In the fall of 2010, Ryan Sanders was a high school first-year in Harrodsburg, KY, with time on his hands and music on the mind. With a group of other like-minded friends, he formed Figure 8 in the garage of a funeral parlor.
None of them knew much about music, but they were passionate about the band and practiced for hours on end to hone their craft. By May of 2013, the group of high school juniors released their first album, “Speaking My Language.”
After graduation, the original band members went their separate ways and the group disbanded. But a resurrection was on its way.
In 2017, Ed Snyder, a DJ from the now-defunct all-local music station WCHQ 100.9 FM in Louisville, came across Figure 8’s only album. He knew then that there was strong potential for the band.
“We found a band that many DJs on the station agreed there was something special about,” Snyder said. “We did not know it yet, but we were becoming part of the story of the new music coming out of this band now, Figure 8’s story of resurrection.”
Snyder and the other station DJs began playing “Speaking My Language” regularly on their station. Finally getting to hear his band’s hard work on the radio, years after recording, made Sanders reinspired.
“The goal always was to have people listen to our music and I didn’t feel like we accomplished that in high school,” Sanders said. “I hadn’t thought about playing music in quite a while but when I heard our music on the radio the feelings I had about making music in high school came back and I immediately missed it. The notion that we might get people to listen to us finally inspired me to make more music again.”
Sanders began writing music for the band again, and this time had some professional help to make Figure 8’s comeback as strong as possible. Producers Tim Palmer (from U2 and Pearl Jam fame) and Brian Virtue (30 Seconds to Mars) assisted Sanders with the production of a new album, “Ex Nihilo.”
In 2018, Sanders contacted Virtue and Palmer out of the blue, not even sure if he could get a response from either. Both did reply, and they were enthusiastic. Palmer had already heard an older version of “Hush,” and felt like there was potential to make the album even better. Palmer ended up producing the final version of the song and Virtue produced the rest of the album. But even with the different producers, the sound remains consistent.
“Palmer did Pearl Jam’s first album and that’s an album most people our age have heard throughout their entire life and to work with someone who’s music we grew up listening to was pretty awesome,” Sanders said. “There weren't any creative restraints working with them. They could do whatever they wanted to make the album sound as best as possible.”
Ryan Sanders didn’t perform the album alone. Mike Malinin, the former drummer for The Goo Goo Dolls, and Chris Chaney, bass guitarist for Jane’s Addiction, collaborated with Sanders on the album.
Chaney got on board through Virtue, who recommended him for the album. They were friends that had worked extensively together in the past. Sanders didn’t have a bass player and needed one, and Chaney fit in perfectly. Chaney’s bass can be heard on the fourth track, “I Know What You Need.”
Sanders also contacted Malinin on a whim. The Goo Goo Dolls are Sanders’ biggest musical inspiration, and he couldn’t think of anyone else he wanted as a drummer for his album. In another stroke of pure luck, Malinin said yes. Malinin can be heard on “Hush.”
“Playing with them was pretty seamless,” Sanders said. “They were creative in coming up with parts but were already playing with a nearly completed track.”
These collaborations make perfect sense for Sanders, whose sound harkens back to the alternative rock scene of the 90s. The second track of the album could easily find itself on Goo Goo Dolls’ “Dizzy Up the Girl.” Meanwhile, the first track, “Hush” has a great crunchy guitar that overlays smooth synth. The album is bookended by an equally enjoyable acoustic version, which brings emphasis to its subtly beautiful lyrics.
Other collaborators show the rest of Sanders’ influences. Neil Taylor from Tears for Fears played the guitar solos for “Hush” and “I Know What You Need” and Sean Hurley, the live bassist for John Mayer, contributed the bass for “Shakin’ My Heart” and “Hush.”
As for the album itself, “Ex Nihilo” is Latin for “out of nothing.” That’s exactly what it is. Pure magic made out of what originally was one person with a dream. The message gets deeper on the album cover, which is a reference to Plato’s Allegory of the Cave (“Shakin’ My Heart” also contains a reference).
“It’s an album about Plato’s Allegory overall,” Sanders said. “The way I see it, it is like being in a movie theatre. You're chained to a seat, staring at what you think is reality the entirety of your life up to that point, but one day you turn around and see the projector and realize that it's not reality, and then you cast off your proverbial chains and leave to learn what reality truly is.”
As for what’s next for Sanders after the album’s release?
“Honestly, I don’t really know,” Sanders admitted, “hopefully more music!”
-Written by Julia Raimondi
