What’s On Your Plate: Yot Club

With our series ‘What’s On Your Plate’ we ask artists not just what they’re working on, but what they’re actually feeding themselves – physically and metaphorically – while they do it. 

Interview with Ryan Kaiser. Photography by Rachel Briggs. Written by Heather Hawke. 

There’s a certain kind of artist who treats both the studio and the kitchen like battlegrounds—equal parts discipline, chaos, and instinct. For Yot Club’s Ryan Kaiser, that push-and-pull plays out somewhere between meticulously layered indie rock (we’re talking triple-digit track counts) and a reluctant relationship with the basic human need to eat. The result? A creative life that feels less like a balanced diet and more like an ever-simmering stew – one that occasionally boils over, sometimes gets ignored entirely, and somehow still comes out rich with flavor.

On the heels of SIMPLETON, an album that peels back the glossy veneer of suburban comfort to reveal something far more complicated underneath, Ryan finds himself in a familiar pre-tour ritual: equal parts self-preservation and quiet anticipation of the chaos ahead. Between perfecting Thai soups, navigating the delicate physics of pre-show meals, and tending to a newfound obsession with gardening, he’s juggling more than just music – he’s managing the rhythms (and consequences) of a life lived in creative overdrive.

For this installment of ‘What’s On Your Plate,’ we caught up with Ryan to talk thick-as-hell lasagna type albums, culinary fixations, tour survival strategies, and why, if he had it his way, humans would only eat once a month – and make a whole ceremony out of it.

What’s on your plate right now, both in terms of work and life?

I’ve just been getting ready for tour. The month or so leading up to tour I’m always super healthy because I know I’m about to do some damage on the road. 

If your current workload or creative project were a meal, what would it be and why?

This new album is thicker and fuller than my past stuff. Lots and lots of layering with most songs having over 100 tracks.  So, I would equate it to some thick ass lasagna.  

How does food play a role in your creative process or daily routine?

It’s honestly an inconvenience, if I’m really locked in creatively, I’ll just ignore my stomach when it starts rumbling.  I kind of hate that we must eat 2-3 times a day, that’s too much.  If I designed humans, you’d eat once a month and it would be a big ceremony every time.  That being said I do think cooking uses the same part of your brain as making music, so I respect and relate to cooks and kitchen people. 

Is there a specific meal or dish that represents this chapter of your life?

I do go through phases where I get fixated on figuring out how to make one thing perfect.  Last summer I was obsessed with shakshuka.  I went through a phase when I lived in NYC where I was obsessed with trying to replicate McDonalds.  Lately I’ve been into Thai soups like khao soi and tom kha.  There’s a good Thai grocery store near me now and it makes a huge difference buying the coconut milk and curry paste there.  

How do you balance your creative work with self-care (including meals, rest, and downtime)?

It’s hard because when I’m not on tour I have no real schedule.  And when I get excited about stuff I’m working on, I get tunnel vision and stop thinking about food and sleep.  My sleep schedule was so bad a few years ago I was having seizures regularly, so I had to force myself to stop working some nights and go to bed.  I haven’t had a seizure in almost two years now but it’s still something I worry about on tour.  I get pretty good sleep now but it’s a whole process.  I realize how connected everything is like the stuff you eat, and drink and your activity all affects your sleep.  So, I’m kind of grateful for the epilepsy because it’s forced me to make some changes I wouldn’t have made otherwise.  

Is there a recipe or food tradition you’ve created during a particularly transformative time in your life?

Yeah, when I moved to LA from Philly, I rented a place for two months while I looked for a real house.  It was like a one room shack with no air conditioning right on the beach in Venice.  It was awesome because I had been working on the album every day for over a year and needed a break.  I would fill a coffee cup with pinot grigio and take my dog for walks down the beach every night.  I didn’t have a very functional kitchen and there wasn’t a lot of takeout in Venice, so I was eating a lot of Fat Sals.

What’s fueling your creativity right now—any particular meals, routines, or rituals?

I’ve realized you have to have hobbies that aren’t music because you have to have stuff to do when you’re tired or not feeling creative.  I have a yard for the first time in years, and I’ve become obsessed with gardening.  I don’t have good luck growing vegetables, but I’ve planted a lot of flowers that are all doing really well. 

Does food ever influence your songwriting or performances in any way?

We got a lot of restaurants that we always try to hit on tour and there’s a lot we want to try.  It’s hard though because there’s usually a little bit of time to eat before the show and if you miss it, you’ll be starving.  But if you eat a full dinner before the show, it does not feel good on stage.  So, it’s a delicate balance.  I usually try to order something at a restaurant that can easily be reheated later at the hotel.  That way I can just eat a little bit before the show.  There are some genres of food we avoid entirely on tour, for example we’re not eating Italian food unless it’s an off day.  

If your latest album or project had a signature dish, what would it be?

Probably some sort of abstract made up slop like a burger king chicken fry. 

Have you ever had a meal that inspired a song, tour memory, or creative breakthrough?

No, I still haven’t found my cheeseburger in paradise.  I did go to the same school as Jimmy Buffett so now that he’s dead maybe I should write a burger song.  Lots of money in burger music.  

How do meals on tour compare to your meals at home, and what does that contrast reveal about your lifestyle?

We eat out every day on tour.  We hit a lot of good restaurants but there’s a lot of driving during the day where there’s nothing but fast food.  Sometimes if we’re lucky we can get an AirBnB and cook a pot of spaghetti or something.  But when I’m home I live alone and don’t keep a lot of food at the house.  I live right by a grocery store, and I pretty much go once a day, buy dinner ingredients and then cook them.  It’s the only way I know to avoid snacking all the time.  

What kind of “sonic flavor” do you think your music has—sweet, spicy, bitter, umami?

It would be some sort of perpetual stew you make when you’re trying to use all the stuff in the fridge.