The Rough Cuts

Ryan Chrys – vocals/guitar (Songwriter of the Year, RMCMA)
Michael Jochum – drums (former drummer for Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Korn)
Susan Phelan – bass/vocals (Instrumentalist of the Year, CCMHOF, former women’s professional wrestler)
Glenn Taylor – pedal steel/vocals (CO Hall of Famer, world class pedal steel)

Ryan Chrys and the Rough Cuts formed in January, 2013, and have since been touring steadily through the North, Mid and South West states. During the last couple years, Ryan Chrys and the Rough Cuts have earned some prestigious local and national accolades including a nomination for “Outlaw Group of the year” by the Ameripolitan Music Awards.

Ryan’s mother was a folk and country singer who performed at the Troubadour in Hollywood where artists like Elton John, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, and the Eagles all got their start. Eventually her love for horses and mountains lead her to move to Montana to work on a cattle ranch. It was on that Montana cattle ranch where Ryan was born and raised and learned to strum along on the guitar with his mother. Amidst playing in bands in his hometown of Missoula, MT, Ryan eventually graduated from the University of Montana before moving to Denver to pursue a life of music.

Since 2004, Ryan has been writing, performing, touring and recording for various acts as a lead guitarist, doing so lead him across the country performing at venues like Milwaukee’s Summerfest, Red Rocks Amphitheater, the Fillmore Auditorium, and the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles. Finally, Ryan stopped playing for other people and started his own band, the Rough Cuts. Along the way he shared bills with a diverse range of notable acts including Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic and later Dwight Yoakam, Blackberry Smoke, Shooter, Bellamy Brothers, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and more.

Susan Phelan is a master musician and has played with countless acts. Her father was a professional bass player and began teaching Susan at age 8, she has been performing ever since! She plays the stand up double bass and electric bass, has been a band leader and is highly respected in the Colorado scene. She was once a women’s professional wrestler! To learn more, check out this in-depth article about Susan Phelan on Westword Magazine.

Michael Jochum is an accomplished drummer and studio session player from Los Angeles, California. He retired to Colorado and joined the Rough Cuts for fun! He has so many credits and accolades its tough to mention them all! He has toured, performed and recorded with bands and musicians including Bonnie Raitt, Bruce Springsteen, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson and more. He is the former drummer for Jackson Browne and was percussionist in the heavy metal band Korn for 6 years. He is also an author and political commentator. Check out Michael’s pages on Wikipedia and AllMusic.

Glenn Taylor is a world class master pedal steel guitar player. Glenn has been a professional pedal steel player all his life touring for countless acts across the US, EU, South America and Africa! He has a long list of recording credits and accolades and is a custom builder of his own brand of pedal steel guitars.