Ryan Ruiz is a self-taught multi-instrumentalist, producer, and songwriter blending indie Americana with the exploratory spirit of a jam band. Based in Alabama, Ryan writes music that feels just as at home under the stars at a festival as it does on a long, solitary drive.

Drawing inspiration from artists like the Grateful Dead, Jim Croce, Phish, Lotus, and New Riders of the Purple Sage, his sound lives at the crossroads of folk rock, outlaw country, indie pop, and synth-driven textures. There’s a spiritual backbone to it all–each song a vehicle for existential questions, each performance a chance to stretch the edges of the moment.

His latest release, Dope Patina Presents: Barrel Aged, leans deep into outlaw country. It takes familiar characters and tropes of the genre and filters them through a philosophical lens–pushing these stories into new emotional territory. Anchored by fast-picking guitar, banjo, and soulful vocal melodies, the album is entirely self-produced, with Ryan playing every instrument and handling the mix himself.

At its core, Ryan’s music is about connection–between genres, between people, between the seen and unseen. It’s music that doesn’t just entertain–it resonates.