Hiya Ruby thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Thanks for joining us today… Tell us bit about where you are from and how you got into music?
I’m originally from Sheffield but I’ve lived and worked in Manchester for the last 17 years- I was brought up with music as my dad was a musician, and my family loved all sorts from electronica to world music and everything in between! I learned piano when I was little and then started gigging and being in bands from around age 14, so it’s always been a huge part of my life
What’s your view on the Music industry today?
I work in the music industry as an artist but also as a manager and curator of No Such Thing Records- I think there’s so much wonderful creation going on but we need to make things more sustainable and supportive, for artists at every level.
Community and grassroots venues are the best way into a music career, but they’re also, more importantly, people and places that stay with you for life- so we need to cultivate an industry where this is a priority.
Whats the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
I think going on from the previous answer, that loyal fanbases, supportive networks, and also prioritizing live and physical music is really important to me. Digital distribution has given my music a larger reach, but it always comes back to the people who believe in your work and making proper connection with audiences in a physical space.
What’s currently in your ears and on rotation at the moment?
I’ve been listening to Erland Cooper- who does amazing work with field recording, a lot of Kelly Lee Owens and Anna Von Hausswolff who I got to see live earlier this year and was incredible.
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
My new music is part of a project called Wildings which I’ve been working on for the last two years with Pannett Art Gallery in Whitby. I’ve been researching a family of artists called the Sopers who were naturalists, so I’ve made music in response to their artwork, diaries and writing which is all about caring for nature.
The EP traces a journey across a semi fictional landscape from mystic night encounters with badgers and toads, across the North Yorkshire moors as a shepherdess of real and imagined creatures, to the gannets of Bempton Cliffs.
It’s released fully on October 9th and my solo/curated exhibition opens on October 17th at Pannett Art Gallery.
What was the recording process like?
It was incredible because I got to travel all over the country field recording as part of my research project, So I was hanging around Pannett Park in Whitby late at night recording the calls of midwife toads (which is a crazy electronic liquid bleeping sound!) and then to coastal RSPB sites such as Bempton to sample birds, and even badgers down in Hertfordshire.
The music then developed out of making these soundscapes which combined electronic music and natural sound, then slowly into songs as I pieced this together with lyrics and melody. It’s my first fully self produced EP and I got to blend sound design and some poetry- so it’s been a really exciting EP to make.
Would you change anything now it’s finished?
Realising when something’s finished is always hard- and it’s never going to be perfect but that’s where the beauty lies. If anything I’d have liked to explore further and develop it into an album, but I think my future music will continue on the track of this work so we’ll see how things change there…
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
I’ve got a few live dates coming up as part of the Wildings project as a sort of Whitby residency.
The exhibition opens with a live music performance at the gallery on Oct 17th, followed by a film premier and live set at Music Port Festival, with Whitby Lobster Hatchery. Then a big band finale date at Whitby Krampus Run – TheKrampus Ball on Dec 5th accompanied by my collaborators KINRAR and JONOA.
FOLLOW RUBY HERE
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