mINtSOUTH.com

When your first meet Ryan O'Reilly, you wouldn't expect him to be from somewhere so 'middle England' as Winchester.  There is an Irish lilt to his voice and he looks like a young version of Bob Dylan, who is obviously one of his main influences.  He is indeed a very talented wordsmith and musician who, with his band, plays an exciting blend of Americana tinged tunes.

Ryan, 22, is now based in London.  He is consistently gigging across the country and in foreign parts, with his band, who are, Tali Trow, bass and vocals, Brad Thomas, piano, Dave Granshaw, drums and vocals, and of course Ryan, who plays guitar and Vocals.

The band is part of the line up for Mintsouth's launch gig at The Soul Cellar, in Southampton, on Sunday February 22.

Ryan discussed how 2008 had treated the band and what his hopes were for 2009.

He said: "In 2008 I joined with Tali Trow, Dave Granshaw and Brad Thomas and we've been playing shows constantly. Dave can get through a loaf of Hovis in 30 seconds, and that's a fact! Brad thinks we'll be internationally famous if we change our name to The Brad Thomas band, he may be right... We've got all the songs for a new album, (the last one, released in 2006, was Ryan's second and is called In The Shadows and The Neon), but first we're thinking of recording a live EP, maybe filming it too, then release a CD/DVD. Tali has a new hat and I think people need to see it."

Ryan said of the rise of Mintsouth: "With a mix of experience and energy, the people behind Minsouth are sure to put the south back on the map, at the moment the map stops south of Oxford. There is some excellent musical talent in this part of the world and I'm sure Mintsouth will uncover some true gems and prove itself to be invaluable to the future of south coast music."

Ryan's up and coming gigs include:

• Sunday February 1st, The Platform Tavern, Southampton, from 4pm
• Tuesday February 3rd, at Cafe 1001 Club, Brick Lane, London, from 9pm
• Thursday February 5th, at The Borderline, Soho, London.
• Sunday February 22nd, Mintsouth website launch at The Soul Cellar, Southampton, from 1pm.
• Sunday June 28th, at The Hot Corner, Brooklyn, New York.

For more information about Ryan and his band visit:  http://www.myspace.com/ryanoreilly

In The Shadows & The Neon can be purchased from iTunes.