“I couldn’t overcome feeling I’d been dropped into the novel world of Cormac McCarthy’s gritty western fiction meets pure Southern Gothic. Lyrics are imbued with a straightforward clarity and darkness.  Melodies echo universal hard-scrabble characters and striking vistas….You can nearly feel the fading heart, the grieving, the loss, the warm fluids running across cold fingers.” -  Refueled Magazine

Formerly the singer & principle songwriter in the Minneapolis-base band Western Fifth, Ryan Holweger is currently embarking on a number of solo shows throughout the Midwest. Raised on country, informed by rock, and illuminated by Americana, his acoustic set takes you on a tour of heartache and redemption that invokes joy, admiration, and pain in equal intensity. While Western Fifth played their own brand of original alt-country songs with a certain heartfelt grit and literary nature, Ryan mixes in a number of covers, ranging from classic country favorites to obscure tunes from the world of indie-rock, and one long lost song that was written by his grandfather in 1947.

Brian Wheat, Charleston, SC songwriter and Buffalo, NY native has taken his time developing his unique compound of jazzy Americana that draws comparisons to timeless greats like Willie Nelson and Cake, as well as contemporaries such as Bahamas and M.Ward.    
Brian's third album will be released in early 2017.  "Way Down Below" combines the simpler, traditional-style writing and instrumentation of his first album “Where You Have Been” with pop arrangements of 2011’s “Looking Alive” and a delivery that reflect depth and maturity beyond that of classic Americana.  “Way Down Below” was recorded, while Wheat was living in Minneapolis, MN, at Stone House Recording, Grand Rapids, MI by Peter Fox (Patrick Watson, Field Report, The Head and the Heart, Frontier Ruckus) and Northland Records, Minneapolis, MN by Chad Weis (Trampled by Turtles, Mason Jennings, Caroline Smith) and Bryan Steenerson.  Additional recording was done in Buffalo, NY, Tucson, AZ, and Nashville, TN.  The album features a variety of musicians as well as horn arrangements provided by members of Calexico, which add a noticeable Southwestern thread throughout.  The theme of the album’s title track was inspired by Tom Robbins’ book “Villa Incognito”.  Also included is a cover of “Farm in New Hampshire”, written by one of Brian's early influences, Bellingham, WA's Robert Sarazin Blake.  
Wheat’s breezy melodies, thoughtful lyrics, and tasty lead guitar playing are fueled by being raised on 50's pop, classic rock and country that played as the soundtrack for a thousand family road trips.  Since 2005 he has self-produced and published three albums under his own label, Half Little Hold Records, and performed everywhere from Fijian villages and Australian hostels to East coast and Midwest tours.  His songwriting patiently explores human connect and disconnect with tales of unbounded love and the pain of forever searching for it.    Wheat conveys a Willie Nelson-style honesty and straightforwardness in his performances.  ‘Lounge’ is redeemed in a no-nonsense Rufus Wainright fashion through the rose filter of an 80’s era Austin City Limits session atop Cake-style rhythms.  His songs are delivered with a wryness that is not so much funny, but more simply joyous, playful even.

A big thank you to all who stop by to listen. I am grateful for any and all support!

My first album, Head on Straight, can be found on all streaming platforms. My second album, A Long Way from Hell, will be out sometime this summer. You can find versions of many of the songs that will be on it here. 

You can also follow my YouTube Channel, if you would like. Someday I will add content... promise. https://www.youtube.com/@damiansmithandthejourneymen

About Me:
While I do record and release music independently, my true passion is in the songwriting. I would love to write with or for independent artists, so if you are interested in co-writing for your personal release or recording one of my songs, please reach out.

Singer/songwriter from Syracuse, NY. So far, all songs are built on my lyrics, my voice and my guitar.

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