By: Matt Stock
When you speak to people about Yannie Reynecke, you’re going to hear a lot of common views. The first thing they say is that he’s a Rockstar, a prodigiously talented blues, country and rock guitarist. Next, his work ethic is mentioned in some capacity, followed by some allusion to him being a shy, quiet guy with a particular dry sense of humor. That observation is usually followed by an on-the-fly, one word impersonation of him – “MMMmmmmm.”
If you know Yannie, you’ve heard it, and understand its multifaceted utility. Could mean “yeah,” could mean “ohhhh yeahhh,” or maybe “I’ll take a Jameson,” or something along the lines of “brunch sounds delightful” or “man I love this song” or “that gal has some great legs.” Few are able to say so much with so phonetically little.
The last thing they say is that while they’re going to miss him dearly when he departs our island for Nashville next month, they can’t think of anyone more ready to make the jump. Reynecke agrees, noting that a move has long been in the works, and Nashville was always the only destination.
“Nowhere else, no matter how cool it was, stuck out as somewhere that was cool enough to move there,” he says without hesitation, his large, tattooed playing hand enveloping a can of Coors. We’ve come to a local dive bar we expected to be slow and quiet, but a jukebox-playing happy hour flash mob of sorts has descended upon the venue, making for a festive interview environment. Reynecke seems to enjoy it, just as he’s always enjoyed his soon-to-be hometown.
“I’ve always dug it, it’s Music City USA, I love that stuff,” he continues, “But playing there with Angie showed me another side of it, a side that I want to be a part of.” Reynecke is speaking of Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Angie Aparo, a fellow islander with whom he’s regularly been touring the Eastern U.S. as an accompanist/side man for the last year, and who has introduced him to several Nashville-based industry peers. These accomplished individuals are a source of motivation. “I want to be around people that are amazing, because it makes you better. I want to be pushed.”
Nashville may be a tough, competitive town, but it’s impossible to not pick up on Reynecke’s cool confidence when discussing his leap of faith. “Some people get scared, I see opportunity,” he says, noting that those sorts of opportunities can literally can be right around the corner. “The thing about Nashville is you go to a grocery store and run into heavy hitters.” He pauses briefly and continues, “I would totally regret it if I didn’t try. I’m confident in my playing but I’m confident in myself as a person, too. That’s almost just as big a part of it, people have to want to be around you.”
Yannie’s nature as a hard worker, a great player, and a good dude become even more clear when speaking with the people around him, none more so than his mom, Jackie. She very clearly recalls seeing a focus and drive in her son starting from a young age, well before he ever picked up a guitar. “Yannie was a committed kid from a very young age. It was clear that his father had aspirations for him focused in golf,” she remembers. “He started Yannie hitting golf balls as a toddler. He was allowed to chip and putt real balls in the condo we lived in at Queens Grant which also happened to be very near the practice sand trap at the driving range. He and his father went almost daily to that trap. We’d have to drag him out of it to rest, eat, or go home.” After his father’s unexpected passing two years later, Reynecke continued to golf with local family friends, and displayed a passion and respect for his craft that belied his age. “Not only was I told time and time again that he was a good golfer, but that he had better manners and respect for the game than some adults,” Jackie proudly recalls.
As Yannie continued his pursuit of golf into his middle school years, an arbitrary gift from another family friend would alter his course permanently and set the wheels of fate in motion. “He received a hand me down electric guitar,” remembers Jackie, “and it wasn’t long before he asked about taking lessons and that’s where John Sturm, Jevon Daly and a variety of musicians at John’s Music became an important part of all our lives.” Daly remembers his initial encounter with his serious, quiet new pupil. “I remember trying to get him to yell in the lesson room, that was one of my tactics, to try to get kids that were shy to emote… I honestly didn’t think Yannie was going to do very well with the guitar, and then when he came back from college I went into the music store and there was this really tall kid shredding guitar, and I asked Sturm ‘who’s that?’ It was Yannie.”
As for John Sturm, it’s a name that frequently comes up in conversations about Yannie, as he has become a lifelong friend and mentor, as well as a current bandmate. Not always known for effusive praise, he is quick to acknowledge Reynecke’s special nature. “He would practice in his room constantly. Great work ethic. He was always very quiet, especially when I first met him. Yannie’s like the son I never had, kind of, and he’s just an achiever, that’s what it comes down to. Just about anything he decides he wants to do, he can do.” Fellow Magpie, frequent collaborator, and partner-in-crime Bobby Magyarosi elaborates on his best friend’s work ethic and skill level. “I think he just straight-up puts more work in than other people do, it gets overlooked because people watch him play now and he’s so f—ing good and they say, ‘it’s not fair, it’s not fair.’ Well it IS fair, it’s completely earned, he practices for hours a day and it shows.”
Does he really practice that often? “Yeah, I still practice and I’m still learning shit. I know when I have things to improve on and I take the time to do it.” Reynecke continues, “But it’s not always that structured, sometimes it’s just about PLAYING every day, it’s just something I love doing. I can get in ruts where I get complacent and unhappy with what I’m playing. They’re tough to get out of, the best thing you can do is practice and learn something new.” He broke one such rut a few years ago, when, inspired by legends like Duane Allman and Ry Cooder, he set out to master slide guitar. “It’s hard as shit and it’s really difficult to get down and it’s a pain in the ass but I love the way it sounds so one day I sat down and said I was gonna do it.”
Whether it’s his sleek yet soaring guitar work with bands like Cranford Hollow or The Magpies, or his late-night social media posts featuring his ethereal slide experiments, we are all better off as fans for his dedication to his craft. After speaking with so many of his colleagues, who, nearly to a man, describe his playing as “tasteful”, it’s interesting to hear Yannie humbly describe his own style, as he almost seems hesitant to do so.
“Taste, to me, is, I’m not gonna sit there and try to impress the crowd, I’m not gonna show off everything I can do, I’m not gonna play a million notes a minute. First and foremost, I’m going to serve the song and I’m going to listen to what everyone else is doing.” And when it is his time to shine, he still maintains a personal discipline. “When I take a solo I try to build it, have a conversation with it, it’s not a matter of ‘I’m gonna show you what I can do, just because I can do it.’”
With an uncertain but promising future laid before him, Reynecke hesitates to make any major predictions regarding his impending trajectory, but is certain that life on the road will be a part of it. “I want to go on a tour, and I want to play live. Being able to hop on a tour and get the job done is want I want to do. I want to see the country. I’ve done some long hauls with Hollow and with Angie and I never get tired of it. Playing on the road is the shit.” His band of brothers wish him success and, importantly, freedom. Says Sturm, “I think he’ll be doing studio work for some people, I think he might get picked up by a touring band, but I don’t think he’ll be happy doing the same thing for a long period of time. He can do whatever he wants to do.” Magyarosi adds, “I hope that he can maintain options and the power to say no when he wants to, and I hope he’s inspired by the guys he plays with out there.” As for his number one fan, mom Jackie has both high hopes and sound advice for her boy. ”I hope that Yannie feels his accomplishments, personally, professionally, small or large on this journey, are his proudest moments… I hope he realizes he’s already successful by just merely taking the first steps towards his way in the world.” She also doesn’t seem overly concerned about her son’s chances for success. “I learned a long time ago that if he makes a decision to do something he’ll see it through to the end. He’s got a proven track record.” Reynecke doesn’t seem worried about it either, adding with measured confidence, “I’ve never wanted to do anything else for a living. And if I can pay the rent and live well by playing guitar than I’m gonna do it, and I wanna do it on a grand scale.”
It’s starting to get dark outside, the happy hour crowd is dissipating, the jukebox credits are gone, and I realize that I’m really going to miss this dude as well. How about another beer or two, I ask, and I get the reply I’m hoping for –
“MMMMmmmm.”