Beatnik Barnyard Hillbilly Swamp Rockers
Somethingyousaid’s Bianca Cornale wasn’t too afraid to meet with The Ruminaters, a band spearheading the beatnick community of Sydney, to chat about their forthcoming EP.
Rumour has it y’all have just come back from a three-month stint in the US. How did The States treat The Ruminaters?
The States was rad. We spent some time in New Orleans and a lot of time in New York together. We saw heaps of shows and met heaps of awesome people. We also did a lot of writing over there, which we will soon be playing.
Still, you’ve been busy back home working on the EP, what kind of product can we expect from your efforts?
Although we definitely have our own sound, each song we have been working on is quite different to the next, which I think is cool. Some are epic and dark and some are happy as Larry. We’ve been working with a mad man named Ryan Miller who’s been a legend.
By the sound of it you dudes now have a sick home studio; do you feel more at home there or on the stage?
For us they aren’t comparable. We definitely feel at home in our studio. We built it all ourselves from nothing underneath Mossop’s house so we all feel very close to it. You can’t help but get stoked on playing music when you walk in there because it is ours and we made it. It’s a place we can be alone and make things, whether that’s music or basketball hoops. The stage feels more like our friends house, where we can party and play games with everyone.
You guys seem to play with a lot of ace Sydney bands (Bec and Ben, Palms, Cabins, Goons of Doom, etc.). Do you feel confident with the current state of local music?
Yeah, we’ve played with so many sick bands from around town. I feel super confident with the quality of our local music scene. It’s the bigger music scene I’m not confident in with all the mud step and mouse trap sort of music.
You describe yourselves as “beatnik barnyard hillbilly swamp rock”. Do you think Sydney has enough beatniks and hillbillies to facilitate the Ruminaters?
I think there is a beatnik in all of us.
Where does that kind of sound come from?
I think it’s a sick freak baby of our combined tastes in music. On one level we all have the same favourite bands. But at the same time we all have pretty different tastes in music to each other..
From the tunes up on the interwebs there seems to be a bit of a dark side to your music, especially with new single One Girl One Knife. Should we anticipate more murder ballads with the new EP?
There is a bit of murder. But its not all dark murder. Some of it is happy murder.
Should we be afraid?
No, only if you happen to catch [bassist/guitarist] Jarleth out late at night.
Check out The Ruminaters’ hillibilly antics on stage on the following Aussie dates:
14/3 BUCKLERS CANTEEN: BONDI
16/3 KITTENS: SPECTRUM
23/3 MONA VALE HOTEL W/ STICKY FINGERS
13/4 GREAT NORTHERN BYRON BAY
Interview by Bianca Cornale.
