Written by: Connor Mercer
Ryan D’Aversa has big aspirations. Bassist of Adam and the Metal Hawks, he allowed me to interview him this morning, giving a brief summary of his life story, his rise to fame, and his plans for the future.
“I’m not exactly someone who prioritizes fame and fortune,” he said. “What I really want at the end of the day is to be able to express myself in a way that resonates with the masses, and to serve as an inspiration for people.” He made an important note of how thrilled he was every time someone came up to him in public and told him he was their inspiration.
But how did he get here in the first place?
Born in 2000, Ryan D’Aversa was brought up in the music world. His parents both have deep roots in it: “My dad sang in bands in the 80s and 90s, and my mom worked at the studio he was rehearsing and recording in. My dad would play me some of his stuff and I’d look at old pictures of him when he had long hair. Needless to say, I caught the bug.”
Ryan began his long career at age 3, when his aunt got him a First Act drum set for Christmas. Playing drums well into high school, he also taught himself guitar and bass. His first public performance was a middle school talent show. Remembering the event fondly, he and his friend performed Skid Row’s “Youth Gone Wild” to a roaring crowd. “Everyone went nuts. It was one of the first times I felt empowered as an individual and as a performer, because up until then I never felt like I fit in anywhere, and this was my gateway into doing something that would make me stand out.”
Middle school, he says, is where things really began to take off. Joining his friend Johnny Barry, the duo took on “the local scene” for a few years ago with their friend Alex Hertler. Originally, Ryan was their singer, but he took on the roll of lead bassist when they couldn’t find anyone else.
Eventually, the Metal Hawks joined forces with Adam Ezegelian. “We met Adam through a friend of my dad’s who was working on a solo project with him. They needed a band, so we swooped in, and it became something totally new and better than what any of us had before.” Alex left the band in 2022, recommending Griffin McCarthy to fill his shoes. “Needless to say, Griff blew everyone out of the water, and it’s been the same lineup ever since.”
The group credits social media with their unexpected and extreme rise to fame. They were “lucky” enough to time their social media presence with the unfortunate rise of Covid-19. “People were chained to the virtual world,” he said. They used eye-catching gimmicks to get viewers, who stayed for their creative talent. One example Ryan gave was the “blue bowls” video, in which the group performed covers of songs such as Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child ‘O Mine” while tapping blue bowls on their heads like drums. Of course, Ryan personally credited his manager in consistently guiding the group’s rise to fame.
And rise to fame they did. “To be able to perform in front of thousands of people in European festivals is something 10-year-old me would’ve never imagined in my wildest dreams. Before we started touring, I didn’t really care much for globetrotting, but now that we are I wanna see it all: The good, the bad, and the ugly.”
When asked where he saw the group over the course of ten years, Ryan was optimistic. He hopes to be selling out bigger headlining tours “comfortably” within 5, and hopes to one day be on top of the world. “Hopefully it all happens before 10 years,” he joked.
Ryan D’Aversa cites Van Halen, Rush, and Led Zeppelin as some of his favorite bands. When he’s not busy shredding bass, he enjoys riding his bike, working out, and playing video games. In the past, he worked full-time as an electrician with his father.