When Ryker Pantano was 12 years old, the owners of Sidecar Tasting Room invited him to play the piano for tips on weekends. He made the most of the opportunity.
“I played that place until they closed,” he remembers.
Why?
“Because they never asked me to stop.”
And he hasn’t slowed down since. Ryker—now 14—has become a regular presence in the Dripping Springs music scene. All he needs is a piano, a microphone, and a crowd willing to listen—or sing along—and he’s right where he wants to be. Whether he’s in a busy winery, a rodeo, or a room full of senior citizens, Ryker performs with a love for music that audiences can’t help but feel.
Nothing is off limits when Ryker sits down at the piano. His repertoire—mostly cover songs—ranges from oldies and country to pop rock and current hits, including many songs you wouldn’t expect on the piano, like “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” If he likes a song, he’ll figure out a way to make it work.
He can play anything from Billy Joel to Johnny Cash, Elton John to Morgan Wallen—and choosing the right songs is part of the experience. “When I first get up there, I have to read the crowd and figure out what to play,” he says. “But once I get started, I’m in my flow. I feel great up there.”
Before long, the audience becomes part of the show, singing along to songs like “Great Balls of Fire” and “Take Me Home, Country Road.”
“I like the songs that get the crowd to howl. Some crowds are a little crazier than others,” he laughs. “It’s fun.”
Ryker plays solo as well as with other musicians, and he’s shared the stage with The Cunningham Sisters, Ellie Rios, and David Kyle’s band The BSide Boyz. His gigs take him from local favorites—like Hudson’s on Mercer, Bell Springs Winery, Dog ‘n’ Bone, and Winehouse—to rodeos, the Starlight Theatre in Terlingua, and the Cotton Country Club in Granger.
He also works with younger kids at Hudson’s music camps, performs at Founder’s Day and community events, and plays at a local nursing home and senior center.
His mom, Greta, says Ryker can’t always see the effect he has on people. At the nursing home, where his piano faces the wall, she explains, “A lot of the seniors are in wheelchairs, and he plays the songs that they know, and they’re moving and clapping. It breaks my heart a little bit that he can’t see how happy they are.”
Ryker simply loves playing—anywhere, any time. “I know he loves it because every time a gig comes up, I ask him if he wants to do it,” Greta shares. “He always says yes.”
But he didn’t always love it. He started classical piano lessons at Hudson’s when he was 5 years old; after a few years, though, he began to lose interest. Then one day, David Kyle stepped in as a substitute piano teacher and, as Ryker puts it, “he put a little boogie woogie into the lesson.”
That changed everything. “If it weren’t for David, I wouldn’t be playing,” Ryker says. “He made it fun.”
He’s been studying music ever since. Now, he also takes vocal lessons at Hudson’s with Mary Margaret Dement (David’s sister) of the Kyle Sisters, and he’s beginning to learn guitar and write his own songs.
Ryker says he wouldn’t be where he is today without Hudson’s. He credits the family business with nurturing his love of music, building his skills and confidence, and giving him opportunities to spread his wings.
When asked what makes Hudson’s so special, Ryker simply points: “That stage right there.”
For him, that is where he discovered a side of himself he didn’t know existed: “I’m different on the stage,” he says. More at ease and outgoing, “I try to get the crowd involved, be funny, get them to respond, maybe let them sing a couple of lines.”
As Ryker puts it, “Music turns you into a whole different person.”
It’s a transformation his parents have watched unfold. “We are so proud,” Greta says. “And we’re happy, because he seems happy.”
“We see how much he loves it,” she continues. “So if it means getting in the car and driving six hours to play somewhere, if he’s excited, we go.”
When it comes to the future, Ryker’s goal is simple: He wants to play.
“I just want to keep this going,” he says. “Get more gigs, maybe write some more songs with people, record those songs, and just go on from there—go everywhere.”
For now, that's enough. Give him a piano and another chance to play. He’ll go places.
@ryker_pantano