Ryan Cassata

Ryan Otto Cassata
Cassata performs at San Francisco Trans March 2015
Background information
Born	(1993-12-13) December 13, 1993 Stony Brook, New York, U.S.
Origin	Bay Shore, New York, U.S.
Genres	Folk rock, indie, alternative
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, public speaker, LGBT activist, actor
Instruments	guitar, harmonica, piano, ukulele, vocals
Years active	2007 – present
Labels	Artemendous Records, R.O.C. Productions
Website	ryancassata.com
Notable instruments
Ovation Guitars, Elixir Strings, Taylor Guitars, Dunlop Nylon Jazz iii Picks

Ryan Otto Cassata (born December 13, 1993) is an American musician, public speaker, writer, filmmaker, actor, and transgender man. Cassata speaks at high schools and universities on the subject of Gender Identity Disorder, being transgender, bullying and his personal transition from female to male, including a double mastectomy surgery in January 2012, when he was 18 years old.^[1][2] He currently resides in San Francisco. He has made appearances on the Larry King Live Show & The Tyra Banks Show to talk about being transgender. He has performed at LGBT music festivals and has gone on tours across the United States of America.^[3][4] Cassata has performed at popular music venues such as Whisky a Go Go,^[5] The Saint, The Bitter End, SideWalk Cafe, and Bowery Poetry Club. Cassata won a date on Warped Tour 2013 through the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands online competition and performed on the Acoustic Basement Stage on June 21, 2013.^[6] Cassata also won a date on Warped Tour 2015 through the Ernie Ball Battle of the Bands and performed on the Ernie Ball Stage on June 20, 2015.

Cassata composed the soundtrack for the 2010 short film "Loop Planes" which screened at various film festivals including the Tribeca Film Festival,^[7] South by Southwest Gay & Lesbian Film Festival,^[8] and Hamptons International Film Festival.^[9] "Distraction" and "Sleeping Through" from Cassata's 2011 EP "Distraction" make up the soundtrack. Cassata is the main subject of the full feature Danish produced documentary Songs for Alexis.^[10] Songs for Alexis, produced by Copenhagen Bombay with help from the Danish Film Institute, had its world premiere at Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival to a sold out crowd on April 30, 2014.^[11][12] Songs for Alexis had its United States premiere at Frameline Film Festival on June 28, 2014. Songs for Alexis also screened and sold out at DOC NYC.^[13][14] Indiewire listed Songs for Alexis on its "10 Films You must Watch at Frameline 2014" article.^[15]

Activism

Since 2008, Ryan Cassata has presented at high schools, universities, support groups and conferences on topics such as Coming out, Gender Identity Disorder, Transgenderism, Sex Reassignment Surgery, Substance Dependence and bullying. Cassata also speaks about his experience as the first openly transgender student in Bay Shore High School and the changes he made there. He has discussed bullying, what gendered bathroom to use, and gaining the right to have his chosen name in the school yearbook instead of his name at birth.^[16] Cassata tells personal stories using speech, songs, poetry and YouTube videos.^[17]

In 2012, Cassata became the youngest keynote speaker that the Philadelphia Trans-Health Conference ever elected.^[18] Ryan Cassata uses his music videos to discuss social justice topics such as bullying. His 2012 music video, "Hands of Hate" released on YouTube honors and remembers LGBT Youth who were murdered or committed suicide. The lyrics of "Hands of Hate" discuss the murder of Matthew Shepard, the murder of Larry King, and the suicides of Tyler Clementi and Jamey Rodemeyer. Larry King is honored in the second verse:

And Lawrence King never saw ninth grade,
Before that bullet was forced into his brain,
By a bully, a madman, A classmate of rage.
Just at fifteen, young Larry was sent to his grave.

In 2015, Ryan Cassata appeared on the San Francisco Trans March line-up with Laverne Cox.

Cassata has delivered speeches and performances at colleges and universities such as Kent State University, Carnegie Mellon University, Boston University, Capital University, Rider University, Rutger's University, Central Washington University, San Francisco State University, Binghamton University, Dominican University of California, University of New Hampshire, State University of New York at Purchase,^[19] State University of New York at New Paltz, Ursinus College, State University of New York at Old Westbury and Dowling College.

Cassata has delivered speeches and performances at high schools such as Bay Shore High School, David H. Hickman High School, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, Amityville Memorial High School, Ossining High School, Kingston High School and Monmouth Regional High School.

Music career

Cassata began playing guitar at age 6 after begging his parents for lessons.^[20]

Ryan Cassata's song "Soda Cans" was listed in the 2014 article by The Advocate as a 'Trans Anthem.'^[21] Ryan Cassata was listed on Logo TV's list of "9 Trans Musicians You Need to Get Into."'^[22]

Ryan Cassata is the first openly transgender musician to perform at Warped Tour after winning the Ernie Ball Battle of The Bands contest in 2013 and 2015.

YouTube

Cassata began creating vlogs and uploading footage from his concerts in 2007. Cassata posts videos on his personal YouTube channel, Ryan Cassata talking about his experience as a transgender man, a musician, and a public speaker. As of December 2015 his channel has over 54 thousand subscribers, and his videos have been viewed over 3.3 million times.^[23] Ryan Cassata has collaborated on videos with Davey Wavey,^[24] ElloSteph, Arielle Scarcella, Marissa Farina, and SassiBob. Cassata became the first transgender person on the LGBT Panel at Playlist Live in February 2015 and appeared with Stevie Boebi, ElloSteph, Marissa Farina, RJ Aguiar, and Tyler Oakley.

Cassata was a regular member on the collaboration YouTube channel LGBTeens a channel that has over 35,000 subscribers and is part of the Big Frame network. Cassata vlogs about the LGBT community and his personal experience as an openly LGBT teen on this channel.^[25] He has been rated as one of the "top 5 most influential transgender YouTube creators" by NewMediaRockstars.^[26]

Acting

In June 2015, Ryan Cassata was cast as a lead character in Beemus directed by Lauren Wolkstein. Cassata played a high school gym student.^[27] Cassata won the award for "Best Breakout Performance" at the Victoria TX Independent Film Fest in March 2016.^[28]

Notable awards

• Harvey Milk Memorial Award^[29]
• Ernie Ball Battle of The Bands winner, featured on Warped Tour 2013 ^[30]
• Ernie Ball Battle of The Bands winner, featured on Warped Tour 2015 ^[31]
• KPQR, 99.1 FM Music Community Member of the Year Award ^[32]
• Best Breakout Performance for "Beemus, It'll End In Tears" at Victoria TX Independent Film Festival ^[33]

Discography

LPs

The Theme of Humankind^[34] (Artemendous Records, May 28, 2011) Track Listing:

1. "Val's Song"
2. "Dancing Shoes"
3. "Love 'Round the World"
4. "Waiting On the Sunrise"
5. "In The Business"
6. "Artemendous Knows All"
7. "Wild Fire Woman"
8. "The Trans Slam"
9. "Going West"
10. "Love/Hate"
11. "In My Hands"

Musicians:

• Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Harmonica, Keyboard
• Kenny Truhn – Electric Guitar, Drums, Percussion
• Steven Battline – Keyboards, Drums, Electric Guitar
• Dave Suchmann – Bass Guitar
• Josh Seidman – Electric Guitar, Percussion

Production:

The Rhythm (ROC Productions, May 25, 2012) Track Listing:

1. "Love 'round the World (Hope)"
2. "The Rhythm" (feat. Kenny Truhn)
3. "Mouth Like a Hurricane"
4. "Soda Cans"
5. "Nothing Like Plastic"
6. "Intro (I Do)"
7. "Beauty Like Youth (I Do)" (feat. Alexis Ann)
8. "Shine Your Light"
9. "Hands of Hate" (feat. Kenny Truhn, Vincent Cassata, Francine Cassata)

Musicians:

• Ryan Cassata – Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar, Keyboard
• Kenny Truhn – Electric Guitar, Drums, Bass, Percussion
• Adam Abresch – Trumpet
• Josh Seidman – Percussion

Production:

• Ryan Cassata – Executive Producer, Liner Notes
• Kenny Truhn – Co-Producer
• Mic Angelo – Mix Engineer
• Erich Glaubitz – Mastering
• Emily Gage – Album Artwork

Songs for Alexis (Original Soundtrack Recording) (ROC Productions, April 30, 2014) Track Listing:

1. Oh, Alexis
2. Day Dream
3. New York to California
4. Soda Cans
5. Naked (Protest Song)
6. The Rhythm
7. Together Again
8. Freedom Nation
9. Mayday
10. Hands of Hate (feat. Kenny Truhn, Vincent Cassata, Francine Cassata)

Soul Sounds (ROC Productions, February 21, 2015)^[35] Track Listing: