About

Minneapolis modern rock quartet the Melismatics featured Ryan Smith (vocals, guitar, piano), Jeremy Ylvisaker (guitar, organ), Mark Wade (bass), and Ron Caron (drums). The band’s debut album, New Infection, released by Susstones Records in 2003, blended odes to hard rock, punk, and power pop.

Guitarist Ryan Smith is a fixture in the Twin Cities music scene. He’s a songwriter, guitarist, and producer. Even if you don’t recognize the name, if you know the local scene at all, you’re likely to say, “right, that guy” when you hear the sheer number of projects he is associated with. He’s the primary songwriter for The Melismatics, who have been active for over twenty five years and we who we just saw opening for The Ike Reilly Assassination. He’s perhaps most famously known for his current role as the lead guitarist for Soul Asylum for the last decade, and who we last caught at First Avenue in December 2024. More recently, in 2025, he’s joined punk rock group Ultrabomb, a band formed by former Hüsker Dü member Greg Norton. Dear reader, I’m not even all that close to done. He’s lead guitarist for Mary Strand and the Garage, who we just saw open for Rhett Miller at Turf Club. He produced Stone Arch Rivals’ 2025 debut album That’s What They Say. And on top of all that, he often performs with live acts or featured on recorded songs for different bands. With all of that, Smith obviously has a wide and fairly unique perspective on Minnesota music. With that in mind, I sent Smith the following questions and I appreciate his taking the time to respond and thoughtful answers.

Question: You’re part of Soul Asylum and, very recently, Ultrabomb. How did those opportunities come about? Is it a gradual process or a pretty fast audition-style thing?

Answer: Both of those opportunities came together pretty quickly. With Soul Asylum, it was almost like a whirlwind and it was very mysterious. Michael Bland just called me up one day and cryptically asked if I’d be interested in joining. He said, “Hey, can you learn about 25 songs in a couple of days?” We actually didn’t go through with it right then, but about six months later, the same situation popped up again. They needed someone on short notice, and I basically had about a week to learn the entire set. We rehearsed a couple of times, and next thing I knew, they were asking if I could head out to Philadelphia and Dallas for a few shows. That turned into a tour invite and joining the band. So yeah, it all happened pretty rapidly and without much explanation. I didn’t ask questions— I just knew it was something I needed to do.

With Ultrabomb, it was a similar kind of fast-paced scenario. The Melismatics had a show with Ultrabomb, and their lead singer had recently left the band. Greg Norton reached out to me, basically asking if I could step in and save the show so they wouldn’t have to cancel. I had just a couple of weeks to learn the songs while I was touring Europe with Soul Asylum—basically just listening to them on AirPods without even a guitar in hand. We had a couple of quick rehearsals when I got back, the show went off with great energy, and they asked me to join the band that very night. So in both cases, it was definitely a fast-moving, kind of “dive in headfirst” process.

Since then I’ve done a couple of tours with Ultrabomb, and we just recorded a new 11-song album at Creation Audio with producer John Fields that will be out early 2026 on DC Jam Records. That’s the real test and most exciting part of joining a band— learning how to create new music together and solidify your new identity.

Question: Soul Asylum had a new album, Slowly But Shirley, released in 2024. Pirner was the songwriter, but what was the creative process there for the music? Did he have a strong vision on it or was there more collaboration on that front?

Answer: Absolutely. Dave is honestly one of my all-time favorite songwriters, and it’s a real honor to work with him. He definitely came in with a strong vision for Slowly But Shirley, but he’s also great at letting everyone in the band bring their own personality into the music. Some songs were really fleshed out and demoed from the start, and in other cases, he’d let me dive into his voice memos and piece together ideas. The process typically works with Dave and I meeting at his home studio regularly for months to flesh out different concepts, and then we’d bring those songs to the band and refine them in rehearsals. Eventually, we went into pre-production with Steve Jordan, and that collaborative spirit was a huge part of the creative process. Dave really knows how to get the best out of everyone, and I have a ton of respect for that approach.

Question: The Melismatics have been around for over twenty five years, and while not touring, still performing semi-frequently around the Twin Cities. What keeps your (and the rest of the band’s) interest in continuing to perform?

Answer: The Melismatics put out our first record back in 2001, and for a lot of years we were doing around 150 shows annually. We spent so much time on the road together that the band really became more like a family than anything else. Now that we’re back to playing shows locally and regionally, like the one we did in Illinois a couple of months ago, it’s just that same sense of camaraderie that keeps us going.

We’re even talking about making a new album, and that might mean a bit of touring as well. Honestly, what really keeps the spark alive is that we’re all such good friends, and the music still feels great to play. The songs have held up over the years, and there’s always this spirit of pushing forward and evolving. If the music didn’t still feel exciting, it wouldn’t be as motivating. But as it stands, it’s like hanging out with family and just having a blast.

And I’d just add that the Melismatics really go through phases. We’ve gone from heavy touring to periods where we weren’t playing at all, and now we’re in this phase of doing occasional shows. Honestly, it’s hard to say what the future holds. For all I know, the Melismatics might kick into high gear again at some point. It’s an ongoing journey and I expect more peaks and valleys ahead.

Question: You are very active as a backing player (backing Mary Strand on the regular, doing one off shows like Willie Wisely & His Belle Bottoms). What are you looking for in those experiences?

Answer: Every one of those backing gigs usually has a direct reason behind it. It’s almost never just a random situation where I’m doing it just for the sake of playing—although I do absolutely love it.

For example, with Mary Strand, she started out as a mentee of mine, working on her songwriting and guitar playing. I helped her record her songs, and it turned into making a full album. She self released her first album Golden Girl. Then we started working on her second album I Don’t Need Your Permission. The music was great and pushing new boundaries, and it ended up on my label, Hygh Tension Records (Virgin Music Group). So playing in her band is really an extension of producing and supporting her career. Oh yeah, so that’s another thing I didn’t mention I’m up to…running a record label!

With Willie Wisely & His Belle Bottoms, it’s a similar story. These are some of my favorite musicians and people—Peter Anderson on drums, who I’ve played countless shows with, and living legend John Fields on bass, who I’ve worked with across multiple projects. And of course, I’ve been a fan of Willie since the ’90s. So it’s not just about the gig—it’s about playing with people I love and respect.

In general, any backing gig I do is usually because there’s a personal connection or a meaningful rapport. I’m pretty busy, so I only take on those kinds of gigs when there’s that deeper connection.

Question: You also have some experience in music production, such as the debut record for Stone Arch Rivals this year. How did you get into that and were there any unexpected challenges to producing rather than creating?

Answer: For me, music production is really just the natural amalgamation of everything I’ve done in music—songwriting, arranging, teaching, recording, performing, and playing. All those instincts come into play, so it felt like a really natural progression to move into production. It’s kind of similar to how I end up backing certain artists—there’s usually a meaningful connection. For instance, with Loki’s Folly, I first taught them music, then coached them as a band, and that naturally evolved into producing their records and managing them.

In production, my goal is to use everything I know to help artists make the best record they can. It’s all about figuring out their strengths and how to bring those out. Every artist is different, so the process changes depending on who you’re working with, but the core idea is always to guide them toward making a record that really represents them at their best.

Question: With the pandemic and rapid change in technology, has it changed any of the ways that you collaborate with other artists? Or affected your creative process?

Answer: Honestly, I’m not sure the pandemic itself changed my creative process fundamentally, though it did force me—and everyone—to stay home. During that time, I started recording a solo album that’s actually coming out in 2026. It was a little different for me because I ended up taking what would normally be demos—where I play all the instruments—and actually turning them into the final recordings. So that was a new twist. It also highlighted how easily we can collaborate with anyone, anywhere, thanks to technology. It’s made things more efficient and opened up opportunities to work with people across the globe.

As for what really affects my process, it’s more about the people I’m working with and the albums I’m making. For example, working on Slowly But Shirley with Steve Jordan was a whole different vibe. He was all about playing live in a room, no click track, no cleaning up little rhythmic imperfections. He really focused on the energy and vibe of the musicians, and that was refreshing.

On the other hand, working with someone like John Fields is all about lightning-fast decisions and pushing for something forward-thinking, which I love as well.

In the end, I’d get bored if the process was always the same. I think it’s important to have methods but also to break them, step outside your comfort zone, and keep challenging yourself.

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Coming up: The Melismatics will next appear at the A Tribute to the Replacements show on January 3, 2026, at the Turf Club. Details on first-avenue.com

The Melismatics (with Pullstring) will be performing Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take out the Trash and other hits. Featuring an all-star cast.

Line up: