Interview with Ryan McPhun of The Ruby Suns
Wendy:
Tell me about your tour thus far - the band that you're playing with and what your experiences during the European leg of the tour were like.
Ryan:
We've just played our first show in the states since 2010 in LA at the Satellite which used to be Spaceland. Prior to that we were on a whirlwind European tour for two weeks with 12 shows. The band is me and two of my best friends, Alistair Deverick and Bevan Smith. I'm playing bass and guitar, Al does the drumming, and Bevan is playing synths. I do most of the singing but the other guys pitch in too. It's been interesting taking a new approach to live shows with this new record. It's been kinda fun re-imagining old songs and developing more straight forward and concise versions of the new songs to present for the shows. We're more of a live band than we've ever been. no backing tracks and minimal samples. It's quite fun but it seems like I'm singing way more falsetto which is always challenging in a live show.
Wendy:
You're touring on 'Christopher' which definitely has an underlying theme to it. What are some of the stories behind the album?
Ryan:
Right before I started work on the record I broke up with my long time girlfriend, which was pretty intense. Quite a few songs are about me trying to deal with that - some anger and sadness but also a little bit of optimism and appreciation for this new sense of freedom I'd not yet had as an adult - learning how to be my own person, figuring out my identity without this other person being a part of it.
Wendy:
The last album that you released was in 2010, so you've had a bit of time in which to gather experiences and to write the music and lyrics on 'Christopher'. Was this album in the works for quite a while or were the ideas behind it developed recently?
Ryan:
The first two songs for the record were made at the end of 2010 and the rest came gradually throughout 2011 and the first couple of months of 2012. We mixed and mastered the thing in April/May [of] last year so this record has been sitting waiting for quite a while.
Wendy:
Tell me about recording 'Christopher'. What was it like working with Chris Coady?
Ryan:
I ended up writing a bunch of the songs in Norway where I've been staying on and off for the last couple of years. Sometimes I find its easier to stay focused on things when I'm outside of my routine or away from my own space. 'Desert of Pop' and 'Dramatikk' were the first two tracks written for the record while I was in Oslo during winter of 2010/2011; that was my first time in those crazy temperatures. It even got down to -20C, about 20 degrees colder than it ever gets in Auckland.
Working with Chris Coady was really great - he's extremely talented and extremely hard working. He seemed to know the exact vibe I was going for with the record and understood where I was coming [from]. It was a breeze, plus he's a seriously top notch guy.
Wendy:
What are your plans post-tour or in the coming year?
Ryan:
Good question! If there are other touring opportunities that come up we'll take them but if not I'll probably spend the summer in Europe and start work on a new record. I've for no idea what it will be like. I think im ready to make a non-electronic record again.
The Ruby Suns perform tonight at the Bottom of the Hill with Painted Palms and Seatraffic. Show is at 9.
For more information go to:
www.myspace.com/the rubysuns
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