INTERVIEW: Rubikon go on ‘The Record’
Photo: Rubikon’s new album is called The Record. Photo courtesy of Geoff Tischman / Provided by press rep with permission.
Rubikon, the rock band that defies easy categorization, have enjoyed gigging these past few years, but it has been four years since their last recording effort. That has now changed with the recent release of The Record, a collection of hard-rocking songs, including their debut single, “Blood on My Hands.”
The band features Jae Sims (vocals), Josh Gruss (guitars), Dave Raymond (guitars), Hugh Eaton (bass) and Doug Arsham (drums and vocals), plus on The Record they are joined by Elisha Hoffman on mandolin, banjo and acoustic guitar. Rounding out the instrumentalists are Drew Belk on pedal steel and Randy Leago on saxophone.
“We’ve done what we’ve always done, which is kind of write what we wanted to write without regards to any specific genre,” Sims said in a recent phone interview. “Fans that like big ’70s rock are going to like this record. Fans that like metal are going to like this record. People that like country are going to like this record because we use some steel guitar in there and stuff. We took a no-rules approach to it. Nothing was off the table, and what we got out of it was a record that everybody’s going to like. But more importantly, it’s music we like.”
Rubikon have been plying their trade for 18 years, and they have remained successful because of that simple, but effective guideline: Play music that satisfies the band, and the audience will follow. This guideline does mean there are some years in between recordings, which is perfectly fine with Sims.
“This record has actually been pretty much completed for about a year, but we’ve been sitting on it to release it so that all of us are in a place where we can go out and support it,” he said. “Just trying to coordinate everybody’s schedules to where we can do some shows and support it.”
To that end, the band will play this week in Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine. They have Boston roots, so there are many Rubikon fans in the Northeast.
“We’re going to play some older material as well, but predominantly the new album,” Sims said of the concert dates. “We’re going to tour selectively. We’ve been a band for 18 years, and so the ability to do a year on the road is not feasible. But we’ll be doing select tours — a week out here, a week out there — to support the record.”
During the recording process, the band members would lay down a track and think of creative ways to take it up a notch. This meant employing the help of their guest artists and considering different instruments, like the mandolin and steel guitar. The resulting sound is both diverse and unique.
“Everything is a complete collaboration,” the vocalist said of their five-person democracy. “We just figure out what works best for everybody. If it doesn’t work for everybody, we don’t do it, and that’s everything: That’s studio time, that’s touring, that’s everything. We’re 100 percent collaboration.”
Sims became a musician probably because music was in the house when he was growing up. Both of his parents are musicians, and he took the stage, in form or another, at the age of 4. “I fell in love with rock ‘n’ roll through my dad’s record collection, and then into teenage years, I got into heavy metal and hard rock, which is just my first love,” he said.
When Rubikon eventually formed, Sims found himself enjoying music with a group of friends, and that friendship has sustained them.
“Our band, there are five of us, and we are legitimately best of friends, and so it’s just the greatest hangout time,” he said. “The idea of going and doing some dates is just the most appealing thing in the world because we enjoy each other, and we have a blast doing it. … It’s exhausting but the most satisfied exhaustion you can possibly have, and then obviously after the show you feel elated. So you get over the exhaustion, and you feel elated. We’ve always said the show is the greatest drug. There’s nothing like it.”
He added: “When we first started off, and all the way through five years or so, we were doing a lot of just technical metal stuff because my guys can really, really play. We did a lot of heavier stuff. I did a lot of screaming as well as vocalizing and actual singing. As time has passed, I don’t think you should ever be tied to a genre. One of my favorite bands ever is Radiohead, and they just continue to reinvent everything and do things on their terms. Ultimately we write for us. We write for each other, and in the process we hope — we really hope — people dig it as much as we do. I don’t think you can go through a long period like that without changing things up.”
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Rubikon’s new album is called The Record. The band will support the new release with shows in New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine. Click here for more information and tickets.
