On Broadway - Rylan Fowler & Macaroni and Cheese

On Broadway is a bi-monthly web series that delves into the food memories of the talented musicians of Broadway in downtown Nashville. Every other week, we’ll pair those memories with a relevant recipe and information on how to listen to each musician’s material. Our aim is to connect the passion of food to the passion of music—two mediums that evoke instant reactions and memories, and remind us of the incredible people that pour their heart out every day to make their living in our backyard.

If you’ve been on Broadway at any point in the last eight months, you’ve probably felt your jaw graze the floor when you heard some ridiculously talented fiddle playing and thought to yourself, ‘OK… WHO is that?” That would be Rylan Fowler. A Charismatic joy to watch, who looks way too young to have that amount of skill and versatility. But about thirty seconds into speaking with Rylan, it becomes abundantly clear that he was meant for one thing and one thing only; to play music. He is a fifth-generation musician in his family. His grandfather was the first to take it to a professional level, though admittedly his band was a side job. His four sons, however, started a band called The Fowler Brothers. “My first memories of being a little kid are [of] street festivals and dances,” recalls Rylan. “We had a place called The Cotillion back in Wichita, Kansas, where I’m from, that they played at a lot. Regionally they were a big deal; they always had packed houses. I remember spending my days in the afternoons being there for set up and sound check… and falling asleep on tables at dances.”

When Rylan turned six years old, his dad started him on violin. “[It was] the hardest instrument, as far as he was concerned, on the string side. And it really is. He didn’t play it; nobody in the family had played it. He said, ‘I want you to start on this. I want you to be a violin player that can play the fiddle. Not a fiddle player that can play violin.’ The difference,” Rylan explains, “is not necessarily the style, but the technique. You can always tell [when] a fiddle player’s [been] classically trained. Because without the classical training, you can hit a plateau because your style is going to limit you- your technique, there’s only so much you can do.” Rylan played classically for years – in the Wichita Youth Symphony for seven years and in the Curb Youth Symphony in Nashville for two years – but, as a break, he picked up the fiddle at age 10.

Rylan’s dad bought a condo and moved to Nashville with the intention of moving the family here, so by the time Rylan was twelve, he was able to stay for the summers. His dad was playing bass for an artist.  “They were having rehearsals one day and I was sitting in the hall outside of the rehearsal room, practicing, because I had nothing better to do. The artist said, ‘hey can your son play the fiddle for this gig?’ And dad said, ‘Well, if you want him because he’s a novelty and he’s a twelve-year-old – no – but if you want to put him in auditions and you truly think that he’s the one for the job, then yes.’ So, they had auditions, and I went through and they liked my energy. I [had practiced] 60 hours a week on the material and learned it and nailed it. My birthday rolled around, so my first tour bus gig was when I was 13.”

By sixteen, Rylan was stage managing and the guitar technician for Lorrie Morgan. But the next year, he took a break to look toward the college direction. He played football, fished, hunted, etc. “There was a lot of stuff going on and when I was on the road, I was missing everything. You miss every party, every bonfire. You can’t play football because you miss the football games.” When he couldn’t decide on college, he started honing his craft with singing. At twenty, he decided to attend Middle Tennessee State University as a recording industry major. The first year, he describes, “I was just miserable.” Happily, two weeks after his last final freshman year, he got a call to be a guitar technician for Chris Young and he took it. That lead to years of touring, singing, and picking up every instrument he could find. By the time he was twenty-two, he could play acoustic guitar, electric, Dobro, and bass. “Basically, whatever had strings on it, I [tried] to figure it out.”

Then came the call from Jukebox Mafia, about to embark on a tour opening for Miranda Lambert. “Do you play banjo?” Rylan said, “Sure, sign me up.” But he didn’t play banjo. So, the next two weeks he played 8 hours a day until his fingers bled. “Luckily, my dad is a phenomenal banjo player. He would learn all the parts and then sit face to face to teach [them to me]. In the evenings, I would lay in bed, holding the banjo, playing [them] over and over and over again.  But that’s all I’ve ever done- I grew up without a tv. The first cable and tv I had was in college for that one year. I never played video games. I’d either read a book or play music.”

Rylan played the showcase for Jukebox Mafia, knowing those five songs in and out. “The next week was the first show with Miranda and at the time [she was out with Dierks Bentley] and his utility player used to play with Ricky Skaggs – just a phenomenal player. We get done with the first show and [Dierks and utility player come up to me and say] ‘this son of a ***** can really play that five string, can’t he?’ I’m shaking hands with a guy who’s top of the top and they didn’t know that if I were to have to play one more song- I couldn’t.”

At twenty-seven years old, after two years touring with Miranda and four years playing mandolin, banjo, acoustic guitar, and fiddle for Matt Stillwell, Rylan decided he was ready to focus on his solo career and work on his stage presence and vocal ability. What better place to do that than on Broadway? He started with two shifts a week, which quickly grew to ten to fifteen shifts a week. “For a while, I was playing sixty hours a week, eight to twelve hours a day, six days a week.” Not surprising, given his talent and infectious stage energy.

With all the hard work and hustle, Rylan is looking forward to the holidays. Especially since there’s a chance his mom will make his favorite childhood meal: chicken cordon bleu with macaroni and cheese. Certainly not a typical combination, but one close to Rylan’s heart. “My mom [would make it for me] whenever I did well on a report card or I was doing something good or [on] any special holiday… I would mash it all together. It takes me back to when I was a little kid. Over the Thanksgiving weekend my mom made [it] and while I was eating, I remembered our first house and the kitchen and the wallpaper and the cabinets. [I have] no idea why, but it took me back in time and it was like I was in that room again.”

It never ceases to amaze me how the food close to each person’s heart really speaks volumes about who they are. There’s really something special about Rylan; talent aside, he is kind, playful, humble, and unassuming. All attributes of the homey and comforting dish, macaroni and cheese. For your holiday festivities, whip up this batch of the feel-good, creamy goodness by Grilled Cheeserie owner and chef Crystal De Luna-Bogan, featured in our current issue. Keep up the feel-good vibes and wrap yourself up in Rylan’s warmth this winter at one of his shows. It’s hard not to catch him at Tequila Cowboy, Luke Bryan’s 32 Bridge, Crazy Town, Jason Aldean’s, The Stage, Dierks Bentley’s Whiskey Row, or one of the many songwriter’s showcases around town.  Follow Rylan @rylanf.