But after a brush with American Idol and a year of honing his craft, Pierce is prepared to move his musical career forward. And what better way to do that than to write a song nobody has ever made before.

Pierce, a Chattanooga local, set out to make a special kind of Christmas song. Amidst a sea of generic holiday anthems, he wanted to craft one that would resonate with the residents of the Scenic City. Instead of filling the airwaves with new-age electronic sounds, Pierce went for a more timeless sound. The song is set to drop this week.

The vocals are clear, and the lyrics speak of a nostalgic time gone by. Blanketed underneath the words is a steady acoustic guitar, accompanied by a single electric guitar void of distortion. Tucked underneath the pleasant melodies and harmonies is a subtle bass line, giving the song a fullness so many “guy with a guitar” songs lack.

“Well, the title is “Merry Christmas Chattanooga Tennessee,” but besides that I really tried to include imagery throughout the song that would make you feel like you’re there in Chattanooga,” said the artist about the song’s unique subject matter,  “You think of the snowflake lights on the bridge, or Rock City, or the Choo Choo and the Christmas tree in the foyer there. You just see everybody around enjoying the holiday times, and I tried to capture that whole mental image.”

While Pierce couldn’t quite become the next American Idol, he believes his brief experience with the show in 2018 helped him grow as an artist. While the artist was no stranger to performing in front of audiences, singing to a group of critics was a slightly different story. Although Pierce did not make the TV rounds, he did get feedback from Katy Perry and the rest of the show’s famous judges.

“Pretty much what they told me is that you have a really cool look, and you have a really cool sound that’s’ very unique,” said Pierce. “They were saying I could be someone like Bob Dylan, a stylist like that. You may not be the pop singer or the shredding lead guitarist, but you may have something you can put together in one package that would be very unique. Where people turn on the radio, and they might hear a few minutes of a song and immediately know it was you.”

Despite praising his abilities, the judges did give their opinion on things they believed Piece could improve. One of the main points was the way his voice sounded.

“They talked about me being a little more critical of my voice, as opposed to leaving it like it was, which was a messy sound,” said the singer, “At times, it’s not the tightest vocal performance. It made me pay attention to things and to want to pay attention to tightening up the vocals. It made me want to look into getting some vocal lessons to improve on things.”

Their critiques motivated Pierce to “get serious” about turning music into a career. And if he wanted to make music his full-time focus, he needed to hone his vocal skills and refine his innate talent.

“I was just getting by on the talent that I had, as opposed to working at it, and honing in and polishing my craft. I think that’s a great thing they made me aware of. That the judges were like, ‘You’re good, but you need to polish this up a bit and just tighten some of the screws up.’”

His time in American Idol, and his subsequent efforts to become more serious about turning music into a career spurred the creation of his first EP. Titled “Small Steps,” it will be much different from the synth pop music currently dominating the charts.

“It’s going to be a full band with several guitars, a bass, and drums,” said Pierce, “I would describe it as energetic cult rock. I think that a lot of the instrumentation and a lot of the songs you’ll hear are going to make you think of rock and roll. But when you listen to the songs, there’s an essence of cult rock, and that singalong rock like Oasis and bands like Jimmy Eat World and All American Rejects.”

Pierce’s plan for the future hinges upon the success of this upcoming album. Even though he’s releasing an EP this summer, Pierce is already working on another one.

“I’m releasing an album this summer, and hopefully can go on tour with it,” said the singer, “And I’m writing another album that we can hopefully have out within the next couple of years and hopefully that will take off.”

Despite his lofty dreams, Pierce knows that he has a long way to go before he achieves those goals. In the meantime, he is just trying to enjoy being a local artist.

“I want to eventually be a touring artist, but right now, I’m just writing songs and playing local and trying to have fun.”

Entertainment
Lee University Performing Arts Series To Welcome Sympatico Thursday
Lee University Performing Arts Series To Welcome Sympatico Thursday
  • 3/18/2024

The Lee University School of Music will welcome Sympatico Percussion Group to present a concert and masterclass for this season’s Performing Arts Series. The concert will take place on Thursday ... more

Best of Grizzard- Donald J’s Dilemma
Best of Grizzard- Donald J’s Dilemma
  • 3/15/2024

The current legal problems of the 45 th ex-President in 2023-2024 are beyond the scope and non-political policy of this writer but the Donald had faced setbacks in the past and so far has survived ... more

McCallie And GPS Middle Schoolers Prepare To Showcase "The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe"
McCallie And GPS Middle Schoolers Prepare To Showcase "The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe"
  • 3/14/2024

As the title suggests, the Lion has a pretty big role in the GPS/McCallie middle school production of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. In fact, the giant puppet — think a life-sized lion ... more