Ruby & The Rogues, a quirky little three-piece band from New Orleans has created a distinct sound and musical mood of their own that you can't really pin down to a specific genre. It's that renegade, freewheeling approach to music both as artists and music fans which gives the band their charm. You can experience their musical magic this weekend without having to take a road trip to New Orleans.
Ruby & The Rogues (Ruby Rendrag – singer, songwriter, guitarist, Michael Ennis – percussion, and Suki Kuehn – cellist) will be playing at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston this Saturday, October 29 at 9:30 p.m.
MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI had the opportunity to chat with Ruby & The Rogues and find out a little more about them. In the spirit of their unique sound and unconventional approach to music, we skipped the standard cliche interview questions the band might have become accustomed to and asked them to share with us some information about themselves that fans won’t find in their online bio.
MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI: What are some of your favorite aspects of being part of the New Orleans music scene and what differentiates it from other music cities?
Ruby & the Rogues: New Orleans is a quaint, laid back city where everybody knows everybody. It's great to be able to stroll down Frenchmen Street, stop in one of the many clubs for a few songs and say "Hi" to a friend on stage - pretty much any time of day or night.
MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI: Other than New Orleans, what other music cities that you have played have thriving local music scenes that define the community that people might not be aware of?
Ruby & the Rogues: So far, we've been to The Listening Room in Mobile, Alabama a few times and found those folks to be serious and enthusiastic about music. We're looking forward to discovering many more cities in the coming years.
MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI: Some musicians cite seeing Elvis or The Beatles on television for the first time as being that moment when they knew they wanted to be a musician and perform in front of people. Was there a similar event in your life, maybe not as earth shattering, but just as influential that inspired you to become a musician?
Ruby & the Rogues: For me (Ruby), it was the music on the radio in the '90s. Everything from Dave Matthews to Sound Garden to Tori Amos opened my world. Although I started playing the guitar when I was 9, I didn't "decide" to be a musician until I was 27. I never looked back. For Suki, it was the discovery of the cello itself at age 16. Mike has always been a music lover and a gear head.
MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI: As a music fan, I can remember that moment when I realized music was more than just peripheral background noise on a radio, and that it could speak to you in strange ways. For me, it was lying in bed as an anxious child, trying to get to sleep, before cell phones, the Internet, cable TV, and digital music, listening to the radio and hearing "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin screaming out of my tiny radio in the dark like a demon and being frightened and enticed by the primal sounds at the same time. Do you have a similar experience?
Ruby & the Rogues: Music was an integral part of my life since my time in the womb. My dad had bluegrass jams in the house all the time and we went to bluegrass festivals every year. He played on the Louisiana Hayride and even opened for Flatt and Scruggs! I'm the only girl out of five brothers, most of which played music. I remember my brother dressed like Jimmy Page in his bedroom learning Zeppelin songs. Music was always in the foreground for me.
MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI: How has as social media changed the way you interact with fans and the way you present yourself and your music to the public?
Ruby & the Rogues: I'm terrible at social media - working on that...
MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI: How has the creative freedom of not confining yourself to a particular genre of music affected your process of making and performing music?
Ruby & the Rogues: I'm no longer concerned about trying to squish my songwriting into one box. It's just not possible. As long as it's honest and we feel good about the song, we play it and it goes on the album. Recently, we started breaking up our songs into sets of genres for fun: adult album alternative/country, eclectic, and rock/blues.
MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI: What do you like most about performing your music live?
Ruby & the Rogues: We just have a great time on stage with each other and we enjoy sharing our stuff with folks and meeting people.
MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI: What would be your absolute ideal live music performance experience both as a musician on the stage and as a fan in the audience?
Ruby & the Rogues: We had our ideal performance as a band and as audience members when we opened for Heart at House of Blues in New Orleans and then got to watch their show from backstage!
MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI: If you could perform a spontaneous, impromptu live performance anywhere at any time to share the power of music with the people, where would that be and what would be your dream outcome of that performance?
Ruby & the Rogues: Hmmmm. We'll have to think about that one. Sounds like an awesome idea!
MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI: Do Ruby & The Rogues have their own “Free Bird” song that fans shout out requests for at your shows?
Ruby & the Rogues: We're kind of feeling that way about "Superman."*
MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI: What can music fans expect from a Ruby & The Rogues show?
Ruby & the Rogues: Well-crafted original songs (and a few covers) performed from the heart with unique instrumentation.
Click here to listen to one of those well-crafted songs from the heart and its unique instrumentation.
Thank you to Ruby & The Rogues for taking the time to talk with MUSE-ICAL GRAFFITI and for providing a behind the scenes glance at the band. Check out Ruby & The Rogues live tomorrow night, October 29,
at McGonigel’s Mucky Duck in Houston. You can also listen to their first album "Powder Blue" on their website and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.
*Ruby & The Rogues are currently working on recording their second album "Tuscan," which will include the fan favorite "Superman." The expected release date for the new album is spring of 2017.