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An Interview with Bitter Ruin - 13th Feb 2012
Rock. Punk. Folk. Soul. Classical. We don’t mind what you think Bitter Ruin is, as long as it’s ‘Brilliant’. With influences ranging from The Talking Heads to Metallica couched in classical training and cabaret flair, Bitter Ruin have a style and sound which caused a huge stir on the Brighton music scene.
Now the duo have left their home town and are taking on the world, playing with some of the biggest alternative music stars around. They are veterans of hundreds of gigs and festivals, are attracting scores of fans proud to call themselves ‘The Ruined’ - and astonishingly remain unsigned. We caught up with them to discuss the highs and lows of going it alone, sticking together and coming home.
2011 saw Bitter Ruin go global, with tours across europe, the UK and beyond. Recently you’ve had some tour dates back in Brighton – how does it feel to play back in your hometown after such an incredible journey?
Well, it’s always nice to come home – But honestly, hometown shows are always a very different vibe. People at the Brighton shows feel more like friends than fans because they’ve seen us grow from nothing. In many ways that’s nice, but it’s also a bit like playing to a room full of people who know all of your secrets! Having said that, everyone in Brighton has always been so supportive – it’s a very nurturing place for a band.
Bitter Ruin began in Brighton – which venues did you most enjoy playing in the city? Where in Brighton would you go to listen to new music in the early days?
Wow, well actually a lot of the venues we used to play are now either closed or run by new management. It’s sad, we used to love playing the Cellar, Joogleberry, Hanbury Ballroom…The Brunswick is a nice space, but honestly, I think the Komedia , Concorde 2 and The Ranelagh are our favourites. A lot of it comes down to atmosphere…and the rider! Ha ha! Generally we like spaces like Komedia for new bands – The Old Market is great too, and The Marlborough Theatre, SHUCKS! too many to mention!
You’ve played with a lot of renowned artists, from Amanda Palmer to the Tiger Lillies. Who were you most excited to work with?
Working with Amanda Palmer is always a rollercoaster! It was particularly great working with Amanda and Brian (Dresden Dolls) together. However, working with Duke Special was fantastic too, he was SUCH a nice guy and we adore his performances, really artistic.
You describe your music as ‘Contemporary Expressionism’. Can you explain further?
Contemporary Expressionism basically means, music that can travel through any genre, any instrumentation and travel through different keys/scales/melodic ideas throughout any piece or collection of songs depending on what the song is trying to express. We’re continually boxed into the ‘wrong’ genre category in our opinion and yet we do play around with a lot of genres…for instance, if someone were to call us folk, they’d be completely disregarding over 80% of our sound, however, you cannot deny some folk influences. We needed a label that would not restrict us, and so we thought ‘Expressionism’ fitted the bill nicely – however, Expressionism in the Classical sense follows particular rules that we cannot, because we are also quite mainstream, hence the ‘Contemporary’ part.
Your music defies easy categorisation and contains elements of many different genres. Do you feel it’s important to challenge the expectations of your audience? Would you call your music subversive or inclusive?
Well, I don’t think any artist wants their work to be subversive, however I do think our music is challenging. To be honest, I don’t think we plan on being either – we just hope that people like what we do. Some do, some don’t! I think what’s most important is that we challenge ourselves, perhaps in turn that makes our music subversive, but it’s not intentional.
Your single ‘Trust’ features a lot of vocal sparring – do you ever clash creatively?
All the time! We’re always battling over music and lyrics, we have very different musical taste and opposing backgrounds in training. But it’s this very fact that creates such a diverse sound. We push each other to places that we may never have been otherwise.
What about on the road? Working as a duo must be very intense. Are you always in harmony off stage?
Actually, we enjoy each other’s company. Thank God! After five years of working together, we seem to have adapted in order to get along. Every now and again there can be general hiccups, but nothing serious, ever! We’re a real team!
The video for ‘Trust’ got 5000 hits in 48 hours on Youtube, and Stephen Fry even tweeted about it. Are social media and networking vital to get unsigned acts noticed?
Of course! We would be nowhere without it. The most important site for us is Facebook – it’s a direct, fast and interactive way to reach our fans. Just brilliant!
Remaining unsigned after so many successes must be intensely frustrating. How do you cope? Are there any advantages to keeping total creative control?
It is frustrating, but you cannot let it get you down. Our general rule is that, as long as we are improving, growing and enjoying ourselves more each year, we won’t stop. The main disadvantage is the lack of marketing. We just don’t have that financial power and manpower to push the band with advertising. But yes, on the up-side, every penny we earn is ours, we have creative control and we still don’t feel like it’s “just a job”.
Besides, when offers come along, which they do, it’s a nice reminder that people are interested. We just haven’t found the right deal for us yet, perhaps we never will. Quite honestly, I think we’re a living example of what the music industry is and will be from now on…maybe ‘unsigned’ is the new black.
There’s a lot of unsigned acts out there. What’s the one piece of advice you’d give to those just starting out?
If you don’t love it, give up! Ha ha! Seriously, you have to have endless amounts of passion and drive to succeed without a label. You’ll be constantly rejected and every hurdle is mountain-sized. If you do love it however, be persistent. Get used to the business side of being in a band, talk to an accountant early, save up all of your earnings (you’ll need them when you’re on tour) and practice your instrument!
We believe in good music for good causes. What do you believe in? Are there any causes you’re particularly passionate about?
My gosh! So many. Some personal stuff, but other than that, we love animals, anything that helps animals. We also love science and technological development. Education is dear to us and anything that promotes equality.
And finally – how can your fans help get you a record label?
Ah, leave it to us, that’s our job – your job is just to sit back and enjoy the music…plus occasionally pay for it, that would be nice!
Coralie Oddy - Skeif Promotions
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Interview with Bitter Ruin - 24 August 2011
One of the main pleasures of writing this website is being introduced to so many wonderful bands who are blending and mixing up genres to create something new, something fresh, a sound that instantly grabs the attention, urging you to finding out more. Bitter Ruin are one such band, the duo create an incredible musical hot pot that nods at punk, indie, folk, caberet, musical theater and more. The duo are just about to set out on tour in support of new single, Trust, so I thought I should grab a hold of them just before they set out on the road for a quick chat.
1. HI, how you both doing? I thought it would be good to get a bit of a background on the band, so can you tell us how and when did you get together? Were you involved in any other bands before the formation of Bitter Ruin?
Hi Will, we’re great thanks. Literally about an hour away from setting off on tour! As for when we got together, it was in our fist year at music school about four years back now, and yes, both of us have had several bands and projects. We both come from a rock band background.
2. Bitter Ruin have an interesting sound how would you describe your music to anyone who’s not heard it before? I’d say there’s something of a punk and cabaret influence to your sound, is that a fair assumption? And who has influenced the sound of the band?
I think there are elements of SO many genres. The thing about Bitter Ruin is that we were originally both music students and then music teachers, so we can’t help but explore musical styles. It seems boring to us to keep within a genre. There are however unifying things like the acoustic nature of the tracks. Most say there’s some punk, some musical theatre, some soul and some flamenco…gosh, that sounds like a horrible mix…but it works for us! We like to think of it as Contemporary Expressionism.
3. Your songs tend to be influenced by the darker side of life, what kind of things influence your songwriting? Is it everyday experiences or are they more story based?
Both of us have been through some tough times and we draw upon them a lot. Everything is based on real life experience or elaborations of such.
4. Your sound tends to be instrumentally stripped down, did you always set out to make raw stripped down songs?
Yes. We like to think of the vocal as the main instrument and we pride ourselves on being able to pull off our vocal acrobatics live. Many times when watching live bands you can struggle to hear to voice and the lyrics. We didn’t want that. We wanted the songs to speak to people and therefore needed to keep a stripped down arrangement. However, that’s not to say that we don’t add instruments where needed too.
5. So you’re just about to release a new single, Trust, where did the inspiration come from for the new track and what are your expectations for the single?
The inspiration was an argument. I think the song pretty much sums up the kind of disputes lovers have when their relationships come to an end. As for our expectations, we’d love it to get some big media attention. Stephen Fry has already been tweeting about it which is great, but as an unsigned band it can be quite hard to capitalise on such good, but random publicity. I’d love to see this song chart, but unless literally ALL of our fans download it in one week, we don’t stand a chance because we don’t have the marketing power. But, you never know, we have some pretty cool fans.
6. The video to Trust is simply stunning and has a real sense of drama, where did the idea for the clip come from?
Sian Fever the director came up with the whole concept…we loved it!
7. Last year you released the album Hung, Drawn And Quartered, how was the full length release received?
Really, really well. We just can’t wait to get our next album out. It’s all ready to go, we just need to find a 60 piece orchestra to play on it…for free.
8. I’ve watched a number of your videos on youtube and I was particularly intrigued by the live performance at London St Pancreas station, how did that come about and how were you received by the commuters?
That gig was so surreal. The commuters loved it, but the issue was that, with it being a gig in a train station, everybody was on their way somewhere…so people couldn’t stop to watch for too long. However, we had a good crowd of folks there and the atmosphere was amazing!
9. In the past you’ve performed with a number of different bands such as The Dresden Dolls, Melissa Auf Der Maur and The Tiger Lillies to name but a few, is there anyone that you still really want to perform with?
Bjork, Fiona Apple, Lady Gaga, Camille, Anna Calvi, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Muse, Elbow, gosh, everyone!
10. What can people expect from a Bitter Ruin live performance? from what I’ve seen there’s a definite sense of theatre and performance in your stage craft as opposed to a straight plug in and play type of affair do you deliberately try to create a little bit of drama in your live shows?
Of course! I think any band that doesn’t try to do this is frankly a bit lazy. Why should you expect your audience to sit through a whole show if your performance is boring? No, when people come to see us, they’d better leave ‘ENTERTAINED’ or we need to be looking at getting day jobs and quitting music.
11. I see you have a number of gigs in the pipeline including some support dates with Duke Special, again he has a very oft kilter sound, how do you think you’ll be received by his crowd?
I hope they’ll like us too. I’m really excited to see his live show, we’ve heard so much about him. I hear these gigs are going to be ‘intimate’ which has made us very happy because, as you know, we like things to be stripped back. We shall see!
12. What else instore for the immediate future of Bitter Ruin? Are you working on new material?
We have the songs for the new album ready to go, but we’re not going to rush it. We want to make sure we have exactly the right musicians and that we’ve let the songs mature on their own before recording. Like we said, we’d love to find an Orchestra to work with, and things like that will take time.
13. Thank you for your time, are there any parting words you’d like to leave the readers of Rhythm & Booze with?
Thank you Will….COME TO A GIG!
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Bitterness has been on the rise since punk cabaret princess Amanda Palmer, of The Dresden Dolls and Evelyn Evelyn fame, enlisted the help of Bitter Ruin to support her in Glasgow and Dublin during the chaos of the volcanic ash cloud. Having attended that Dublin show, I can honestly say I’ve never been more thankful for a volcanic eruption!
This theatrical tour-de-force is made up of two young, talented musicians hailing from the UK. Georgia Train lends her haunting yet powerful vocals to Ben Richards’ Spanish-laced guitar. It’s very much a collaboration between the two, with both writing and singing. Their different inspirations and backgrounds mesh really well to unleash an onslaught of emotion. Across their two albums and EP, they offer up tales of love, sorrow, revenge, frustration as well as some rousing and energetic songs. Their dark themes and style is also a wonder to see live. When they returned to Dublin for a solo show, Georgia set the tone for the evening as she slowly lit candles in front of the stage. Their interaction as they sing together is just electric; they bring the story of each track to life before the entranced eyes of the audience. Luckily, I got to catch up with the pair before they jetted off on their tour to talk Greek mythology, touring and Amanda Fucking Palmer.
So, how did you two get together?
"We met at music school in Brighton. Brighton seems to attract a lot of creative people and it’s a really amazing place."
What inspired you to become musicians?
"I don’t think many musicians can answer that question. I suppose we’re just born that way. Music has always just felt natural."
Where did the name Bitter Ruin come from?
"It comes from Greek mythology and simply means ‘the very end’."
For those unfamiliar with your music, could you sum up your sound in five words?
"Bitter, twisted, vicious, intelligent and dramatic."
Since your fateful slot as Amanda Palmer’s support earlier this year, it seems that you’ve been lovingly accepted everywhere you’ve played – judging by the countless comments from Dublin alone following your first show here. Within days of those shows there were people all over the world demanding you play their town. How was that whirlwind experience?
"It was exactly that, a ‘whirlwind’. We were very busy and everyday seemed to fly by like some kind of strange, amazing hallucination. We learnt a lot very quickly, and we just loved that people were hearing, and liking our music. We ran out of CDs to sell and couldn’t believe the comments people were making. We also got reviews in THE SUN which we thought was just so bizarre!"
You have a great connection to your fans. Do you think it’s important for artists to keep the lines of communication open between themselves and their listeners?
"We think it’s extremely important. These guys are willing to give us hours of listening time (by listening to the songs) and so it’s only fair we listen back."
I’ve heard Amanda praise the power of Twitter and the internet a lot over the past year. What are your feelings about it and the doors it’s opened?
"Twitter and Facebook have pretty much become our booking medium for gigs and they are just a great way to announce last minute things without filling up everyone’s e-mail inbox. Posting photos and links really lets people feel like they’ve had the backstage tour, without even needing to be in the same country. But there is always a part of us that would love to just see what would happen if the internet died! It would ruin a lot of things for a lot of people, but we’d like to see if we could all adjust, and how that might happen in the world of music."
What musicians are you addicted to at the moment?
"Generally we don’t get the opportunity to listen to music. We are both so busy all the time, but I think we’ll be doing lots of eight hour drives across America and Europe next month, so we’ll be getting our playlists ready. However, we obviously get to see a lot of local bands when we gig, in Brighton we’d recommend BirdEatsBaby and Carly Bryant. We also love Lonely Drifter Karen and Melissa Auf Der Maur."
You were asking for input on your travelling playlist for the tour. Any interesting tunes planned for the road?
"Yes, our Facebook friends suggested a tonne of great musicians; we’ve just started to sift through them, but so far, we’ll definitely be taking Bjork, Fiona Apple and obviously some Dresden Dolls along!"
What artist would you love to collaborate with?
"Someone quite orchestral like Imogen Heap, maybe Regina Spektor. We’d love the chance/money to have a full orchestra, or even big band on stage with us and also dancers…creepy dancers."
I haven’t heard you do any yet, but if you were to perform any cover at your shows what would you choose?
"We were asked to play a Johnny Cash cover once and we chickened out. The problem with our style of music is that it’s very dark, so without doing the obvious Kate Bush covers, we’d sound a little over-the-top. However, we’d love to do the Radio 1 Live Lounge, where they choose them for you. We all love a bit of karaoke…what? We don’t?"
The big tour is practically here. How excited are you? Where are you really looking forward to playing?
"We are beyond excited! We’re like kids on Christmas Eve…Ben’s mostly looking forward to the aeroplane food. But gig-wise…We’re playing with the Dresden Dolls on the 3rd November at The Wilbur Theatre in Boston, this will be insane! But we also love playing in London too."
What’s the ultimate goal for Bitter Ruin?
"Oh, I think there’s plenty more of the world to be conquered. We despise everything about manufactured music and wet Radio 1 songs, but that doesn’t mean we are too proud to sell out!!! Ha ha. If we could cross over to the mainstream and play those kind of Wembley Arena size shows, you bet we would! We have big, big plans and this is just the very beginning. Erm, hopefully."
Finally, if a Pop Culture Monster was eating your house, what one thing would you save?
"The laptop! Our laptop just died on us last month and we lost four years worth of mailing list contacts! We nearly died. Other than that, I think we’d save each other. Oh and maybe our songbooks."
Bitter Ruin will be touring America and Europe over October and November. If they’re playing near you, I more than urge you to nab a ticket while they’re still going. And it is an unwritten rule for fans going to the shows to buy and extra ticket and take along a Bitter Ruin virgin.
Pop Culture Monster
~ original article ~
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Bitter Ruin - 22nd March 2010
The old cliche that there's a thin line between love and hate is never more apt when describing acoustic male/female duo Bitter Ruin. Both on record and live, Brighton-based Georgia Train and Ben Richards seem to be at each other's throats one minute and yearning over one another the next, and the added theatricality they put into their heart-on-sleeve songs of love and betrayal hasn't gone unnoticed- here at GIITTV we picked them as one of our ones to watch for this year. Simon Jay Catling caught up with female vocalist Georgia Train to discuss their very personal past, present and future.
GIITTV: How did you meet and begin Bitter Ruin?
Georgia: "Ok, are you ready for the cliché? We met at music school! We actually wanted to play rock to begin with, but I think we were too picky to find any other musicians and eventually Bitter Ruin took on a life of its own. It's funny because the music we make now was never what we had imagined or what we had wanted, but now we've fallen in love with it and it just keeps going!"
What drew you to each other as a songwriting partnership?
"Well actually, we were both songwriters before we met each other, our styles were completely different and I think we found that intriguing. We wanted to understand each other's worlds and found that incorporating the two styles created something quite addictive."
How has your songwriting relationship progressed since then through the EP and first album?
"Wow! A LOT! The first album to us feels like it was just experimentation, I don't think we’d really found ourselves then and it also takes time to get feedback from listeners to find out what has worked and what hasn't. So by our second album, there was a definite unity to the songs and a continuous energy that has ended up as our overall statement. For example, we knew we wanted a punchy sound, we didn't want our music to be "background music" – so the second album is definitely NOT that."
There's this wonderful dark constant in your music of embittered ex-lovers unable to let go of each other despite everything; at some points it feels like you're playing characters whilst elsewhere it feels intensely personal; how blurred is the line between caricature and real life?
"Well, unfortunately, all of the songs are about real life things; past traumas and horrible times that we all go through. But they're certainly not directed towards each other. These songs are about the past, but when something big has happened in the past that has had a lasting effect, you seem to be able to summon those feelings and express them whenever. It doesn't feel like acting, it feels like a natural representation of what the songs are about. For example, I think it would be very strange if I were to sing a song about anger and hatred whilst smiling. Of course, every good songwriter is good at exaggerating and telling things in a way that can be interpreted by everyone, so there does have to be some twisting. But there are no lies."
It seems there's a very close friendship between you and Ben; how important is that that when writing and playing?
"Very important. I think the main thing has to be that you are able to tell each other when something sucks! If you aren't the best of friends, you may feel like you'll be offending each other – this just leads to a polite way of writing which usually equals crappy songs."
Live too, there seems to be an added theatrical element; is that something intentional you do?
"It's absolutely intentional yes. We pride our shows on being something to watch as well as to listen to, and I don't think bands think about this enough. Also, it's fun! We are always honoured that a venue or promoter will give us a stage to do what we like with, so why waste that opportunity."
Is drama, film and theatre something you're both particularly interested in?
"Oh yes. It's our lives. Performance and everything that surrounds it is what we thrive off. We constantly talk about music and acting. When we're watching TV, we spend 90% of the time analysing the actors or the directing or the musicality, often we're really mean critics [laughs] I think we like to learn from other people's mistakes!"
You've a new album on the way; what themes and styles can we expect?
"Well, it's our first full length album for a start and it was recorded in a totally new way. We went over to the states to work with The Dresden Dolls producer Jason Rubal, and we were completely confined to the studio; we slept, ate and worked in there...plus we were snowed in. But the songs are honestly the best yet. They each have a very different vibe, there's some commercial stuff and some totally bizarre stuff. There's some fun songs and some really sad songs and as always some angry songs! We've really made this album for the fans this time; we've tried to show a lot more character and kept things raw but complex."
For all the expansion of technology and splintering of genres over the past decade, it seems that simple voice and guitar music still resonates as strongly as ever; why do you think this is?
"Personally, I think good lyrics will transcend through any genre, and I think that a lot of acoustic stuff has to start with a good song, otherwise there's nothing else there. You can't cheat when it's that naked!"
Brighton seems to have a great freedom attached to its music scene at the moment, in that there's such a diversity of music coming out of the city; the flip side to that is that there must be a lot of jostling for position amongst all the eclecticism; has it helped or hindered you being in such a competitive and creative place?
"Well yes, there is but I don’t really think it's made a difference. I think we are so far away from what everyone else in Brighton is doing that we kind of sit in a world of our own, which is nice because it means that we can play with anyone and still kind of fit in. There are a lot of bands in Brighton who are trying to be different, but you can always tell when that's the case. It's obvious when you're being yourself and there's a difference between being an exaggerated version of something you really are and trying to be something you're definitely not."
Finally, what are the plans for the rest of 2010 and beyond?
"We're hoping to tour the world. We've got a few dates booked already but we're trying to decide if we can afford to do America! We've got lots of new merchandise in the pipeline and we’ve just released a video for 'Beware' which is already getting regular play on US TV channels, so hopefully it'll be on MTV in the UK soon. But the biggest thing is the release of this new album, it's released in May...so keep your eyes peeled!"
Simon Jay Catling - God is in the TV
~ original article ~
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Interview with Bitter Ruin - 9th November 2009
Delusions of Adequacy: Hello Georgia and Ben! It’s so wonderful to be doing this interview with you. I’ve only recently found out about Bitter Ruin, but I was instantly bowled over by your sharply intense, stirring, dual vocal acrobatics, spirited guitar sound, and, well, what can I say – bitter and bracing lyrics.
You have two EPs under your belt, a self-titled EP released in 2007 and the We’re Not Dancing EP in 2008, and you are scheduled to start recording your debut album with Jason Rubal in the U.S. in December. Before touching upon all that, I’d like to find out more about your beginnings as a duo. How did you meet up and are you both together in a strictly musical sense? From what I’ve read, you are from different parts of England, but are based in Brighton at the moment.
Ben: "Yes, we are from opposite ends of England and we both travelled to Brighton to go to music school. When we met we were both in Rock bands and singing in completely different styles. We got talking and had barely heard of any of each other’s influences. So really our music comes from the collision of two completely different worlds. As for our ‘relationship’, well that is and will always be a mystery!"
DOA: You have a very distinctive musical and vocal style that defies easy categorization, with “just” vocals and guitar, and a bent towards the dramatic and theatrical without being campy or morbid. You’ve probably already been tagged as “Dark Cabaret”, but there other elements to your sound, from the flamenco to classical runs of guitar to the use of acoustic guitar to the intertwined harmonizing and call and response dueling vocals that recall other genres. Is there a particular style that you prefer to be categorized as? Did you know from the outset how you wanted to sound or did it evolve over time?
Georgia: "It’s a genre of its own, really. We’re waiting for someone to come up with a new genre that can typify it. It makes our job very difficult as everyone’s first question is “What do you sound like?” and quite frankly, we sound like us and only us. There are of course obvious influences and these days nothing is original, but we’re certainly not copycats or even ‘chart friendly’.
We had NO IDEA that this was how we would sound together. Although we do work very hard on our arrangements, people say a good idea is supposed to come from some divine force and maybe that’s why we don’t know how our musical style developed… ha ha, maybe Buddha writes it for us??!"
DOA: What are you musical backgrounds? Are you both classically- trained vocalists, and Ben, what has been your path as a guitarist and what types of guitars do you use?
Ben: "Georgia is a trained vocalist, having studied the voice for about twelve years, and actually teaches singing in her spare time. I, on the other hand, am newer to singing, but have learnt a lot from Georgia (though try as I may to match her I’ll always be in her shadow!).
My path as a guitarist began at the age of fourteen with the usual teen love for Rock and Metal, but through the years I have experimented with all different styles of guitar. More recently Flamenco has had a massive influence on my playing; it has a raw passion that I haven’t found in any other genre, and it translates perfectly with the passion in our lyrics. I currently play a Cort steel string, and my pride and joy, a K-Yari classical nylon string guitar."
DOA: I love that you both sing on most of the songs and that your powerful, passionate, and well-matched delivery creates for some tense, but lively songs. Georgia, you especially belt it out impressively, but have such fine-tuned control of your voice. How much effort is it to deal with the vocal complexity of the songs?
Georgia: "Well, I like to challenge myself as a vocalist and so most of our stuff ends up being a vocal circus. I like to think that I make covering Bitter Ruin songs really hard! Ha ha, only kidding, I’d love to hear some covers. The way I sing is basically down to what I find emotive and powerful, but creating all of that whilst still making a song sound beautiful can be tough. The voice is just as much an instrument as it is a paintbrush, you need to use tonal variety and tell a story with the lyrics, while making everything sound authentic… something like that!"
DOA: You have earned raves and renown for your live performances. How do you prepare for a show? What is it like to be in front the audience and singing and playing your hearts out? I hope this doesn’t sound like an odd question, but is there a difference between sitting or standing or moving around the stage while performing? I’m assuming, Ben, that you sit for the duration while playing guitar while Georgia, you get to move about?
Ben: "We prepare for a show by rushing to catch a train… usually forgetting something and having to turn back… doing a really quick sound check and then sitting in the corner looking creepy and suspicious till we play! There’s no pep talk, I’m afraid. Maybe we should devise one?
Singing your heart out in front of an audience can be really liberating or really odd and frustrating, depending on the crowd. If the audience doesn’t really look like they’re getting it, we feel a bit silly… but carry on regardless!
Actually, we both sit and stand for different songs, sometimes we sit back-to-back, sometimes Georgia sits in the audience on the floor while I stroll among them playing guitar, and other times we are just standing up screaming in each other’s faces. Whatever feels like the right thing to do!"
DOA: Now I know your latest EP is titled We’re Not Dancing, but it seems like a lot of elegant dancing poses are being struck by the both of you on that EP cover, your official site, and in promo photos. LOL Do either of you have a background in dance? Is it something that you bring to the live experience at all?
Georgia: "Yes, we both ‘throw some shapes’ on stage! But it’s probably not quite what you’d call a choreographed dance. If you watch the video for “The Vice” or “Stand to Attention” you’ll see what we mean. As far as training, I’ve had a little bit but not at all to a professional level."
DOA: You’ve captured the spirit of your live performances on your EPs as far as I can tell. How did that work out? Did you record each song all in one go?
Ben: "That would be telling! Actually, we record in a variety of ways, some of the takes are live, yes, and some we’ve edited… however, we’re very proud to say that we’ve never used AUTO TUNE! Damn the guy who invented that!"
DOA: There is a lot of dense, twisty wordplay going on in your songs, from “I’m fearsome, fearless, famished for a fight / And hungry for a handful of a fist flung for fun” on the feisty “I’m Going to be a Murderer” to “I wanted to think like you thought to answer some of the “whys?” / So I took a blindfold of denial and bolted it to my eyes” on “Outrageous” to “I can accept now fighting only ends in pleas / How can I protest when you’re stronger than me?” on “Soldier”, but for all the bitterness, bleakness, and blackness to the lyrics, there seems to also be a rousing, high-spirited nature to your vocal delivery and dashing guitar lines that balance it out. Do you share in songwriting duties? Are most or all of your songs from the “storyteller” point of view or do you draw upon your own lives too, from past destructive relationships or break-ups or other events?
Ben: "All of our songs come from real life experiences. They are all real!… Maybe a bit exaggerated, but very real. However, Georgia isn’t really “going to be a murderer”… I think?!"
DOA: As mentioned earlier, you’re set to record with Jason Rubal soon. Are you currently writing and composing for your up-coming full length? Will you go into the studio this December with everything fully formed or do you expect to chisel away at the statue, so to speak, while ensconced in the studio? Do you have plans to alter your core sound at all or are you aiming to keep your sound intact?
Georgia: "Yes, we’re writing at the moment and we’ve got lots of new songs waiting to make their debut appearances. As far as what we’ll do in the studio, I think we are just focusing on making the songs as good as possible and we’ll worry about how to record when the time comes. Also, I think Jason will have some really interesting ideas that we’ll probably try to draw from him too."
DOA: You have an official site at http://bitterruin.com/ and a MySpace profile at http://www.myspace.com/bitterruin where everyone can find out how to purchase your EPs. You’ve also gotten entangled in that newfangled online contraption called Twitter. What do you make of it? Do you feel you’re frittering your time away or is it a good way to disburse information to your fans?
Georgia: "Let’s face it, Twitter sucks! But if it allows our fans to talk to us directly then great, we just think it’s pretty boring. No offence Tweety Peeps! Don’t unfollow us. Please."
Jen Stratosphere Fanzine
~ original article ~
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Rocktown Press - 29th October 2009
Bitter Ruin, an acoustic duo from the UK after releasing two EP's are starting the work on their new release. Read what are their plans for the future and what was their most bizarre gig in an interview specially for RockTown.pl:
Desribe your music in three words.
"Dramatic, Confrontational, Exquisit ;)"
There’re only two of you. Have you ever considered finding some new musicians to join the band as new full-time members?
"Absolutely. At the moment we'd really like to have some strings and our piano. The problem is transportation and funding. For some gigs we do incorporate a piano but because we dont use roadies we struggle to carry everything ha ha! If we had an endless supply of money, our show would include a full orchestra and a choir too. However, the focus has always been on the vocals and I'd like to think that whatever we added, we could always go back to the bare minimum and play acoustically."
Are you taking advantage of the fact that you only need an acoustic guitar to play your songs? For example does it happen that you suddenly want to play a suprise show in some place other than a music venue?
"Yes all the time! We've played some rather bizarre gigs in peoples living rooms/back yards/stables and we are a sound engineer's dream because we are so easy to soundcheck. At the end of the day, a good song will transpire through any arrangement. If you have a great song, it should sound great on any instrument."
If you had a chance to choose an artist to share stage with – who would that be and why?
"Jeff Buckley would be the ultimate! (but he's dead so maybe that will happen in the afterlife) maybe Kate Bush...mmm....not sure, we are really picky. We love Amanda Palmer, but again, not sure that we're a perfect match. Maybe someone who just has a massive fanbase like Beyonce or Mariah Carey! I know, it's gotta been Queen! (Again, that would need to be in the afterlife) OK, Antony and the Jonsons...oh I don't know anyone interesting. ha ha!"
Do you have some rock inspirations? And if yes – what are they?
"Yes. Both of us were in Rock bands when we met. Ben loves Slayer and System of a Down. Georgia loves Talking Heads, System of a Down and Skunk Anansie. We have very strange taste in music, one day it'll be Stevie Wonder then Mozart and Chopin then Bjork then Edith Piaf, anything with passion, and Rock has a lot of that!"
What are your plans for the nearest future?
"Well we're writing for the new album now. We'll be recording that in December in the US with Jason Rubal (Amanda Palmer's producer). After that, a tour of Europe will be looming. I'd say 2010 goes a bit like this: Release album, Tour Europe, Tour US, Release Video, Write songs, Stop just in time for Christmas!"
And the last one – my favourite. Do you remember some funny / horrifying / strange things that happened before / during / after your shows?
"Oh yes! wow, where do we start. Well, due to the nature of our music, we've played a lot of bizarre shows with bizarre people. Lots of fetish stuff including mumifying demonstrations as our supporting act, stripteases in basements and zombie parties. But the strangest one has got to be the time we turned up to a gig and were completely ignored by everyone...It was in this really strange little town with no one around, the shops all looked empty or as if from the 60s. The venue we played was run by a variety of strange looking people from giants to toddlers, hippies and business men and they'd hired in some chinese chefs who couldn't speak a word of English and told 'vegetarian Georgia' that the beef chop suey was meat free...we weren't welcomed into the house and yet we were under strict instructions to go and play a gig. After sometime we just walked in, ha ha, after waiting and waiting and waiting to be told when and where we were playing, we just got up and did it...everyone loved us and a lot of the normal people there bought merchandise, but again, when we went to see the organisers, they turned their backs to us and poor Ben stood for about ten minutes trying to talk to this guy who was blanking him! Not a word! wierd...So we asked for our money and ran!"
FaRf
~ original article ~
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