Ricardo Khayatte

Members: Ricardo Khayatte (guitar,vox)

Bio: Though he was born in South America and raised in Canada, the myriad of influences and styles that encompass Ricardo Khayatte make his origins difficult to place, thus establishing him as an artist of mystery and intrigue. His voice is filled with sorrowful transcendence and jarring inflection, weaving stories of hardship, loss, and a man struggling amidst constant revelation. Like John Lennon or Jeff Buckley before him, he can paint a bitter picture of life but leave audiences with a message of hope to hang onto: a timeless melody submerged in simple but poignant truths.

It was the winter of 2001. The Western world was still mending the gaping wound left by the 911 massacre and the future’s uncertainty was the only confirmation most people had in life. But many miles away, across the expanse of the Atlantic, in a rundown hostel in Valencia, Spain, something certain was arising for a then 20 year old Ricardo Khayatte. After Berklee College of music he experienced the wiles and corruption of the modern music industry and fled to South America to dig his hands deep into the earth and search for his roots. And he found not only that, but something that would alter the course of his life forever. On a trip to Buenos Ares, his cousin told him about the suffering their forefathers underwent during the Armenian Genocide. The government of the Young Turks conducted the mass slaughter from 1915 to 1917 in the Ottoman Empire and to this day, the Republic of Turkey denies it ever occurred. “I brought you here,” she said, “because this is who you are.” From then on, Aidan was transformed, fueled by his concern for humanity and the desire for peaceful revolution made dormant by mediocrity in the world, particularly in art.

He then ventured to Miami, playing throughout Florida and parts of the Caribbean while producing for other artists in Los Angeles. Feeling the pressure of incessant touring and the restrictions of producing, Ricardo journeyed to Spain to complete his realized identity. After the heartbreak of being left at the altar by the his first love, he confined himself to a room drenched in candlelight with all four walls covered by tattered old rugs, never forgetting what his cousin had told him in Buenos Aires. During the next year of solitude, he would go on to write an array of songs that are haunting and beautiful, powerful and enigmatic, gripping and sublime. The music that results is both intimate and unique: engaging stories being told by an introspective voice that is immersed in spacious arrangements, Lanois-esque guitar lines and a sound that is being dredged from a deep, dark lake.

Today, he is recording and performing steadily to convey his stories about the world we all live in and, through vision and song, help to keep it from slipping away completely. [ more ]