Ryan J. Downey
Alternative Press
California, United States
Contact Ryan
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
| Recent: |
|
| Past: |
|
Past articles by Ryan:
Halsey sings ‘Blink-182’ in new Chainsmokers song
Check out the recorded evidence that Halsey loves Blink-182 as much as most of us love Blink-182. The 21-year-old singer whose birth certificate reads Ashley Nicolette Frangipane joins the Chainsmokers on a new song called "Closer" and she took the opportunity to work Blink into the lyrics. In the upbeat track's second verse, Halsey sings: "Play that Blink-182 song that we beat to death in… → Read More
The 10 most metal words according to science
Science is great. It tells us things about our world. It tells us things about... Heavy metal. An ex-physicist data mined the 222,623 songs from 7,364 bands spread over 22,314 albums filling DarkLyrics.com and was able to determine the 20 most commonly used words in the heavy metal genre. He also found that the band Pig Destroyer has the most complex lyrics (who knew?) and Five Finger Death… → Read More
Batman, Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman unite in first ‘Justice League’ footage
Warner Bros. treated fans at San Diego Comic Con with the first official footage from Justice League and that footage is now online. Bruce Wayne travels the globe to unite a group of heroes to defend the Earth from an impending threat hinted at in Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice, which ended with the death (for now) of the movie version of Superman introduced in Man Of Steel and introduced… → Read More
Watch Ian Farmer of Modern Baseball throw first pitch at Major League Baseball game
As Modern Baseball's profile continues to rise a high-profile crossover with the sport in their name has felt inevitable. A few hours before the band's Holy Ghost tour with Joyce Manor wrapped up at the Orpheum Theater on July 3, the band's bassist/vocalist threw out the first pitch at a Major League Baseball game. The Tampa Bay Rays were kind enough to put Ian Farmer on the pitcher's mound to… → Read More
Dave Mustaine clarifies Lamb Of God drummer’s independence from Megadeth
Dave Mustaine took to social media to declare Chris Adler's independence from Megadeth. Over the July 4th weekend, the Megadeth band leader worked to clarify remarks he'd made at a July 1 media event in Israel. "Chris Adler is not with Megadeth; he's in Lamb Of God," Mustaine told a journalist at the press conference setup to promote the band's show in Tel Aviv the following day. "He was a… → Read More
Dave Mustaine clarifies Lamb Of God drummer’s independence from Megadeth
Dave Mustaine took to social media to declare Chris Adler's independence from Megadeth. Over the July 4th weekend, the Megadeth band leader worked to clarify remarks he'd made at a July 1 media event in Israel. "Chris Adler is not with Megadeth; he's in Lamb Of God," Mustaine told a journalist at the press conference setup to promote the band's show in Tel Aviv the following day. "He was a… → Read More
Ben Affleck promises ‘a little bit more humor’ in ‘Justice League’
It’s always darkest before the dawn, but in this case, the light will arrive two years later. Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice divided fans and underwhelmed critics with its often angry, violent take on the titular title characters. Set visit reports are rolling in from London, England this week, filled with signs of hope and optimism that the forthcoming Justice League movie will include… → Read More
Op-Ed: ‘I was in the club when Suge Knight was shot’—why we need to be prepared
I heard six pops before the music stopped. Half of the people on the dance floor hit the deck. The rest of the fans and industry figures in attendance seemed to look in the direction of the shots, in a daze. A few people screamed. “What was that?” more than one person exclaimed. The lights went on inside Hollywood’s 1 Oak nightclub, inside the same building that once housed historic rock venue… → Read More
138 Misfits covers by Blink-182, My Chemical Romance, more
* 69 Eyes, “Return Of The Fly” * 88 Fingers Louie, “Night Of The Living Dead” * 108, “Death Comes Ripping” * A Sunny Day In Glasgow, “Hybrid Moments” * AFI, “Last Caress” * AFI, “Demonomania” * AFI, “Halloween” * AFI, “We Bite” * The Agony Scene, “Devilock” * Aiden, “Die, Die My Darling” * Aiden, “London Dungeon” * Alkaline Trio, “Children In Heat" * Alkaline Trio, “Halloween” * Amazing Royal… → Read More
Riot Fest founder tells us how the Misfits reunion happened (exclusive)
It’s been over 30 years since Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only and Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein played a show together as the Misfits and nearly 15 years since Doyle left the “Resurrection Era” version of the band. In the decades that followed, band founder, singer and songwriter Danzig continued his dark artistic vision with Samhain and Danzig, while the brothers worked on other projects before… → Read More
What’s next for Marvel after ‘Civil War’
The $179 million opening weekend and overwhelmingly positive critical reception to Captain America: Civil War demonstrates that demand for the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains high. It’s good news for the Walt Disney Company, whose multibillion purchase of the Marvel brand in 2009 seems smarter by the day. But with all of the characters in the shared universe of movies and TV shows, not to… → Read More
Andy Black makes live debut—Blink-182, 5 Seconds Of Summer members in attendance
[Photo credit: Sthanlee B. Mirador] As Andy Biersack mentioned from the stage, he’ll never have another “first show” again. On Tuesday night, a decade after the formation of Black Veil Brides, Biersack made his live debut as Andy Black. Fans who preordered The Shadow Side, the debut Andy Black album out this Friday, as well as a number of friends and associates saw the singer lead his new solo… → Read More
The 6 most metal movies ever
Author Mike “McBeardo” McPadden’s Heavy Metal Movies: Guitar Barbarians, Mutant Bimbos & Cult Zombies Amok In The 666 Most Ear-And-Eye-Ripping-Big-Scream Films Ever! is as awesomely exhaustive as its subtitle suggests. Of course, no list (even one with 666 entries) will ever feel complete—just as any list will always be debated. Especially a list with a category as broad as “metal movie,”… → Read More
Vic Fuentes details his ‘Misadventures’ while writing, recording PTV’s new album
It’s been nearly four years since Pierce The Veil released Collide With The Sky, outselling their contemporaries thanks in large part to the gold-certified single “King For A Day” and their relentless world touring. Given that many of those same peers regularly release albums in half the time, the wait for the San Diego band’s fourth album has felt like an eternity to the PTV faithful. Vic… → Read More
Morrissey biopic finds its Moz
He's the rock icon who told the world to "Sing Your Life" and now some British filmmakers are getting ready to film his life story. British film, stage and television star Jack Lowden will play Steven Patrick Morrissey in an upcoming biopic, Deadline reports. > Actor @JALowden , from #War&Peace, cast to portray #Morrissey in film #Steven dir & written by #MarkGill.Shoots Apr… → Read More
9 House Of Pain songs that aren’t “Jump Around”
I listen to House Of Pain year ‘round. In fact, I'm the top House Of Pain scholar on Genius.com. Saint Patrick’s Day is just a great excuse to make more people aware of how deep the catalog goes. As the group have been quoted as saying: “Jump Around” was the “Louie Louie” of the ‘90s. But don’t sleep on these other House Of Pain classics. After all, millions of people bought House Of Pain and… → Read More
9 House Of Pain songs that aren’t “Jump Around”
I listen to House Of Pain year ‘round. Saint Patrick’s Day is just a great excuse to make more people aware of how deep the catalog goes. As the group have been quoted as saying: “Jump Around” was the “Louie Louie” of the ‘90s. But don’t sleep on these other House Of Pain classics. Millions of people bought House Of Pain and the followup album, Same As It Ever Was, went gold. Even their final… → Read More
So WHO is in Guns N’ Roses Now?
Next month, Slash will take the stage with Guns N’ Roses for the first time since he left the band in 1996. We know Duff McKagan—bassist from the legendary group’s inception till 1997—will be there, as well. But other than W. Axl Rose, the band’s reclusive frontman and only consistent member, there’s been no official confirmation from the Guns N’ Roses camp about who else will be onstage with… → Read More
“This month I start writing my script” – Q&A with Kirk Hammett of Metallica
Last week, Metallica sold more records than the latest releases from Simple Plan, Halsey, Fall Out Boy, 5 Seconds Of Summer, Bring Me The Horizon and Slipknot. The legendary band’s self-titled set, commonly referred to as The Black Album, sold about 10 times as many copies in February as All Time Low’s Future Hearts. The record that blessed the world with “Enter Sandman” and “Sad But True” has… → Read More
Watch ‘DARTH MAUL: Apprentice—A Star Wars Fan-Film’ before it’s gone
Even the most dedicated of Star Wars prequels haters will admit that Darth Maul is freaking cool. The double bladed lightsaber wielding apprentice of Darth Sidious was resurrected in a fantastic story arc during The Clone Wars TV series, which—along with the seven theatrical films and post-Disney purchase Lucasfilm content—are officially canon. But most general audiences haven’t seen Maul since… → Read More