Mark Ryan moved to Tucson in 2001 from Buffalo, N.Y. He works at the Arizona Theatre Company and plays bass in The Clam Tostada, with Mark Febbo, T. Greg Squires and Bruce Blackstone. You can check them out at Sky Bar on July 10.
What was the first concert you ever saw?
Cheap Trick and UFO at Rutgers, 1981. We all piled into the back of a pickup truck and headed up the Garden State Parkway.
What are you listening to these days?
I heard Jim Blackwood play Local Natives on KXCI. They recorded a Talking Heads tune, "Warning Sign," and that hooked me. My son Jude likes that "Handlebars" song from the Flobots, so I got their disc.
What was the first album you owned?
The first album I bought was Krokus, Hardware. The same day, a friend of mine bought Iron Maiden, Killers. I ended up liking his album better.
What artist, genre or musical trend does everyone seem to love, but you just don't get?
I'm not a huge fan of electronica. I want to hear musicians, not machines. If I want that type of groove, I'll take Medeski, Martin and Wood any day.
What musical act, current or defunct, would you most like to see perform live?
I think I am going to go with Hendrix. But only if I can time-travel to the Monterey Pop Festival.
Musically speaking, what is your favorite guilty pleasure?
No guilt attached, but I have been known to throw some Nat King Cole on the stereo at a late-night party. If things really got crazy, the Fiddler on the Roof soundtrack would make an appearance.
What song would you like to have played at your funeral?
"Bob Dylan's Dream" would be a nice homage to friendship.
What band or artist changed your life, and how?
The Grateful Dead. The bus came by, and I got on, that's when it all began.
Figurative gun to your head, what is your favorite album of all time?
"The White Album." Wait, no. Maybe An American Prayer or Paranoid. Hold on ... Animals by Pink Floyd. Yes, Animals has a special place in my heart. Good.
