Ruen Brothers – All My Shades of Blue

By starrymag | June 13, 2018

By: Jamie Steinberg

 

 

Q) How would you describe your sound?

 

A) Cinematic, emotional and melodic.

 

Q) Who are some of your musical influences?

 

A) The Everly Brothers, The Rolling Stones, Van Morrison, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, Muddy Waters, The Damned, Sex Pistols, Undertones and Stiff Little Fingers. We grew up on a good diet of music from our dad’s record collection! We were very fortunate to listen to these brilliant artists from an early age. They helped shape us today.

 

Q) Tell us about the story behind your new song “All My Shades of Blue.” What do you think it is about the song that fans connect to?

 

A) I think it’s relatable to anyone who has ever missed someone or something, either a passing moment or a long time apart. I think that’s something we all as human beings have experienced in our lives, young or old.

 

Q) How does the video for the track play into the message behind it?

 

A) The TV esq performance is something that stylistically we’ve always loved. A lot of those old TV performances had a real feeling of strong emotions conveyed by the performers. Artists like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings really connected you to the stories they were telling. We wanted the video to have that similar effect. We incorporated an audience of all different characters, mostly friends. We didn’t want just a bunch of actors and models, we wanted some honesty there and I think the expressions conveyed by our friends throughout our performance got the message of the song across.

 

Q) What is your song writing process? Do you need music before you can create lyrics?

 

A) It’s usually a very collaborative effort. We like to get a cool chord progression going first and then we’ll hum out a melody. Once we are happy with that, we work on the lyrics. We usually sit down and write when we feel inspired, like after watching a great film or seeing a fantastic concert.

 

Q) Talk about working alongside famed producer Rick Rubin.

 

A) Brilliant. He gave us the opportunity to do anything and experiment to the utmost, guiding us with suggestions, helping us realize the strongest elements of the music we were creating. It was a liberating recording experience.

 

Q) What can fans expect from a live Ruen Brothers performance?

 

A) Live instruments played with energy and love. Story time, a little bit of stand up. Dancing, whiskey and a good old time.

 

Q) Who would you most like to collaborate with on a song in the future?

 

A) Lana Del Rey and/or Leon Bridges.

 

Q) You are a part of social media. Why is that such an important way for you to connect with your fans?

 

A) Social media is important because it allows us to keep our fans up to date with what we’re up to and provide people with a near personal experience of our lives and music. Photos and videos are taken and shared everywhere by fans, friends and strangers. There’s very little to hide. It also helps us gauge feedback after shows, sessions and releases. It’s instantaneous and keeps us on track.

 

Q) What would you like to say to everyone who is a fan and supporter of you and your work?

 

A) We can’t thank you enough for taking the time to listen to us and enjoy what we do. It’s really surreal for us to think that the music we write together touches people and that people have a nice time listening to us and coming down to our shows. Thank you.