Vintage and DIY outfits this musician can perform and sleep in
Inspired by Nudie suits—rhinestone-covered suits made by late designer Nudie Cohn—and the rock scene he grew up in, musician Ryan Koenig's style is a fusion of country-western and punk. He was photographed last month at Wicker Park Fest before playing with headliner Pokey LaFarge, who was featured in one of the first of these columns. Onstage Ryan always tries to "fancy it up a bit", though his offstage look is not too different: "I try to keep it pretty consistent, something I strive for in my whole life. What you see is what you get," he says. His "stylish but practical" garb—he needs to be able to "sleep or sweat" in it—is usually thrifted in vintage stores across the country or sewn by Kellie Everett, his seamstress/musician wife. Ryan himself also makes lots of his hat bands, leather belts, and boot decorations, which he usually tries to coordinate. Another accessorizing rule: always keeping a bandana in his pocket: "Lots of things you can use that for," he says. The multi-instrumentalist—Koenig plays harmonica, six-string banjo, guitar, and bones—will be releasing a record of his own on October 13, called Two Different Worlds. He plans on performing here in Chicago sometime that month.
Originally posted in the Chicago Reader.
