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RAMSEY THORNTON
I Called It!(Gar Hole Records)
Add date: 5.19.2026
Release date: 5.15.2026
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Ramsey Thornton makes modern-day folk music for early mornings and quiet hours. It's a warm, rhythmic sound, fueled by intricate fingerpicking and the observational storytelling of a lifelong musician who's still discovering new horizons.
Long before he became an unsung hero of Tulsa's music scene — playing banjo in Ken Pomeroy's band, drumming for jazz combos, and collaborating with hometown heroes like Wilderado — the Oklahoma native began drumming at 6 years old. By his late-teens, he was playing stringed instruments, too. Banjo came first. Acoustic guitar followed, with Ramsey developing a hypnotic, percussive style — including intricate rhythms and uniquely phrased arpeggios — that seemed to nod to the two instruments he'd already learned.
"I string my acoustic guitar like it's a banjo, replacing the low E string with a high drone that usually stays open," he says. "I fingerpick almost exclusively, and I play softly. The sound that comes out is airy, light, and open."
While backing up artists across Tulsa during his early 20s, Ramsey started writing songs of his own, creating a unique version of American roots music fueled by banjo twang and folky hooks. Later, while wrapping up a graduate program at Oklahoma State University, he began writing the music that would fill his full-length debut, I Called It! This time, the songs felt different. Ramsey's new compositions were anchored by acoustic guitar, not banjo, and they showcased a melody-driven songwriter as he reflected upon the world around him.
A pot of dripping coffee. The protests of a Christian fanatic standing outside a music venue's doors, objecting to the music unfolding inside. The changing landscape of a backyard as the years pass. These are the sights and sounds of I Called It! To listen to Ramsey's songs is to be invited into his orbit, sitting alongside him as he takes everything in. I Called It! doesn't make judgments or grand proclamations. Instead, it simply observes, painting an extraordinary picture of ordinary life.
"Each song is about a very specific thing that I saw, heard, or felt," he explains. "I'll take that specific instance and zoom in, making observations."
Ramsey recorded I Called It! in Brooklyn, where he teamed up with Isaac Stalling and Sam Skinner (Pinegrove) in a Bed-Stuy studio. They anchored each song with a live performance of guitar and vocals, adding other instruments — from the interlocking layers of strings that sweep through "Tony's Song," a gorgeous duet with Ken Pomeroy, to the brushed percussion and keyboards that punctuate "Backyard" — for textural effect. Back home in Oklahoma, Ramsey tapped Chad Copeland (Broncho, Wilderado) to contribute synth, drones, and other atmospherics to tracks like "Fourth of July." Even so, I Called It! generally unfolds like a one-man show, capturing Ramsey Thornton in his element: intimate, locked-in, and focused on the present moment.
"I like my music to sound natural," he says simply. "These are songs that I wrote around my kitchen table. I recorded them with my friends. I hope they just sound like me."
With I Called It!, Ramsey Thornton keeps his eye on the outside world and his hands on the fretboard, creating a gentle, guitar-driven soundtrack to everyday life.
Photos 1-2 by Hugh Westhoff, 3-5 by Caleb Severo:
Apple Music
Bandcamp
Gar Hole Records
Official Website
Spotify
Tidal
YouTube
Ramsey Thornton makes modern-day folk music for early mornings and quiet hours. It's a warm, rhythmic sound, fueled by intricate fingerpicking and the observational storytelling of a lifelong musician who's still discovering new horizons.
Long before he became an unsung hero of Tulsa's music scene — playing banjo in Ken Pomeroy's band, drumming for jazz combos, and collaborating with hometown heroes like Wilderado — the Oklahoma native began drumming at 6 years old. By his late-teens, he was playing stringed instruments, too. Banjo came first. Acoustic guitar followed, with Ramsey developing a hypnotic, percussive style — including intricate rhythms and uniquely phrased arpeggios — that seemed to nod to the two instruments he'd already learned.
"I string my acoustic guitar like it's a banjo, replacing the low E string with a high drone that usually stays open," he says. "I fingerpick almost exclusively, and I play softly. The sound that comes out is airy, light, and open."
While backing up artists across Tulsa during his early 20s, Ramsey started writing songs of his own, creating a unique version of American roots music fueled by banjo twang and folky hooks. Later, while wrapping up a graduate program at Oklahoma State University, he began writing the music that would fill his full-length debut, I Called It! This time, the songs felt different. Ramsey's new compositions were anchored by acoustic guitar, not banjo, and they showcased a melody-driven songwriter as he reflected upon the world around him.
A pot of dripping coffee. The protests of a Christian fanatic standing outside a music venue's doors, objecting to the music unfolding inside. The changing landscape of a backyard as the years pass. These are the sights and sounds of I Called It! To listen to Ramsey's songs is to be invited into his orbit, sitting alongside him as he takes everything in. I Called It! doesn't make judgments or grand proclamations. Instead, it simply observes, painting an extraordinary picture of ordinary life.
"Each song is about a very specific thing that I saw, heard, or felt," he explains. "I'll take that specific instance and zoom in, making observations."
Ramsey recorded I Called It! in Brooklyn, where he teamed up with Isaac Stalling and Sam Skinner (Pinegrove) in a Bed-Stuy studio. They anchored each song with a live performance of guitar and vocals, adding other instruments — from the interlocking layers of strings that sweep through "Tony's Song," a gorgeous duet with Ken Pomeroy, to the brushed percussion and keyboards that punctuate "Backyard" — for textural effect. Back home in Oklahoma, Ramsey tapped Chad Copeland (Broncho, Wilderado) to contribute synth, drones, and other atmospherics to tracks like "Fourth of July." Even so, I Called It! generally unfolds like a one-man show, capturing Ramsey Thornton in his element: intimate, locked-in, and focused on the present moment.
"I like my music to sound natural," he says simply. "These are songs that I wrote around my kitchen table. I recorded them with my friends. I hope they just sound like me."
With I Called It!, Ramsey Thornton keeps his eye on the outside world and his hands on the fretboard, creating a gentle, guitar-driven soundtrack to everyday life.
Photos 1-2 by Hugh Westhoff, 3-5 by Caleb Severo: