After handing out the fan favorite award,erica leans on the podium. she uses both hands to prop her head up. "well guys. thats it. the last award. no more cute envelopes. no more speeches..from here on out,its just drink as much as you can before the open bar closes and hope to find that b list star who is drunk enough to sleep with you,but not to drunk to where you are akin to bill cosby. seriously,that shit isnt cool. dont do it." erica warns,wagging a finger. she then shrugs and motions for another drink. the audience chuckles at the winding down of the show. she takes the pins out of her hair and lets it fall onto her shoulders. she grins widely as the wolf whistles start. "oh hush,you. you'll have to fight serenity for me!" erica giggles and tosses a small ice cube towards serenity. "well. our headliner is next. this man is huge. well.....i wouldnt know about THAT! im talking about career wise. he flits in and out of our lives...and sometimes certain starlets!" erica giggles and looks out towards the audience. they know who she is looking for." but enough of all that. serenity,who is this titan of entertainment?"

Serenity smiles She raps her arm around her as they stand at the podium. "It certainly has been an amazing night and I am sooo happy that everyone came out here tonight and especially to the fans at home, we love you!" Serenity makes a heart with her hands "But before we go we have one more performer and then we can all go crazy at the afterpartayyyy!" Serenity laughs but then looks around the stage if they do not know what's going to happen next but Serenity smiles looking at Erica "I mean, don't we all love mysteries...Erica?" she grins and then looks at the audience "We surely have some time we were told to introduce to you a surprise performer tonight. He is huge...." Serenity winks and then grins she grins "OR NOT...." "We know you've been wondering all night who it is" She smiles "GIVE IT UP FOR..................RYAN ROSS HERNANDEZ!!" Serenity grabs Erica by the hand as she skips off to the back as the arena goes dim.

Ryan Ross Hernandez Headlining the 5th Annual Fan Choice Awards


August 2nd, 2015 at the O2 Arena in London, England

Once he’s name is surprisingly introduced as the surprise headliner, sending a mixture of shock and excitement to the fans and peers at hand, the lights go out on stage, as a sparse sounding strum of an acoustic guitar fills the PA system through out the venue. The bare guitar intro lasts a good forty seconds or so before anything is heard, by then, a few low lights are shining, bringing sporadic parts of the stage to view while smoke raises across it to create an eery, somber visual to go along with the music currently heard. Finally, the lanky, tall-haired guitarist steps out from the shadows before the microphone, strumming the same chords on an oak wood-colored acoustic, his figure barely seen as the cameras zoom into his face. This is the first time in over three years that Ryan Ross Hernandez performs at an award ceremony, having not been on such a stage, since closing out the sixth Chaos Awards in June of 2012. On this occasion however, there is no oversized hat or denim jacket seen, as the 37-year-old premieres his new sonic direction that diverts away from the folk/Americana sound that shinned on throughout his two most recent releases. Instead, he is wearing a metallic navy blue blazer, decked with a bowtie and matching checkered pants. His famously recognizable baritone vocals are introduced to the foray in a very hushed fashion to match the mood that the instrumental had built up.

The misty-eyed boy you use to see is somewhere over the moon
He’s finally over you, breathing in a new air
Only hopeless romantics still love someone who is no longer around
And she’s never coming back again
It’s been over a year, it’s time to open the curtains
To this sad, lonely little story that is now the boy’s life
Seeing that bright light in someone else’s eyes, that only lovers carry
It just pisses him off and brings a violent ring to his ears
He never thought he’d grow to be the bitter man who lives in the past
Swimming in the pile of all his regrets

When the first verse is through, carried solely in the hands of Hernandez’ stripped-back guitar playing and his vocals, the riff kicks it up a notch as he strums at a faster, almost violent pace. At this point, the lights are shining brighter, giving the audience a better sight of the artist and the rest of the stage, while smoke continues waving through the scenery. With the clearer view, we see that Hernandez is not only on stage, just a few feet behind him to the side, we see three young women who start harmonizing along his vocals when the second verse kicks in quickly following the first, adding to the haunting effect that the song carries. An almost chilling vibe being created when its placed altogether.

Well surprise, surprise, I’m that misty-eyed boy you once loved
Living in the past, amongst all my regrets
I once saw you as the transcendency between who I've been and who I want to be
Sadly the bridge that led us to each other, slowly deteriorated until it crumbled
Below our feet, now I’m sinking under all this wreckage of what we were
And you cannot throw me a rope to save me from drowning
‘Cause you don’t allow yourself to be brought down in my misery

I don’t blame you, honey
Friends and lovers are all nice companions in the journey of living
But at the end of the day, when I’m laying down by myself
I only have myself to blame, you only have yourself to count on
So never give your love to somebody else, they’ll just use it before throwing it away
So never believe in spoken words, they disappear with the rest of the noise
So never buy into the notion that things will ever change ‘cause they never do
Just drink up, drink up, ’til there’s nothing left in your glass
Just drink up, drink up, ’til there’s nothing left in your glass

The lights are finally shining to their fullest extent when the quick verse is through, showing a large string orchestra playing along with the sole acoustic guitar riff that has led the musical structure of the entire song to this moment. Hernandez backs away from the microphone, strumming away intensely still, the camera focusing on his face, his eyes closed and biting his bottom lip, while he played the living hell out of his guitar. Just a few seconds later as your ears becoming accustom to the string section, an all-female choir is revealed at the last part of the stage that was still in the dark. Led by the three ladies who sang alongside Ryan just a minute ago, an ocean of beautifully sung “ah’s” come your way over the fury guitar and Without any warning, the extended outro to the percussion-less song comes to an end. The guitar, strings, and vocal harmonies all come to end simultaneously, not even a half-second off leaving the crowd at the peak of the mountain.



“Thank you,” the singer says quietly when he returns to the mic, removing one of his earpieces, while the audience applauds his performance thus far. A guitar technician quickly runs out, taking the PRS acoustic guitar from Hernandez and handing him a pink-colored Jackson soloist electric guitar. “This next one isn’t one of mine,” he starts to say while running a hand through his slicked up hair while looking out at the audience in front of him, “it’s a Springsteen cover.” With that, a single spotlight shines down on Hernandez as he starts strumming a very gentle riff, his voice matching the soft, gentle mood conveyed through his guitar playing. Until Hernandez sings the opening lines of Bruce Springsteen’s classic “I’m Going Down” no one would be able to figure out which song he was referring to due to the moody acoustic vibe that this interpretation has, compared to the breezy, high energy of the original. As the song progresses forward, a second spotlight shines on one of the women who were singing on the previous track, now sitting on a stool playing bass.

I pull you close now, baby, but when we kiss, I can feel a doubt
I remember back when we started
My kisses used to turn you inside out
I used to drive you to work in the morning
Friday night I'd drive you all around
You used to love to drive me wild
But lately girl you get your kicks from just driving me down
Down, down, down, down

I'm going down, down, down, down

When the final chorus comes around, a storm of sound pushes forward when all three ladies return to harmonize alongside Hernandez, a spotlight shining on each of them. The darkest haired woman has a pair of snare drums in front of her, adding a thundering thump to the gentle cover that built up to this. The explosion of sound does not last too long as each spotlight slowly fades until it’s just Hernandez on his own playing the same chord progression to put a quiet end to the beautiful rendition. The lights return again while the audience cheers and applauds once more. Ryan gives them a small smirk and polite nod as he adjusts the guitar, kicking at a few pedals to prepare for the closing song.



“It’s been a little while since I’ve performed on a stage, even longer since I’ve been on any award show. So I was debating whether I should play a new song and a cover or a new song and an old song, before I just said ‘screw it.’ I’m gonna throw a cover in the middle of this, but the rest will just be new songs no one has ever heard. After this, I will immediately down a bottle of whiskey when I get off this stage or take a Xanax or something because I’m way too self-aware right now.” He backs away from the stand for a second, returning the earpiece back to its place while his alcohol comment is received with some jeers from the crowd at hand. “This is the first single off the next record. It’s titled ‘You’re a Disappearing Act.’” In the time that he speaks, the lights redirect to focus on Hernandez and the ladies behind him, whom are each donning an instrument each, two of them with guitars and the other with a bass still strapped over her shoulder. Hernandez turns to give them a nod before playing the opening chords of the next song. One of his backing guitarists play a distorted riff behind him, just as he starts to sing the opening verse.

I'll admit, most of the words you told me just went over my head
I'm so caught up inside myself that I barely listen
I had a dream that you were in the kitchen with your best friend
Both of you smoking up and drinking wine straight out of the bottle
Wait, that wasn't a dream
I saw it from a second-person point of view a year and a half ago
At least I think I did
Unless I was hallucinating while I was sweating off a high
Oh the irony in that statement just cracks me up

His baritone voice registers at a higher octave than the previous song, where his vocals were more hushed and reserved. To go with the closing line, Hernandez forces a sarcastic chuckle to ride right at the end of it. In the break between verses, the distorted lines fade out, as he continues playing the airy, relaxed riff with a faint bass drum kick heard behind it.

Oh, I didn't see you there, love
Where did you come from?
Were you hiding in my closet while I took a shower?
Sorry I took over forty-five minutes, I was seeing how long I could hold my breath underwater
You just laugh and sway around my bedroom
But there’s no music playing in this apartment anymore
Barefooted, while you wore one of my v-neck shirts and nothing else underneath
It makes me smile seeing you so happy and without a care
Sorry I could never get myself out of my own devices
I see you so close, yet you feel so far
I brought my hands to grasp your hips but you just disappeared
You disappeared while I stood in the same place I’ve always been

With the second verse, the rest of the instruments all come into play, when the riff Hernandez is handling picks up, the drums coming in loud, with the bass and rhythm guitar both joining into the musical landscape, while the other guitarist uses a delayed pedal effect to ring through the background of the verse.



What happens when the love fades away like it always does?
Tell me now, what happens when the love you feel fades away?
I’ll count every minute up until that time comes
‘Cause I rather spend a lifetime counting up to love’s dismay
Than counting down to someone else’s demise

By the time the chorus comes into play, the mid-tempo build up of the song continues with Hernandez’s singing become more powerful, in a highly-charged chorus where he questions the idea of everlasting love. His vocals bringing a sense of urgency and passion to the emotional performance.

Did you get my text message?
The one I sent on your birthday, just a simple sentence or two to show I still care
I even put a smiling face on it to covey a light mood
In hopes that you'd reply, even if you kept it short and sweet
But I spent the rest of the day attached to my phone
Checking for the message that never came
I might have cried that night when I remember the last time we spoke
Two months earlier, to the date
Between tears you told me you were seeing someone
That you'd gone and found yourself a new love
There’s the line you killed me with, it’s covered in my blood

Hernandez returns to the same vocal delivery he used in the first two verses, though as the verse goes on, his singing gains intensity. Just before the next chorus, the stage goes dark again, with a row of string lights hanging above the band provide a more intimate visual, the camera focusing on Ryan’s face, his brown eyes glistening under the lights, with the next chorus, the ladies playing behind him, once again providing a lovely three-piece backing harmony.

What happens when the love fades away like it always does?
Tell me woman, what happens when the love you feel fades away?
I’ll count every minute up until that time comes
‘Cause I rather spend a lifetime counting up to love’s dismay
Than counting down to someone else’s demise

I still don't really understand how one man can fuck up so many times
It's as if the thought of somebody is more fulfilling
Than actually committing yourself to a feeling that can flee so easily in the real world
And let's pretend that you would have stayed with me a little longer
And one day I gave you an accessory to show off to all your friends
Maybe we could have lived together a blissful happiness for years
But what happens when the love fades away like it always does?
Tell me love of mine, what happened when the love you felt for me slowly faded away?
I counted up every minute until that time comes



The instrumentation of the chorus stays through the bridge of the song, Hernandez singing with added earnest to his voice just prior to the breakdown. While most of the performance thus far has been somber, causing Hernandez’s guitar playing to be quite self-restrained, “You’re a Disappearing Act” builds up to give him the prime opportunity to show off his guitar chops, backing away from the microphone stand as more vibrant blue lights shine upon them. Hernandez gives a soulful guitar solo while the rest of the instrumentation crashes behind him following his direction, the drums having a rolling tempo to them through the solo, as the backing guitars and bass create enough sonic space for Hernandez to have plenty of room to let his electric guitar breathe through varying riffs.

And what happens when the love fades away like it always does?
Tell me stranger, what happens when the love you feel fades?
I'll count every minute up until that time comes
'Cause it always comes

Look at what happens when the love fades away like it always fucking does
It always does, it always does, it always does
Tell me former lovers, wasn’t I right about that?
You can trick yourselves to think otherwise
While I counted every minute up until that time came

After the grandiose solo, Ryan stumbles his way back to the mic, beads of sweat dripping down his face while he sings slightly variating versions of the chorus to finish off the track. His voice nearly breaks with the intense passion behind it while he sings these clearly personal lyrics. On this occasion, no backing vocals adding to the soundscape leaving Hernandez to do his own thing, the final few lines are left for him to be alone at the helm just his voice and guitar while the other instruments slowly fade away. The microphone catches a small sigh that slips from his mouth when the song closes, the lights going off again. Just as how his performance started, it ends with Ryan Ross Hernandez alone amongst the darkness, which seemingly represents an accurate visual to his time away from the public eye. Coming off two vocal surgeries a few years ago, throughout his performance this evening, it also marked a triumphal return to his voice regaining every note and sounding just as he did years prior.

Setlist
Untitled (new song)
I'm Goin' Down (Bruce Springsteen cover)
You're a Disappearing Act (new song)

Sounds Like