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The Hang Of It cmrsvids 5 views After some trial and error, Willa finally got the hang of it ... that is to say, what one does with a squeaky toy.
Jamaica Farewell (cover) by Clay Riness cmrsvids 273 views My dad had a baritone uke when I was a little kid. He sang this one whenever he picked it up and played. I commandeered that uke and played it until it was near worn throug...
Over The Rainbow (cover) by Clay Riness cmrsvids 102 views After posting another tune with the uke, my friend Phil challenged me to do "Somewhere Over The Rainbow". Well, I tried to do the best I could for him. They make beer for ...
"Yesterday" (cover) by Clay Riness cmrsvids 41 views Sitting around with a uke is a wonderful way to relax and enjoy making music for yourself. For some reason, McCartney's "Yesterday" translates very well to the uke ... at l...
"Stick It In" by Clay Riness cmrsvids 214 views Parental Discretion Advised! -- In the "double entendre" tradition of blues artists like Bo Carter, this one is a little, you know, naughty. Fun with a baritone guitar an...
"The One Thing" by Clay Riness cmrsvids 242 views If you favor the amazing songs penned by writers of classic country hits, perhaps you'll appreciate my contribution to that pool of universal short stories about the human ...
"Invierno Aqui" by Clay Riness cmrsvids 156 views I wrote this little soundtrack piece for an HD video production of winter scenes, produced by The AVS Group (LaCrosse, WI). "Invierno Aqui" is Spanish, of course, for "win...
"The Morning Fields" by Clay Riness cmrsvids 172 views I was looking to create an exercise for some of my students, something in 6/8 time and drop D tuning. This little Irish flavored double jig did the trick. Since it's so bou...
"The Call" - Regina Spektor (cover) Performed by Clay Riness cmrsvids 542 views My daughter loves this song, and because I have now heard it a billion times, so do I. I learned it for her. It's is a wonderful song from young Regina Spektor, a quirky ...
Meet The Audience! cmrsvids 200 views Having some fun with my audience at the Pump House Regional Arts Center in LaCrosse, Wisconsin. April 3, 2009.

About The Weary Wolf Channel

Videos from Clay Riness and Weary Wolf Records.

myspace.com/clayriness

Created by

cmrsvids

Latest Activity

Jan 20, 2012

Date Joined

Aug 10, 2008

About this user

CLAY RINESS grew up in Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. He was a musical kid, playing drums and gigging with various bands, including The Hal Atkinson Quartet at age 14. He was deeply drawn to songwriting even then, churning out sophomoric songs of youth on a Stella tenor guitar, and eventually the six string acoustic.

An attempt at college (1976) opened the door to a new world of music and the lure of making a living as a musician was too much to resist. He moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa and began paying the rent with bar and lounge gigs...relying on cover songs while continuing to hone his own writing skills. He released his first album of original songs in 1980. It was the first of many to come.

By 1983, Riness was tired of being background music and pursued a better market for his original music, the Midwestern folk scene. He moved back to Wisconsin and began touring and performing at festivals and small concert venues throughout the upper Midwest, showcasing his own songs and some traditional music.

During the next decade he made his mark, touring with Wisconsin Public Radio's Simply Folk 10th Anniversary Concert Tour, appearing as a guest artist on Michael Feldman's Whaddaya Know?, and touring with a variety of other performers such as Larry Long, Ed Allen, Raldo Schneider and jazz fiddler Randy Sabien. Four more albums were released during this time period.

When he and wife Victoria discovered a baby son on the way in 1989, the couple decided it was best for one of them to be home care giving. Since she, a long time teacher, held a job with medical benefits, Riness resolved to get off the road and stay home, and other than a love affair with the fiddle, songwriting and guitar playing were shelved by late 1991. Eventually, a daughter came along as well and the hiatus from songwriting turned into a ten year break.

During this time at home, he started a business as a fly fishing guide on area trout streams near Coon Valley, Wisconsin where the two had settled. The business flourished as Riness spent the summer months instructing and guiding aspiring anglers in the art of fly fishing. He turned his time at home parenting into becoming a columnist and freelance writer for various fishing publications, and traveled on weekends to lecture about fishing.

In 2001, a production company in Racine, Wisconsin approached and offered Riness a position as music director for what was to be a weekly children's television show. After ten years away from songwriting, he uncased his guitars and began composing again. Unfortunately, venture capital funding for the project fell through after the tragic events of 9/11, but the experience had rekindled his musical passion. With his youngest daughter now in school, he decided it was time to start performing again.

What followed was some of the best songwriting of his career. Now in his mid-forties, life experience and years of freelance writing had polished his skills, and a new passion for guitar surfaced as well. Taking the stage once again, Clay Riness had rediscovered an old love, performing original songs in concert. Like the songs themselves, his concerts were more mature, more focused and more reflective of life experience.

Also in 2001, Riness began teaching music privately while he and friend Jay Hoffman developed and began the Rustic Valley Concert Series, a weekly concert event in Coon Valley, Wisconsin in which some of the best musical artists in the nation appeared in concert. The venue proved important for Riness as well, as he began performing in the show as a musical host, with an eye toward making the event a radio show. The series ended, however, after its seventieth concert due to a lack of available venues.

In 2002, Riness was commissioned to provide original, instrumental music for a 13 part series for broadcast on Public Radio. In early 2003, he released his first soundtrack, First Person Wisconsin, also the title of the radio series. The series was renewed and continues to be broadcast today. Clay continues to create commissioned works, recording them at his home project studio.

In 2004, he released his album Little Windows to very positive critical acclaim. One byproduct of this project was the partnership with drummer Terry Nirva and songwriter / recording engineer Brett Huus, owner of Sound Strations Audio Productions, the Grammy winning studio where Little Windows was mastered. The three of them began a collaborative project of original indie folk-rock music entitled Little Black Dress which is scheduled for release in 2009.

After Little Windows, Riness also found himself working with friend Michael Martin Murphey on a variety of projects including the soundtrack for the television show America's Heartland, and some co-writing for Murphey's record, Heartland Cowboy.

Age

Hometown

Prairie du Chien, WI

Country

United States

Occupation

Music instructor; studio musician; concert performer; producer; writer; dog trainer

Companies

Owner of Weary Wolf Records And Music Consultant Services; Owner of Good Dog! Canine Music Consultants

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