Ryan Cassata

In his debut LP with Kill Rock Stars, Greetings from Echo Park, Ryan Cassata (he/him), a genre-defying powerhouse musician and activist, constructs a raw collection of folk punk, blues, and pop punk songs that soundtrack stories of anxiety, escapism, illness, and transphobia. The album is due out June 6th, 2025. In Greetings from Echo Park, Cassata has seemingly spent the past few years swallowing down all the feelings of isolation and anxiety he could hold. Now he’s spitting it back up like bile. The result is a rich mosaic of influences and voices, bringing in collaborators such as Jason Hiller, David Scott Stone (Melvins, LCD Soundsystem), Mark Pelli (MAGIC!), and utilizing styles from emo pop-punk to Springsteen-style guitar. The album art even plays homage to Bruce Springsteen's iconic Greetings from Asbury Park. Partially written and recorded while battling an autoimmune illness and Lyme Disease coinfections, the album serves as both a cathartic release and a deeply personal chronicle of survival. Ryan Cassata’s music has long been intertwined with activism; he is an award-winning singer-songwriter, actor, performer, published writer, LGBTQ+ activist, and transgender motivational speaker. With over 650 performances nationwide and internationally and seven original and critically-acclaimed musical albums, Cassata is proud to be recognized as the first openly-trans performer at the Vans Warped Tour, in addition to featured performances at Jazz at Lincoln Center, The Oregon Shakespeare Festival’s Green Show, Global Pride, and SXSW. He has been praised by The Advocate Magazine as a “Transgender singing sensation.” Paper Magazine included Cassata on their 50 LGBTQ Musicians You Should Prioritize list, and LOGO’s New Now Next included him on the “9 Trans Musicians You Need To Get Into” list. Billboard Magazine has referred to him as a “true force in the industry,” honoring him as one of the esteemed 11 Transgender & Non-Binary Musicians You Need to Know.