Quick Q and A with Ryan and Ortolani
 by Kathy S-B  ·  31 August 2008

The me&thee is delighted to have North Shore favorites, Ryan and Ortolani as part of our Fall Season premiere where they’ll be opening for the fabulous Jez Lowe and the Bad Pennies. You can learn more about them by going to Gerry Ryan’s website.

Tell us about Ryan and Ortolani.

Based on the North Shore, we’re (Gerry Ryan & Charlie Ortolani) have been performing together since the turn of the century. We are a versatile duo who combine decades of musical experience to produce some of the sweetest harmonic and rhythmic sounds around. You may hear catchy original tunes, American acoustic classics, country blues, Celtic covers, swing and jazz standards . . . depending on our mood and what our audience wants to hear. As a duo, we are also heard on five tracks on Gerry Ryan’s new CD, Halfway Home.

Where have you appeared?

Ryan & Ortolani have featured several times at Geoff Bartley’s singer/songwriter nights at the Cantab Lounge in Cambridge. We have also highlighted shows at the Nameless Coffee House in Cambridge, the Linden Tree Coffee House in Wakefield, the Amazing Things Coffee House in Framingham opening for Bill Staines, and the Music Room Coffee House in Reading. We have also appeared at the Common Ground Coffee House, the MayFair in Harvard Square for WUMB-FM, the Parish Center for the Arts in Westford, and the Sit n’ Bull Pub in Maynard, the Off the Common Coffeehouse in Bridgewater, the Beal House in Kingston, and many other venues.

Our performances are always marked by captivating songs, strong intertwining vocals, intricate and tasteful guitar work, and the promise of a good time.

What is the strangest venue you’ve played?

Well a lot of musicians might say every folk house is a pretty strange place to play what with people actually listening and paying attention to the music. But most of our gigs have been in fairly quiet and proper venues, and just about every club attracts nice cordial people who are into the music. Besides, I think Charlie and I have reached the point in our lives where we have the experience and sense not to take a gig if the vibe isn’t right.

Have you ever had any strange requests from your fans?

Haven’t come across many in our years of working together. Usually we just get requests from bar patrons for inappropriate songs, like “Stairway to Heaven” or “Fill Me Up Buttercup.” Charlie’s real good at giving them little snippets so they think we might actually fulfill their request, but we’re just teasing. We’ve both been playing for a long time, in different genres, rock, country bands and folk, so there’s quite a storehouse of songs we know.