So who the hell is Ryan Coggin? Well, that’s a question that many people are probably asking themselves as they read this but if all works out, you won’t be asking that question much longer. A couple of weeks ago Ryan’s voice made its way to the internet as it was heard singing over some live Ratt songs that had the original vocal tracks by Stephen Pearcy removed. Those tracks not only made their way to barely living metal site Metal Sludge but they also made their way to Ratt drummer Bobby Blotzer who was more than impressed. So much so that Ratt and Ryan Coggin have been in “talks” about a potential future as the replacement of long time Ratt singer Stephen Pearcy who recently announced his departure from the band. When I heard the tracks for myself I was so blown away and I just had to talk to this guy.
While nothing has been set in stone I found it to be a really cool fucking story ala “Rockstar” (remember that movie?). I reached out to Ryan and asked if he’d like to talk about this exciting moment. He was a really cool and funny guy and was really psyched (as he should be) to talk to yours truly. Who knows? As of now I just may have done the first interview with new singer for Ratt or I may have just talked to someone who was ALMOST the new singer for Ratt. Regardless, this was a fun interview and I hope you all will dig it.
Ryan, thanks so much for taking the time out to talk today man.
Thanks, Don. I appreciate it.
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So I have to say that you definitely showed up out of fucking nowhere on my radar much like you did on everyone else’s.
[Laughs] Yeah. All of this has been kind of random for sure.
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So before we get started I have ask you one question. Who the fuck are you?
[Laughs] That’s a good question. I live close to Austin with my wife and a couple of kids. I’ve been in the music business for 10 years now. I played bass for a country/rock band in Texas with my cousin Mark McKinney. I did that for 4 or 5 years. Then I started tour managing and I’ve been doing that for 3 or 4 years for a guy named Hayes Carll and I tour quite a bit. I’m now ready to try something different, I hope.
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When did you find out you were sadly blessed with a voice like Stephen Pearcy?
[Laughs] I used to always jam at sound check when I was playing bass. When sound check was over, for those few hours between sound check and the show we would run through a lot of tunes. The singer would leave and the band and I would have a good time just playing songs and I would take over singing. For a little while I played in a cover band in Austin called Bang and I did some of the singing on songs by bands like Ratt and Motley Crue.
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Over at Metal Sludge some MP3s surfaced with you singing along to some Ratt songs which is why we’re here in the first place. What’s the story behind that?
Well, I had a day off in Nashville about a month ago and I went to my buddy’s studio. We cracked open a few beers. He told me that he had these live Ratt tracks without the vocals that he always wanted to hear me sing on. So we just had a good time with it and I just laid down some vocal tracks. We sent them to my buddy Chris to hear and he sent them in to Metal Sludge [laughs]. I really didn’t know he was doing them but he also sent them to Bobby Blotzer (Ratt drummer) at the same time. I didn’t even really know that Stephen Pearcy was leaving the band [laughs]. I hadn’t followed up with Ratt in a while so I had no clue that had happened. The timing was just all kind of interesting. Bobby then called my buddy right away and said that he really liked what he heard and that the timing couldn’t have been more perfect. They’ve got a lot of stuff going on right now and other band stuff but we’ve been talking back and forth quite a bit. We’ll see what happens.
No, not really. I talked to Steve Rachelle at Metal Sludge via Facebook but nothing like this.
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Well, I’m more than happy to know that I beat everyone including Metal Sludge to the punch.
[Laughs] Thanks so much, Don. I’m happy to do this. This is great!
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How does it feel to potentially possibly be considered to be the next lead singer for Ratt?
[Laughs] Man, it’s exciting. I’ve always been a huge fan of Ratt and they’ve always been one of my favorite bands. I always loved Stephen’s singing. He was a great front man with a really unique voice. It really feels great. I mean, there’s nothing set in stone yet. We’re just talking but we’ll see what happens.
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Ryan, if you were to get this gig, what do you envision bringing to Ratt as the new lead vocalist?
Well, I’ve always loved Stephen’s voice and what he does. From a fan’s standpoint, musically I’ve been slightly disappointed after seeing them the last few times. I don’t mind improvising but I also like hearing these songs how I’ve always enjoyed hearing them. What I would hope to bring to the band is to sing these songs exactly how they need to be sung every night consistently and commanding an audience. I’d give them 100%. There’s even more work to be done with Ratt and I hope that I can help them move forward with that.
I would hope to be. I think those guys are amazing songwriters and I think their last album Infestation was amazing. To be a part of that, I would love that. I’m a songwriter but I also play bass and guitar so I think that there is a lot that I could contribute for sure.
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What is your favorite Ratt album?
Oh man, you know, they all are great in their own way but my favorite album would have to be Detonator. That one has some really strong songs and some really strong guitar playing from Warren. The whole band was just on top of their game in my opinion. I do think that Infestation is an amazing album as well. They couldn’t have come back with a better record in my opinion. That album is perfect. I think they really gave their fans what they wanted to hear with that album.
[laughs] Well, I think I could pull off some Vince Neil stuff.
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Vince Neil can’t even do Vince Neil anymore so if you could just manage to get ALL the words into a song you’d be doing a better Vince Neil.
[Laughs] That’s too funny. I read your article on Motley Crue and thought it was accurate. I really enjoyed that [laughs].
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What songs would you like to see performed live that maybe the band has sadly ignored over the years?
I’d love to see the band do “Dance” again. I’ve never seen them do that one. That’s such a killer song and I think it would be a great opener. I’d also like to see them do “City to City” and “Giving Yourself Away.”
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Looking forward, what are your hopes from here, Ryan?
I hope that I can meet with the guys soon and at least have a shot at an audition so they can see in person what I’m capable of doing and hopefully become their guy.
Don, I really appreciate that man. Thanks so much. I know with a band that has a history like Ratt that it’s always going to be tough for fans to see somebody else in that position. Stephen has made up his mind and I’d really love the chance to help those guys move forward and take that position.
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When you get this gig and you play here in Atlanta, you can put me on the guest list and we’ll have a beer on your big ass tour bus.
[Laughs] Absolutely, Don. Sounds great to me. Thanks again for all your support and it was great talking to you.
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