History of Marriott-Slaterville City Volume XVI January 1, 2015 - December 31, 2015

Ryan Shupe and bass player Wally Barnum perform. It's always been that way, he said — and "It isn't country." The new Ryan Shupe is the same Ryan Shupe as ever, really, except for this: Years of successfully resisting being categorized have given him confidence that the music he's producing is the right music for him. And the rest of the world, with its current affection for Mumford and Sons-style acoustic energy and American Authors-style optimism and whimsy, has come around to what Shupe has been saying — and singing — all along. 10 | November 2015 Shupe, now based in Provo, docs admit to a sharpened focus these days, one that may have evolved from finally deciding for certain that music was his thing. That may sound hard to believe — this Ogden native began riddling in his first band at age 5 and has not stopped performing since — but he insists it's true. "I only decided I really should play music a couple of years ago. I just kept thinking maybe I was supposed to do something else," Shupe said. "(Music) is an interesting business, an extremely difficult business, and a weird "For me, it's kind of a spiritual thing: You're always trying to rind what you're supposed to do. The last couple of years, I've realized yes, this really is what I'm supposed to do. It's great. It's awesome to he doing something unique like this." While it has evolved. Shupe's singular sound has stayed remarkably consistent, thanks to having one songwriter — Shupe, of course — and a melange of influences ranging from roots music to rock to rap. "I've always kind of thought it would