B.C. singer-songwriter hitting road to Kamloops, Okanagan in new year

A musician from the B.C. folk-rock trio Lion Bear Fox is planning on coming out of hibernation next year to hit the road with performances in Kamloops and the Okanagan.

Like most performing artists, singer-songwriter Ryan McMahon’s ability to perform live has been severely limited for nearly two years due to the pandemic. He’s hopeful that COVID restrictions will be lenient enough to allow for a series of shows in March – his first time on the road in nearly two years.

The tour is named after the Ladysmith native's latest single, One More Fire, which comes out on Feb. 4.

“The song is all about redemption, after coming back from the pandemic,” he said. “But it can apply to anything that’s knocked you down in life.”

McMahon recorded One More Fire at the Warehouse Studio in Vancouver with “a fleet of top notch musicians,” thanks to country musician Aaron Pritchett, who arranged to have the song co-produced by his son Jordan Pritchett.

“It’ll be nice to have a polished single that we’re hoping will do well on the radio.”

Many of his early influences come through on One More Fire, he said, adding, "It’s not like Lion Bear Fox, that’s for sure.”

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After spending the past two years writing dozens of songs McMahon’s excited to finally release his new single. And as much as he likes having the time to write more music, he would rather be on the road performing.

“Some people like the recording aspect and inception of a song. But that’s not me,” he said.

During the pandemic fans were still able to enjoy McMahon’s music through concerts he live streamed on Facebook. But those lack the exchange of energy that comes from a real show, he said.

“I was just singing into my laptop, it was really raw and stripped down.”

But it was important to let his fanbase know he was still alive and making music, he said.

“When you play concerts for that long, it’s part of who you are, you need that to kind of sustain your own personality and to feel whole,” he said. “When I came off the road back in 2020, I fell into a funk, I was really depressed, I sat around a lot and my drinking went up. I was feeding on apathy, wondering, “who am I if I don’t do this?”

Despite new COVID restrictions being announced this week, McMahon’s shows are more than two months away and he’s hopeful they won’t have to be interrupted.

His first show in the Interior is in Kamloops on March 2 at the Effie Arts Collective. He plays in Kelowna on March 16 at the Frock and Fellow, Summerland on March 17 for An Evening in the Valley and Penticton on March 18 at the Dream Cafe. Tickets will be on sale soon through McMahon’s website here.

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