The Ranken File

Originally published on the Shoreline Website here.

Tom Ranken had a very successful career, successfully navigating the challenges of several very different fields as diverse as banking and biotechnology. When he decided it was time to retire, he was CEO of CleanTech Alliance, an advocacy organization that works in the intersection of clean technology, business development, and public policy.

“I got very good at creating environments that allowed organizations to grow and thrive.” he explained. “For example, the CleanTech Alliance had 35 members when I started and grew to over a thousand.”

No stranger to an academic challenge, Tom earned a BA in Economics from the University of Virginia and an MBA from the University of Washington. To this day, he continues to be interested in developing new skills, and he has a strong appetite for learning. These traits  would serve him well post-retirement.

“Education was valuable in teaching me baseline skills that allowed me to learn how to solve problems creatively in a professional setting, and it provided an understanding of how things worked in society and business that contributed to that skill base.”

His highly accomplished executive career now behind him, it was time for a new challenge! 

A lover of classic rock, Tom gave himself a goal: to become a skilled standard-tuning slide guitar player. He had long admired the way George Harrison incorporated slide guitar into non-blues music, and he wanted to see if he could play more like the Beatles legend. However, once he encountered Shoreline College’s music program, his ambitions grew significantly.

“Almost instantly, I was dazzled by new opportunities and ideas.  I took courses in a wide range of topics including theory, guitar, trumpet, jazz band, music business, recording, and sound. There is a lot of distance between a good amateur and a professional level player. My personal goals evolved to wanting to become a truly good musician—not just a slide player.  And I have made a lot of progress towards that goal—it’s a rewarding, but never-ending trail.”  

Shoreline College is a great place to study the arts. While many schools are finding themselves sacrificing arts programs as budget casualties, Shoreline College boasts strong degree and certificate programs in music, visual arts, digital filmmaking, and more. And now, with the opening of the brand-new Bracken building in the heart of the campus, Shoreline’s music program has been given a beautiful new state of the art facility in which to grow and thrive. 

“All of the faculty were extraordinary; exceedingly gifted, knowledgeable, and helpful.  To call out just two: Sue Ennis co-wrote nearly a hundred songs with the Heart sisters (a monster band of the 70s and 80s) and Jeff Kashiwa is a Grammy nominated sax player that runs the jazz band.“

Tom was thrilled to have the opportunity play with gifted musicians and to learn from experts in the industry. He began challenging himself with new genres and instruments and was constantly impressed with the talent and dedication of the students around him.

“I was pretty much a beginner, playing in a genre – jazz trumpet – for which I had little knowledge. I played with some incredibly gifted Shoreline musicians that – in some cases – are forty years younger than me. Everyone has been considerate, friendly, patient, and incredibly helpful!”

Today, Tom has added a third degree to his collection, an Associate Degree in Music Performance from Shoreline College. You’ll still find him on campus, playing with the Jazz Band; still eager to grow as a musician. While at night (frequently at the Box Car Ale House in Magnolia), he’s playing with his band The Ranken File.

It’s never too late to learn something new. Tom followed his interests and found a whole world of new possibilities unfolding before him. If you’re interested in learning more about exploring your passions in retirement, there are several pathways to explore, including Senior tuition discounts and a wide variety of Continuing Education classes. There’s always more to learn!

“It is a journey—my everyday decisions, over the course, of many years, have led me to where I am today. I’m a big believer in education.”

Tracks:

1. Cherry Valley Blues (Eric Madis)
2. Kind Hearted Woman (Robert Johnson)
3. I’m Leaving Town (Eric Madis)
4. Swimming in Uncertainty (Eric Madis)
5. The Real Deal (Eric Madis)
6. Gravity Rag (Eric Madis)
7. I’m Ready (Willie Dixon)
8. Swimming in the Duwamish (Eric Madis)
9. Georgia on my Mind (Hoagy Carmichael)
10. Discord & ‘Dat Chord (Eric Madis)
11. Milk Cow Blues (James “Kokomo” Arnold)
12. Swimming in the Sound (Eric Madis)

Musicians:

• Eric Madis: acoustic, electric guitar, slide, all vocals
• Ed Contreras: percussion, drums
• Mike Eytcheson: bass
• Alika Madis: electric guitar (track 5)
• Brad Stoll: drums, percussion

Date: 2025

The blues are said to have begun as a musical class in the deep south amongst the slave populations in the Deep South around the 1860s. It is a broad category that has spawned or heavily influenced jazz, rhythm and blues, and rock and roll.

Eric is rooted in all these styles. His work has appeared in films, television, radio and his six albums. Eric has worked and recorded with many artists, including blues greats Robben Ford and Big Walter Horton, Hawaii’s iconic Farden Family, jazz ukulele virtuoso Bill Tapia, swing violinist Paul Anastasio, and poet Nicki Grimes. Eric is also a renowned guitar instructor, having taught throughout the US and Canada, and online with over three hundred videos.

Eric says that this record “has less of a concept than some of my previous albums.  There are certain types of tunes on most of my records: one or two intimate, solo acoustic blues tunes, an original ragtime instrumental, an original jazz/blues instrumental, a gospel blues ballad (usually original, but here Georgia on My Mind), an original slide guitar instrumental, and usually an original modern blues song.”

That may be true, but this record is a primer on the blues as it features a wide variety of distinct styles.

It has been a long wait—sixteen years—for his fans for a new record, but the new Six album is going to make a lot of people happy.

In many ways, it is a primer of the blues. Eric utilizes standard blues patterns but broadly incorporates many genres and hints of star performances.

• The record opens with my favorite track, “Cherry Valley Blues.” This is electric blues rock at its most compelling. Direct and to the point, it features ensemble playing and an electric killer slide.
• No blues or blues “influences recording can be without a Robert Johnson song, and Six incorporates “Kind Hearted Woman.” This is an acoustic blues version featuring Eric solo.
• “I’m Leaving Town” is one of eight original songs on this album. It features the full band in a 16-bar blues. Eric’s playing here invokes the sounds of both B.B. King and T-Bone Walker, two of the great blues guitar players (but with a nod to the jazz tradition, as well).
• “Swimming in Uncertainty” is an instrumental original that features acoustic-electric slide guitar accompanied by bass and percussion. “This album featured more slide guitar than usual,” Eric notes.  “My slide guitar instrumentals almost always entitled “Swimming in ……..”.  This record features three slide tunes.”
• Eric is a fan of Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers, a skillful player with an extraordinary gift for melody. “The Real Deal” is an instrumental dedicated to Betts featuring lead guitar harmonies. The song begins with Eric as the lead player, but then segues to Eric’s gifted son, Alika. The two are talented players but display distinctive styles: Eric is rooted in jazz-influenced country rock, while Alika adds and expands the track with a modern rock style. Eric says: “Very few musicians are true American originals and true innovators.  Betts is such an overlooked composer of great instrumentals.  Most people think “Memory of Elizabeth Reed”, “Les Bres in Am” and “Jessica,” but Betts continued to write better, more progressive instrumentals over time, such as “True Gravity”.   He wrote lots of songs for the Allmans over the decades but seems best remembered for his more country tunes like “Blue Sky” and “Rambin’ Man.”  Betts’ father was a fiddler who played bluegrass and Western swing, a big influence on Dickey.  Western swing bands were the first to have harmony lead guitars, so Betts brought that into rock music.  So, my tune is essentially a Western swing tune:  a 32-bar with AABA structure, like an old swing jazz tune, but more country-rock.  My playing was more traditional, a blend of country and jazz.  Alika played some of Dickey Betts’ classic licks in his solo but then played those great arpeggio sweeps on the bridge of the tune.”
• The “Gravity Rag” is a solo acoustic ragtime instrumental with Piedmont blues influence.
• Willie Dixon’s traditional “I’m Ready” features Eric’s acoustic guitar and vocal only in a 28-bar blues.
• “Swimming in the Duwamish” is an instrumental acoustic slide guitar workout augmented by both bass and percussion.
• The best-known track on the record in “Georgia on My Mind,” a composition by Hoagy Carmichael. Here we are presented with another variation on the blues, heavily influenced through jazz changes and 6/8 time.  A beautiful song and beautifully delivered.
• “Discord and ‘Dat Chord” is an Eric original with a jazzy swing beat played by a full band in a 12-bar blues instrumental.
• “Milk Cow Blues,” once covered by Elvis in his early Sun Records recordings is an acoustic 12-bar blues that made James “Kokomo” Arnold a star in the 1930s.
• The record closes with another original acoustic-electric slide instrumental, “Swimming in the Sound.” Eric has done himself proud with the musicians that he has selected to play on this album and this piece features a full band.

The playing on “Six” is super competent–and it is not just Eric and Alika. According to Eric, “Including Ed Contreras in the project was not the original plan and was a total leap of faith. He and I played in a country-rock band in Denver in the early 1980s, we’ve remained friends and his playing can be found on five of my six albums. His primary focus over the past 45 years has been world percussion and he’s one of Denver’s best.  Brad Stoll is also a great friend and has played drums with me in blues and jazz groups for over 35 years here in Seattle.  Mike Eytcheson is a bassist and friend who I’ve known and played with (off and on) for years also.”

This is a record that I will continue to play a lot.  Great blues, great musicianship, expertly crafted.