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Ryan Richko is a professional guitarist from Chicago known mostly for his instrumental guitar music. He is also the lead vocalist and guitarist of the rock band "Dissidia," formed in late 2009. Ryan has played for many different bands ranging from the styles of rock, metal, funk, blues, and progressive metal. He has shared the stage with many local and national acts in the hottest Chicago venues like The Metro, The Double Door, and The Cubby Bear, just to name a few. Ryan has been teaching guitar professionally for 4 years and is building a good reputation as a session guitarist and producer.

Ryan's musical training began when he was 6 years old taking cello and piano lessons at the Suzuki Academy of Music. After 9 years of training at the Suzuki Academy, his father handed him a fender stratocaster and ever since then his life has been devoted to making music with his guitar.

Throughout high school he took guitar and music theory courses to help further his knowledge. After high school he enrolled at Columbia College Chicago as a music major for guitar performance. There he took theory, sight-singing, ear training, keyboard, and jazz guitar courses that allowed him to fully expand his musicality and creative skills. He took private lessons with Peter Lerner, Norman Ruiz, and Frank Dawson, some of the finest and well respected guitarists in Chicago. Some of his early influences include Dream Theater, Joe Satriani, Pink Floyd, Steve Vai, Iron Maiden, Sunny Day Real Estate, Symphony X, Radiohead, Muse, and Santana.

In September 2009, Ryan was hired by “Groove Monkee” to write music and record guitar and bass tracks for a new product. More information will be released in the near future.

In 2008 Ryan was hired as the music editor for the Ipod/Iphone application “Guitar Toolkit,” a virtual chord database featuring scales, chords, a tuner, and a metronome.

In June 2007, Ryan Richko was featured along with guitar greats Michael Angelo Batio, Dave Weiner (Steve Vai Band), on rock guitarist Andrew Bordoni's album "Andrew Bordoni and Friends,” which was independently released. You can hear him on the track “Mind Tapped.”

In 2005, Ryan Richko won best guitarist in the “Emergenza music fest” in Chicago playing a sold out show at the metro with his former metal band "Rise of Ruin."

Currently Ryan is working on writing his first full length album for his solo project, and his band "Dissidia."