Straight from the (Ruby)horse’s Mouth
By Michelle Gilzenrat

Rubyhorse singer Dave Farrell is beaming.

It is the day of their CD Release party at Smith’s Olde Bar , and everything seems to be going just right. He’s excited about the sunny weather; he’s excited about his new record deal, but most of all, he’s excited about Dres the Beatnik .

“We went to this hip-hop face-off at Apache Café . There was the best MC and a brilliant band. Two people would come up at a time and diss each other…then there was this clap-o-meter to pick the winner…just a brilliant, brilliant time with great people. That MC was so great, what was his name?”

He jumps out of his seat to consult with three different friends before bringing back the Rubyhorse guest list with Dres the Beatnik printed at the top. Dres will later make a special appearance on stage to introduce the band. It seems Ireland's Rubyhorse are having a great time in Atlanta, taking in the Dirty South culture, even stopping in to the 10 High for Metalsome Monday (they sang “Rebel Yell,” naturally).

But there’s more to their Atlanta trip than karaoke and 8 Mile -esque showdowns. Back in April, Rubyhorse signed with brand new Atlanta label Brash Music —the third contract they’ve signed in five years. After being signed, juggled, and dropped by two majors, Rubyhorse were ready for some better treatment.

“We just came out of a year and half record deal, we had recorded this record, and we weren’t interested in approaching any of the majors. We talked to our manager, and she said, ‘Let’s look into some indie labels, find out which ones are good, which ones are hot,’ and she came back with this list that included Brash .”

After giving Brash a call, the band was surprisingly refreshed to hear from a label that actually believed artists should have a say in their own destiny.

“Their methods, their policy, their ethos…it all just sounded too good to be true. They are incredibly supportive. It’s all about the artist and what the artist’s vision is.”

With their new album Goodbye to All That, Rubyhorse have said hello to newfound indie freedom. The band was able to call all the shots, including selecting their producer, Jay Joyce .

“Joyce has worked with fantastic artists (including labelmates Pleasure Club), but his records haven’t sold in mass. So, when you work with a major label and say you want to work with Joyce, they pull out their A-list of producers instead. They would be very dubious of working with someone like him. Whereas someone like Brash is like, ‘if you’re happy with him, then we are happy with him.”

While many young bands still coddle caviar dreams and major label wishes, stories like Rubyhorse’s suggest that whatever money is paid up front by a major label, it doesn’t make up for the lack of long-term support from behind.

“The thing that’s so sad about the state of the industry at the moment is that you only get one shot - one single. There’s no nurturing of talent like there used to be. All the great bands like R.E.M., U2 , and The Cure , they were bands that didn’t start making their best music until three, four, five albums down the road. They were given that opportunity and chance to mature.

“Now in the big leagues you have one chance to make a hit, and if it doesn’t work it can be very difficult. I know a lot of fantastic bands that were signed by majors and dropped, and it’s not because they weren’t good enough—they just didn’t have that one radio song in the top 10 or top 20.”

Dave would have been an ideal panelist for last month’s Atlantis Music Conference. Talk about artist development, or lack thereof, and the indie revolution was the hot topic among industry and musicians alike. In today’s musical climate, major labels are only interested in signing a polished product that is ready to ship and sell. The independents, on the other hand, are becoming more and more vital to the nurturing of talent.

While there tends to be big money behind contracts with the "Big 5," Dave says the leverage they expected to have with a major label never really materialized.

“The only thing we can really thank the major labels for is some great dinners. Everything else we got from just hustling ourselves and touring.”

It also helps to be incredibly lucky. Rubyhorse managed to secure an opening spot for R.E.M. in Europe after a chance run-in with Peter Buck in Athens, GA before their show with Flickerstick .

“We went to get something to eat, and it just happened that Peter Buck was right there. I went over and thanked them for the music they’ve given me…They heard my accent and we got talking. I told them we were playing next door, and they came over to watch the show.”

Afterwards the two bands went out on the town, sharing conversations and “many beers.”

“They said next time we are playing Europe or Ireland they would love to join us. We left thinking nothing of it, thinking it was just drink talk, but eight months later they were true their word.”

Rubyhorse also had the good fortune and honor of working with the late George Harrison .

“We had just finished a demo and we were going to Nashville to record it proper. And George Harrison 's manager just happen to hear a track from one of the demos we were working on, and he passed it on to George.”

A couple months later, Rubyhorse got a phone call while mixing the record in Miami. George loved the song and wanted to contribute a guitar part. The band were absolutely floored by the news, needing “smelling salts” to help “pick themselves off the ground” after the call.

“That was definitely our proudest moment. It’s the ultimate accolade we could ever ask for.”

With luck like theirs and the strong support of Brash Music behind them, we are sure there will be many more accolades to come.

www.rubyhorse.com | www.brashmusic.com