Ry Cuming, a surfer, singer and songwriter, will stop by The Commons at 6-8 p.m. Thursday, July 29 for a free show as part of the Downtown Ithaca Concert Series. Photo provided
RY CUMING, A SURFER, SINGER AND SONGWRITER WHOSE POPULARITY looks poised to surpass Jack Johnson, dropped by the GrassRoots Festival last weekend for a Sunday morning set. It was the end of a long weekend, and the Infield Stage looked out to large lakes of mud. But by the time Cuming had finished “Some Kind of Love,” the jangly lead track of his eponymous debut, the sun had poked through the clouds and the sun shone brightly on the singer. Cuming will stop by The Commons at 6-8 p.m. Thursday, July 29 for a free show as part of the Downtown Ithaca Concert Series.
Born on Woodford Island in northern Australia and growing up in the coastal town of Angourie, Cuming grew up on the beach and in the water. Cuming was three the first time he stood on a surfboard and five when he held his first guitar. The surfer and musician followed the course of his daily surf sessions, joining his high school surf team, traveling up and down the coast for competitions, going pro, and picking up sponsorships (most recently, a promo deal with Roxy/Quiksilver).
At 18, he was discovered while playing in a hotel hallway in Costa Rica, shortly after flying to Central America on a whim. One day after surfing in the World Longboard Championships, Cuming was playing in a hotel hallway when one of the surfers called her boyfriend, an L.A. film producer, to come check him out. The producer liked him, and on a layover in Los Angeles en route back to Australia, Cuming signed with Sony’s Jive Records.
Back in L.A., Cuming recorded demos and started working with then-fledgling L.A. bands Phantom Planet, Rooney and Maroon 5. He also hooked up with producer John Alagia (John Mayer, Jason Mraz) to produce his debut album. The eleven songs on eponymous album move from gorgeous and hushed (“Home”) to grimy and rocking (“Chemistry”), featuring shout-it-from-the-rooftops choruses (“Meaning of It All”), vulnerable breakdowns (“Heartbreak”), and angelic, tumbling falsetto melodies (“Is This Love”).
I spoke to Cuming from an old convertible as he was riding out to surf in Malibu.
Q: My understanding is that your first love was surfing. I grew up in Southern California, and I know you now live in Los Angeles. How does the surfing culture differ in Australia than in California, and are there any notable music culture differences?
Ry Cuming: Yeah, definitely. One of the biggest things is that in Australia surfing is integrated into the culture, whereas in Southern California only a minority of people are really devoted to it. I grew up surfing five ore six hours a day, and I wasn’t alone in this. The teachers and the doctors and the bricklayers all surf-it’s just part of who we are.
Here in California, it’s not as integrated into the daily life, the social fabric of people. There are certainly a core community of surfers here in Malibu, but it’s still an exotic thing to some extent.
Musically, it’s a similar thing. Australia is a festival culture. So during the summer months, people really get into music, it becomes part of their life. Here music is a small part of what most people do, and a large part of what a few do.
Q: Do you think that your dedication to surfing has an effect on your music making. Does it make you a more focused songwriter or composer?
Cuming: I think surfing does becomes a direct result and a reflection of your daily life. Whatever you do is part of your self-expression and winds up in your art; for me that’s surfing, travel and love, it all stems from the same place.
But music I think, it is more of a release for me. Wherever you are that’s where you connect. I’m coming from that perspective, from that of a surfer, but musically there are other influences as well. I think in my music you hear a lot of Motown and old school rock and roll, and ultimately it’s influenced by a lot of different things.
Q: It’s exciting to see you here at GrassRoots. Have you been playing at many festivals this summer?
Cuming: I haven’t played a lot of festivals in the US yet, but I’m looking forward to doing so. Back in Austrialia, you tend to get locked into a certain routine during winter, and festivals were a big part of the way I grew up. I’m excited about being outside, and feeling the atmosphere of a large crowd.
Q: What does performing live allow you to do that’s different from recording and releasing songs?
Cuming: Yeah, I think anytime you play live, I hope that everyone can share and experience what you do. I love to write and record music, but I do feel like I get locked in, and performing live feels different. I always try to be as honest as I can on record, and portray who I am, but in front of a crowd it just comes naturally.
Q: Tell me about the opportunity to tour with Maroon 5. Are you worried at all to play before a crowd who might be unfamiliar with you?
Cuming: Actually, I love that opportunity! For me I always get to concerts early, with the hope of finding an artist that’s new to me. Even in the modern age the internet, I still find musicians mostly from live performances.
That’s always my favorite environment is to walk onto. It’s an honest time to connect with people musically, and it gives people the chance to respond one at a time.