Q&A: Ry Cuming

What made you walk away from professional surfing to pursue music?

Ry Cuming: I was never a ‘pro’ surfer of sorts. It was one of those paths that could have been taken if I followed it and worked towards it. Surfing for me has always been a daily need and a love of my life. Competition wore off on me very quickly. It’s something I’ll always do, never leave behind—I have to be close to the ocean in that way. Music is the same for me. It is something I will do in and out of a ‘career.’ Those two things are loves of my life and both I’ve always had. I feel really lucky for that.

Where do surfing and music meet or overlap for you?

I guess surfing and music are equal for me in most ways. Very different in approach in many ways, but they hit me in the place… They are both releases and kind of meditations for me in a lot of ways; times when other things don’t really come in so much. When I travel it’s always a guitar, surfboard and a backpack. Touring can be tough, leaving the ocean for weeks at a time—something I’m really not used to—but it all comes towards working for things I love. I’m on a plane right now on the way back to L.A. from a three week tour, and before I go back to my place I’m going to head out to Malibu for a surf. Can’t stay away.

When did you first purposefully pick up the guitar and try making your own music? What inspired you to do it?

I think I got my first guitar when I was five. Always loved music as a kid; emulating old Doors riffs and Beatles, badly then I might add. But I really started playing music through the grunge scene—Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Rage Against the Machine, Smashing Pumpkins. Then I found Jeff Buckley and it rocked my world. I started writing and trying to sing his songs, be more like him than anyone in music. That was the moment for me above others, but it’s all in there together.

What was your mindset as you approached making your first full-length album?

I wanted to record it live, with a bunch of people I really trusted musically and a producer I could collaborate with. I guess for me it was really important to bring it back to making music the way the people I really respect in music have made it. There seems to be a lot of over-produced stuff out there in a lot of the industry and really the songs are king. If there are real songs with stories, you need to support that with great playing and ideas.

Was the experience what you expected? What were the highs and lows?

The experience was amazing. Very humbling to have people coming together to work on something you have been growing for years, and something so close to your heart. The highs were everyday… Recording in The Village Studios in L.A. whose walls have heard incredible music for years. Playing and collaborating with musicians I really respect. Working with producer John Alagia—humble and really talented—there were so many highlights. I guess for me the lows in any of these processes, or life, become part of the whole. Make it what it is.

You recorded in a studio that runs on solar energy, I wasn’t even aware that was an option. When did you figure out you wanted to work in an eco-friendly studio and what drove you to go for it?

My dad has been a sustainable planner in Australia since I was a small kid and my mom was a yoga teacher, homeopath and midwife. So I grew up that way I guess, living sustainably and consciously. I really believe in living and leading by example in whatever ways we can for each other. It’s about adapting and changing the small things into the bigger things as individuals. The solar powered studio and house I was working and living in was my dear friend’s place, Jesse, from Maroon 5. We both try to approach the things we do with a consciousness daily. There are so many great things happening now in the world, simple things and big things. It’s great to be involved.

How did the solar studio influence the recording and songwriting process?

It’s all interwoven for me—where I grew up and how, and where I travel and live influences my writing all the time. I try to take everything in and be honest when I’m writing and creating. But definitely having solar and using the sun as energy to make music is amazing.

At the moment, you have tour dates from late August through November. What do you think comes across in your live performance that doesn’t necessarily show up on the album?

I love playing live more than anything, and sharing my music that way. I think that’s when all music really connects. Great artists and bands always blow me away live, something deeper clicks for me. There is an honesty to playing live, where your feeling comes across and things are on edge in a beautiful way. It’s a special thing. I always work towards giving that as best I can. F