Indie Sounds NY & Austin

Feature: Ruby Jane Smith Pushes Austin's City Limits

It was when I was visiting Austin late last year that a friend mentioned Ruby Jane Smith to me.  My interest in lady violin players was in the open through violinfemmes.com and he said I should check her out. "She's a kid, but don't let that put you off," was the advice.

I finally got to see Ruby Jane live at this year's SXSW festival, and ... wow! A young teenager, but one who not only can play phenomenally well, she also has a stagecraft that many adult musicians would be in awe of.  In a week or so, she'll be a year older, and around the same time, viewers of Austin City Limits will be able to witness her grace and skill alongside the greatness of Willie Nelson, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel. So Indie Sounds asked her mom, JoBelle, if we could have a chat to her ...



Indie Sounds: Let's begin with the near future.  On November 14th, you'll be on the famous Austin City Limits TV show, playing along with Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel.  It was actually recorded a little while ago.  Did you have a good time?

Ruby Jane Smith: I did! It was the most incredible experience for me. Willie, Ray, and the whole crew are so kind to me and I really felt right at home. To me, Willie is just like a grandfather kind of guy. So sweet, down-to-earth, and wonderful. It was awesome to be up there playing with some of my heroes!

Feature: The Tiny Tin Hearts Take Flight

I first stumbled upon The Tiny Tin Hearts last November.  I'd stopped by Momo's late one night for a nightcap and loved the sound that this sprawling orchestra was creating. Since then, they've been getting their live act polished, winning competitions in The Chronicle, and now they are set to release their debut album.  Time for Indie Sounds to talk to band leader Seth Osborn.


Photo by Valerie Fremin

Indie Sounds: When and how did The Tiny Tin Hearts get founded, and how did the name come about?

Seth Osborn: I started putting the band together in early 2007 mostly by posting Craigslist ads for musicians.  I was looking for string players, horn players, guitar, bass, drums - the works.  I had a batch of songs that I could play on either the piano or the banjo and I had this vision for a large ensemble that could create a wide variety of musical textures using acoustic instruments and performance instead of effects or digital sounds.

Feature: Leslie Mendelson Makes A Pop Record

Leslie Mendelson has come a fair way since I first heard her sing at Cafe 111 in Brooklyn, and also since Indie Sounds wrote about her band Emma Peel in (print) issue #4. Over the past couple of years, she's been delighting an expanding fan base with some killer songs, at shows at the likes of Rockwood Music Hall.  And we were told a new album was coming, and coming, and coming ... Finally, it is here, and it's a winner. Indie Sounds caught up with her as she's beginning to promote it on the road ...

 

Indie Sounds: Your new album, Swan Feathers, was released last week. What should your fans expect?

Feature: He's No Deadbeat, Darling Joseph's A (Heavy) Weight Of Wandering

Thinking back, I think I first heard of Joseph King in NYC, but I remember that I first saw him live in Austin - at a SXSW day party, a tip from Tommy, the booker at the Rockwood.  Now leading his band Deadbeat Darling, there is a new album - Weight Of Wandering - to promote and shows this Saturday at Antone's in Austin and then next Friday at Bowery Ballroom in NYC.  So, ahead of those gigs, here is the back story of the original man in tights ...


Photo by John-Floyd Pardieu

Indie Sounds: OK Joseph, let's start at the beginning ...

Joseph King: So I began playing guitar and attempting to sing and write songs at about age 12, though I've been told it was a less than pleasant experience for those subjected to my early prodigy. As far as influences, my older brother gave me my first guitar and vocal lesson, and I suppose a few of my first musical influences would have to be Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Marley, and the Fleetwood Mac Rumours album. My first real experiences as a performer though came as a dancer as opposed to a musician ...

Feature: Eleanor Whitmore

Many know that I have a 'thing' for ladies who play the fiddle.  And it was in my research for ViolinFemmes.com that Pierre Jelenc suggested I check out Eleanor Whitmore, commenting that her hair color is "RED, not ginger or anything wimpy like that." That much is true, but as I was soon to discover, her music and musicianship is what really stands out. And even that is only part of her engaging story, as you can read below ...


Photo by Ed Verosky

Indie Sounds: So, you come from a musical family.  Tell us about them and how you got your start in life?

Eleanor Whitmore: I was born in Harris Hospital in Fort Worth, TX.  My early years were spent in Justin, TX on a small grass landing strip, where my parents built their first house and flew antique airplanes.  My dad worked for Delta Airlines, now retired, and is a folk singer.  My mom is an opera singer.  They met working at the Six Flags Over Texas theme park.  They started me on violin when I was four-and-a-half after taking me to see Itzhak Perlman with the symphony and watching him on Sesame Street.  I just found this video!

Feature: Dustin Welch On Community, Music And The Tango In His Future

I'm pretty new to the Austin scene - the real scene, that is, not the mayhem we'll witness this week at SXSW.  So I was lucky to find myself at the Continental Club last November and by chance got to see a live show by Dustin Welch and his band. Man, he puts on a great show for a kid so young.

Since then, everyone I meet in the city mentions his name and what a great performer he is.  And they're all excited to hear his debut album, Whisky Priest, which is just about emerging. I reckoned that I should get a jump on Rolling Stone, and interview him right away ...


Photo by Ed Verosky

Indie Sounds: So how did Dustin Welch get his start in life and music?

Dustin Welch: I was born in an old plantation house in Franklin, TN outside of Nashville a couple years after my folks moved to town. My dad had been playing guitar in various bands around Oklahoma for years, and the same month my momma graduated from Oklahoma Uni, they got married and moved to Nashville.

Feature: The Kennedys Get Back Into The Big Apple Groove ...

I first came across The Kennedys’ music while I was still living in England in the 90's.  I was in a music store and there was this great song playing.  I asked a staffer and he said “They’re called The Kennedys.  Never heard them before but they ain’t bad are they?”  An understatement, indeed.  So I left the shop with Life Is Large and it entered high rotation in my CD collection.


Photo by Hub Wilson

Feature: Emily Zuzik Puts Down Roots; Gets Set For 2009

As I got started with Harris Radio back in 2002, one of the first people I met was Emily Zuzik.  I soon discovered that she was the kind of gal about town who wasn't going to be pegged as the 'folkie singer/songwriter' that I first got to know her as.


Photo by Jeff Fasano

A couple of years back, Emily released You Had Me At Goodbye and I still remember the kickass CD release party at Piano's.  It really was a textbook case of just how to do it.  Since then, she's been a very busy person indeed, so it was great to catch up and find out what she's been up to, and what's next. 

Feature: Jerry Cherry On Why His Life Is Sweeter In NYC ...

I first got to know Jerry Cherry via the now defunct Late Night at Rockwood Music Hall mayhem.  He always seemed to have an original approach to his song; some trick up his sleeve (when he wasn't stripping his shirt off, that is).  My first impression was, well, a bit of a WTF?


Photo by Courtney Collins