Ear buds March Mixtape: Ruby Bones Interview
While we are still gathering some interviews and cool shit for our April cassette with Left Bank Magazine, we still have some bands from other mixtapes that we wanna give a shoutout too (and a nice little feature as well).
Indie rockers Ruby Bones combine energetic rhythms with visceral, existential lyrics best digested in sweat-soaked clubs like the ones that define New Jersey and Brooklyn
Made up of vocalist/guitarist Chris Fox, drummer James Janocha, and South African import FC Spies on bass, the trio describes itself as "Bruce Springsteen on cocaine after a few drags off a helium balloon."
We'll take it.
Check out their interview with us below:
Your Facebook bio mentions lots of pizza, so lets start there … Whats your favorite pizza topping?
Haha. I think it's in our interests, not our bio. We could write a new bio about how we met trying to devour the world's largest pizza only to be bested by Johnny Chestnut, which led us to rethinking our life's direction where we ultimately decided that we would form a band instead of being professional eaters. But I digress. Personally, my ultimate favorite topping is Bacon, but if I'm at a classic join in the city - a la Bleeker Street Pizza - I'm going classic cheese or pepperoni. You don't mess with that.
We have to ask, how do you feel about pineapple on pizza?
Not my thing. When I'm taking down a slice I don't want to pretend I'm being healthy. We all know what this is. Give me that grease all day. Chris on the other hand loves it... I'll just leave that there.
Who are your musical influences?
As a band I think that we all come through as a child of the early 2000s indie rock scene. Chris has a deep affinity for bands like Spoon and The Strokes. While FC and I come from a heavier background, I think you can trace the core of the band back to the early LES and Merge Records days.
Whats your favorite lyric (either in your song or others)?
I don't know that I could ever answer that question. I hate to take the cop-out, but lyrics - and what I may say are my favorite - all relate to a time in my life. The answer will be completely different today than it will be next week.. or it was last week.
The guys wanted to submit this one from Tom Waits: "You know there ain't no devil, that's just god when he's drunk."
Are you guys from New Jersey or just kind of ended up there?
Chris is originally from New Jersey and is our resident advisor. He's a pretty big deal in Rutherford (sorry, that's an inside joke you're not going to get). FC lives in Brooklyn and made his way here for school from South Africa. I was a little bid of a nomad for a while. I'm originally from Delaware and live in Nashville and Boston before making my way back down here after college.
Does making music in NYC/NJ bring more out in your sound? How does the city affect your music?
I think there's more of a Jersey feel to us than NYC. I don't think we fit the current New York/Brooklyn trend all that well and we're not making any conscious decision to try to adhere to that. There is something going on in Jersey that feels really special. Places like Asbury Park are embracing independent musicians and indie rock. It's a really fun time to be playing music around here.
HELL YEAH. Your favorite thing about making music?
There's a special energy that comes about when you're making music. I can't really explain it, but in those moments, nothing else matters. It happens to me the same when you listen to certain artists. Where you can almost zone out and feel what the artist(s) were feeling. And when you're in that moment with a band, and you're all on that same wavelength, there's nothing like it.
What does success look like to you?
I don't have these delusions of grandeur. If I were able to live off of making music, I would find that life successful. Being able to do what you love for the rest of your life. Not many people are privileged enough to be able to say that.
Have your parents been to a show and if so, what were their thoughts?
They hated it. JK. None of our parents have actually seen us perform as Ruby Bones yet. I'm sure they will some day, and I think they'll have a good time. I come from a family of musicians and they have seen me play in all sorts of bands over the years. Very little would catch them off guard these days.
Upcoming Dates
April 27 - Brooklyn (at Gold Sounds)
May - Teaneck NJ
June- Asbury Park
(Follow them on Facebook to get more deets)