Ryan MacGrath is a Canadian singer-songwriter, whose

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

-pop style is frequently compared to

Rufus Wainwright Rufus McGarrigle Wainwright (born July 22, 1973) is a Canadian-American singer, songwriter, and composer. He has recorded 10 studio albums and numerous tracks on compilations and film soundtracks. He has also written two classical operas and set ...

and

Hawksley Workman Hawksley Workman (Born Ryan Corrigan, March 4, 1975) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter who has garnered critical acclaim for his blend of cabaret pop and glam rock. Workman has released eleven full-length albums throughout his career. A mul ...

."Company calls on Ryan MacGrath"
'' The Coast'', January 29, 2009. Born in

Antigonish , settlement_type = Town , image_skyline = File:St Ninian's Cathedral Antigonish Spring.jpg , image_caption = St. Ninian's Cathedral , image_flag = Flag of Antigonish.pn ...

, Nova Scotia"Renaissance of Ryan". ''

Wayves ''Wayves'' () was a Canadian print magazine, published 11 times yearly in Halifax, Nova Scotia for the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender communities in Atlantic Canada. The magazine was published by a non-profit A nonprofit organiza ...

'', January 2008. and raised in

Guysborough County Guysborough County is a county in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Nova Scotia. History Taking its name from the Guysborough, Nova Scotia, Township of Guysborough, which was named in honour of Sir Guy Carleton, 1st B ...

, he has been an active member of the Halifax music scene. He is currently based in

Innsbruck Innsbruck (; bar, Innschbruck, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian ) is the capital of Tyrol (state), Tyrol and the List of cities and towns in Austria, fifth-largest city in Austria. On the Inn (river), River Inn, at its junction with the ...

, Austria. MacGrath first moved to Halifax to study painting at

NSCAD NSCAD University, also known as the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design or NSCAD, is a public art university in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The university is a co-educational institution that offers bachelor's and master's degrees. The un ...

. After buying a guitar, he began performing with the band Ryan MacGrath and the woodenhouse, which released a self-titled EP in 2006 before changing its name to The Missing City Starlight."Halifax-based singer gets his big break"
''

Xtra! ''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former pr ...

, August 25, 2008. MacGrath subsequently released a solo EP, ''In My Own Company'', in 2009, and the full-length album ''Cooper Hatch Paris'' in 2010."Musician Ryan MacGrath's streak of good luck"
''

'', May 10, 2010. MacGrath continues to exhibit his painting. While he was preparing ''Cooper Hatch Paris'', pop singer

Chantal Kreviazuk Chantal Jennifer Kreviazuk (; born May 18, 1974) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, composer, and pianist. Born in Winnipeg, she played music from a young age before signing with Columbia Records in the 1990s. Her debut studio album, ''Under These ...

saw and liked one of his gallery pieces; MacGrath arranged a trade in which he gave the painting to Kreviazuk in exchange for a guest contribution to the album. He also funded the album in part by

auction An auction is usually a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bids, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder or buying the item from the lowest bidder. Some exceptions to this definition ex ...

ing his services as a songwriter, offering to write a romantic

Valentine's Day Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring one or two early Christian martyrs named Saint Valentine and, throu ...

song for the winning bidder and their partner. In 2011, ''Cooper Hatch Paris'' was awarded Music Nova Scotia's award for Alternative Recording of the Year. In addition to this, the recording was nominated for a number of

East Coast Music Awards The East Coast Music Association is a non-profit association that hosts an annual awards ceremony based in Atlantic Canada for music appreciation on the East Coast of Canada. Its mission is to develop, advance and celebrate East Coast Canadian mus ...

, including Alternative Recording of the Year, Male Solo Recording of the Year and Rising Star Recording of the Year. Two of MacGrath's songs were featured in

Thom Fitzgerald Thomas "Thom" Fitzgerald (born July 8, 1968) is an American-Canadian film and theatre director, screenwriter, playwright and producer. Life Fitzgerald was born and raised in New Rochelle, New York. His parents divorced when he was five years ol ...

's movie ''

Cloudburst A cloudburst is an extreme amount of precipitation in a short period of time, sometimes accompanied by hail and thunder, which is capable of creating flood conditions. Cloudbursts can quickly dump large amounts of water, e.g. 25 mm of prec ...

'', starring

Olympia Dukakis Olympia Dukakis (June 20, 1931 – May 1, 2021) was an American actress. She performed in more than 130 stage productions, more than 60 films and in 50 television series. Best known as a screen actress, she started her career in theater. Not lon ...

and

Brenda Fricker Brenda Fricker (born 17 February 1945) is an Irish actress, whose career has spanned six decades on stage and screen. She has appeared in more than 30 films and television roles. In 1990, she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Awar ...

. MacGrath contributed "Bird and Cage" from ''Cooper Hatch Paris'' and "Like You Do", a song penned specifically for the movie. In November 2011, MacGrath was commissioned by the Mental Health Foundation Nova Scotia to pen a song for their annual gala to raise awareness for mental health. MacGrath wrote the track "One Million Fireflies" and performed with a 30-piece gospel choir. MacGrath moved to

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

in January 2012, where he now has residency. Since moving to Austria he has been writing material for his second full-length album and third EP, tentatively titled ''The Pink Lark''. He is openly gay.

Discography

* ''Ryan MacGrath and thewoodenhouse'' (2006) * ''In My Own Company'' (2009) * ''Cooper Hatch Paris'' (2010) * ''The Pink Lark'' (2013) * ''That Woods'' (2019)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macgrath, Ryan 21st-century Canadian LGBT people 21st-century Canadian male artists 21st-century Canadian painters 21st-century Canadian singer-songwriters Artists from Nova Scotia Canadian folk singer-songwriters Canadian gay artists Canadian gay musicians Canadian LGBT singers Canadian LGBT songwriters Canadian male painters Canadian male singer-songwriters Living people NSCAD University alumni People from Antigonish, Nova Scotia People from Guysborough County, Nova Scotia Singers from Nova Scotia Year of birth missing (living people)