Community Corner

Ryan Watson: Westminster's 11-Year-Old Rock Star

"He picked up guitar at age seven and was hooked." - Pamela Watson.

Ryan Watson lives in Westminster and attends . He said he's a fast runner and he likes going to church at . He said he's good at math and likes poetry.

But don't let him fool you. Ryan is not your average 11-year-old boy. He has traveled around the country as a musician and has opened for bands like Blind Melon, Everclear and Cracker.

Armed with his electric guitar and a large spiked mohawk, Ryan is on track to be quite a hit. He's already had more than two million views on one of his YouTube videos and he's recently written and recorded a song entitled "Together." 

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He also was featured last year in Spin magazine.

Ryan is one of five children and his mom, Pamela Watson, said that is a challenge in and of itself. She said that Ryan's music does present challenges, as it takes time to record him and get him to shows.

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But Pamela said that she'll do what she can to help Ryan find success in what he loves, which is playing music.

"At a young age, he loved to sing in front of people," she said. "He picked up guitar at age seven and was hooked. Within two months, he was on stage singing and playing at his school talent show."

Now, he writes a lot of his own music," she added. "We hope to get funds to get him into a studio to cut an EP.  His fans are asking for one, so we’d like to oblige."

Ryan, who said his favorite bands are Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin and Metallica, said that he wants to be a professional musician. He said he also likes writing, so he "wants to be a writer of some sort".

He has taken lessons at and at the Frederick Rock School, but Ryan said he has learned a lot on his own.

And the performing? Well that just seems to come naturally. Ryan has played in front of some big crowds at events like Rock the Farm, where he opened for Everclear; Surf and Song Festival, where he opened for Cracker, John Waite and Johnny Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls; and Rest Fest, where he opened for Blind Melon

"I wasn’t nervous. I was excited. It’s so much fun to perform," Ryan said.

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