Ric Reynolds

Baba Ghanooj

Ric Reynolds plays lead guitar for Baba Ghanooj, a band familiar to local audiences. If karaoke is your thing, you may recognize him as a member of the band at Deja Vu in Appleton as part of their Tuesday night Live Band Karaoke. But perhaps his favorite resume line item would be as father and occasional band mate of Hillary Reynolds. And, you can find him playing as part of Steve March-Tormé’s all-star band for Uncovered Too on June 28 at The Meyer Theatre. We caught up with him to find out what he listens to when he’s not doing any of the above.

“As a child of the ‘70s, the music in heavy rotation for me is greatly weighted toward that era, along with the groundbreaking efforts that influenced it. It’s what essentially taught me how to play—from the Beatles opening my eyes on Sullivan in February 1964 to picking up my older brother’s bass (sans permission) and playing along to Peter Cetera’s melodic lines on Chicago II, or trying to imitate the intricate stylings of James Taylor’s acoustic.

“Scrolling through my phone I find myself constantly returning to Steely Dan, Beach Boys, Beatles, Chicago, James Taylor, CSN (with and without Brother Neil—who is also frequented solo), The Who, Traffic, Grateful Dead, Yes—you get the picture.

"I haven’t adopted the modern method of music consumption, that is, throw on some streaming service and just let it roll. I still prefer to hear complete works where possible. How can you not listen to the entire Pet Sounds album? Abbey Road (side 2, anyway) must be heard in its entirety. Or Steely Dan’s Katy Lied?  No mystery I’m seldom appointed DJ at parties.”
Pet Sounds https://youtu.be/T0spkrwl9Qk
Abbey Road https://youtu.be/X4RQ3HX9jKg
Katy Lied https://youtu.be/QkFkkNaYvhQ

“The only terrestrial radio music I hear these days is on The Avenue—the other stations are not listenable to me. Plus, you have my daughter [Hillary Reynolds] on somewhat regular rotation and I still swell with a father’s pride when I hear her on the radio.

“When I got remarried in 2006, my lovely wife rekindled some dormant artists (Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell—and also brought some new stuff to my life, mostly in the classic country realm, along with Elvis.

“Having said all that, I quickly jotted down some of my favorite albums. The list is fleeting; it could change tomorrow, but the genre is pretty consistent.”
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Beach Boys Pet Sounds and SMiLE
Steely Dan Katy Lied, Aja
Beatles Rubber Soul and Abbey Road
The Who Tommy
Neil Young After the Gold Rush
Chicago II, V
James Taylor One Man Dog
Frank Zappa One Size Fits All
CSN&Y Four Way Street
Traffic John Barleycorn Must Die
Grateful Dead American Beauty
Yes Fragile