Born in Chicago in 1979, drummer Dylan Ryan was initially a heavy metal fan but studied with Chicago jazz figures and ultimately began playing with like-minded musicians of the city's avant jazz and experimental rock communities. He performed at venues around town in ensembles of various configurations before appearing on recordings by groups including Herculaneum, Michael Columbia (a duo, not a person), Icy Demons, and Orso during the 2000s. Ryan subsequently relocated to Los Angeles, and while living there began his first group as a leader, Sand, an instrumental guitar-bass-drums trio also featuring guitarist Timothy Young (Zony Mash) and bassist Devin Hoff (Nels Cline Singers). With most of the trio's material penned by Ryan, Sand became a vehicle for Young's stunning guitar work, ranging from expansive and atmospheric to crushingly heavy and wildly pyrotechnic, supported by the creative, solid, and propulsive Ryan-Hoff rhythm team. Cuneiform Records released Sand's debut album, Sky Bleached, in 2013, followed by sophomore outing Circa the following year. ~ Dave Lynch, Rovi