Aimee Bobruk

Artist Information

Biography

This needs some polka dots and this needs a broad stroke of blue…

"Frankly, I’ve read many horribly shallow bios with empty phrases like 'she’s a force to be reckoned with,' that leave me feeling the victim of a bad sales scheme.”

So Bobruk, a Huntsville Texan native and Austin-based songwriter, hands the task of writing her biography to a Dane who doesn’t really speak the language. The fact that her solution to avoiding music clichés was to hire someone with a rusty command of the English language is also worth mentioning because it sheds light on her own – very unconventional – approach to writing
music. Also a bit of a challenge: Bobruk likes creating music much more than talking about it.

Santa Claus and The Beattie

On her new album /ba.'brook/, Bobruk chooses to collaborate with producer/bassist Brian Beattie and drummer Dony Wynn; two musicians whose perspectives to music-making are refreashingly untraditional, to put it simply.

”The Beattie” hails from Austin's avant-garde punk rock band Glass Eye and has produced albums for Daniel Johnston, Okkervil River, Bill Callahan and Shearwater. Wynn, who Bobruk refers to as ’The Santa Claus of Percussion’, has worked with such artists as Robert Plant and Robert Palmer and is known for building his drumkits out of everything from a banana peel to a filing cabinate.

It starts with a picture…

Paintings, cartoons, and old silent movies have been essential to Bobruk in making /ba.’brook/.

”When I hear music, I see pictures and the other way around. So naturally, when I write songs it starts with me trying to set an image to words and sound. I guess you can say I’m more inspired by Chagall and Chaplin than by the great composers.” This is Bobruk‘s artistic language. As told to Beattie in the studio, ”This needs some polka dots and this needs a broad stroke of blue”.
The album’s signature vocal collages, which in some songs resemble early Disney or Looney Tunes-esque singing flowers, are the result of her ability to blend art and language.

So it is that Bobruk sound paints on /ba.'brook/, evident even in the name of this self-titled release, a phonetic rendition of her last name.

The road to here...

2003. Bobruk releases her first EP, “Small Town Girl,” and quickly becomes a featured songwriter
by Central Texas DJs.

2005. Bobruk wins the Slopeside Serenade Mountain Town Stage Songwriting Contest and opens for Dr. John.

2008. Bobruk releases The Safety Match Journal, which receives excellent reviews. She holds down a year-long residency at Austin’s The Scoot Inn.

2010. Bobruk is voted one of the “Top Ten Bands in Austin” by Austin Monthly. Later that year, Bobruk co-writes two Danish Top 20 hits as a result of her involvement with the Danish Songwriter’s Guild project, The House of Songs, located in Austin. To date, she has co-written with over 25 Scandinavian songwriters; one-third of these songs are published on European albums.

2011. Bobruk is invited to Denmark as a guest songwriter at the historic Engelsholm Castle Highschool, toured Denmark and performed at the Jelling Festival.

2012. Bobruk is featured in the book ”The Sounds of Austin” and raises over $12,000 in contributions from fans, making the recording of /ba.’brook/ possible with producer Brian Beattie. Release date: January 29, 2013.

2012. Bobruk receives USA Nation-wide Starbucks In-Store Play on upcoming 2013 release, /ba.'brook/ and is a featured artist on KUT.org "Texas Music Matters"

Bobruk has shared the stage with the likes of Dr. John, Butch Hancock, Alejandro Escovedo, Ian McLagan, Freedy Johnston, Ruthie Foster, David Garza, Ian Moore, Robert Harrison (Cotton Mather), Thao and The Get Down Stay Down, Michael Fracasso, and Will Sexton to name a few.

Instrumentation

Aimee Bobruk: Acoustic Guitar and Vocals
Jon Notarthomas: Electric Guitar & Bariton Guitar
Will Sexton: Bass
Kullen Fuchs: Trumpet, Vibraphone, Wurlitzer, Melodica, Accordian, Bells
John Bush: Drums and Percussion

Discography

*Past releases available for streaming at www.aimeebobruk.com

1. /ba.'brook/ (Jan 29, 2013)--LP

Nationwide In-Store Play with Starbucks
Featured "Texas Music Matters" Interview on 90.5FM
Song of the Day Pick 90.5FM (Austin)

2. Songs Written/Published/Placed on Danish Releases:

"It's About Love"--Title Track for band, HUSH (2011)
"A Little Something for Myself" & "Make-Believe"--Rene Gummer (2013)
"White Spirits"--Kristien Harting (2012)
"Begin Again"--Benjamin Aggerbaek (2012)
"Tiny Frame" & "Easy Heart"--Jens Lysdal (2013)
"Close to You"--Lars Attermann (2013)
25 + other songs co-written with Danish Artists.

3. Heroes, Bones & Ash (2010)-Single

4. The Safety Match Journal (2009)--LP

The Safety Match Journal is a compositional mosaic that establishes Bobruk as a true indie gem. "Nothing short of a work of art"--Performing Songwriter

5. Small Town Girl (2003)--EP

Small Town Girl, Bobruk's first record, introduces this young and assertive songwriter expressing the passion and difficulties associated with living a self-determined life.

Official Website

http://www.aimeebobruk.com

Links

• Facebook
• Official Website
• MySpace
• Twitter
• Aimee Bobruk Kickstarter /ba.'brook/
• KUT.org "Song of the Day"
• KUT.org "Texas Music Matters"

Audio

• Two of a Kind
  Listen  
• Omanishko
  Listen  
• Perfect Circumstance
  Listen  
• Do You Remember
  Listen  
• In Your Own Language
  Listen  
• Is There Nothing
  Listen  
• A Day in the Life
  Listen  
• Trigger Finger
  Listen  
• Secret
  Listen  
• Self-Sabotage
  Listen  

Lyrics

• Two of a Kind
• Omanishko
• Do You Remember
• A Day in the Life
• Do You Remember
• Perfect Circumstance
• Is There Nothing
• Trigger Finger
• Secret
• Self-Sabatoge

Video

"Fools For Love" Video--View at www.myspace.com/aimeebobruk

Two of a Kind.mov

Photo Gallery

Press

• Interview: "Texas Music Matters" w/ David Browne of KUT.org [+ Show ]
  

  Exclusive interview and preview of upcoming album, /ba."brook/ (1/29/13) by renowned DJ David Brown...Exclusive interview and preview of upcoming album, /ba."brook/ (1/29/13)
  by renowned DJ David Browne.

• Nationwide Starbucks In-Store Play [+ Show ]
  

  Austin-based musician and singer-songwriter Aimee Bobruk will be a featured artist in Starbucks play...Austin-based musician and singer-songwriter Aimee Bobruk will be a featured artist in Starbucks playlists nationwide in 2013.

• KUT Song of the Day: "Two of a Kind" [+ Show ]
  

  “When I hear music, I see pictures and the other way around,” says Austin singer-songwriter Aimee Bo...“When I hear music, I see pictures and the other way around,” says Austin singer-songwriter Aimee Bobruk. “So naturally, when I write songs it starts with me trying to set an image to words and sound.” Those who study synesthesia might perk up with this statement, but for music fans, it’s also an interesting idea. Bobruk claims that a number of paintings, cartoons, and films inspired her upcoming album, /ba.’brook/, out January 29.
  
  The visual element is even in the record’s title, a phonetic spelling of her unusual last name. Bobruk worked with some Austin luminaries to help craft her vision. Brian Beattie–longtime bassist for the local punk outfit Glass Eye–produced the effort, having previously worked with Daniel Johnston, Okkervil River, Shearwater, and Bill Callahan. The inventive percussionist Dony Wynn sat in behind the kit, following stints with Robert Plant and Robert Palmer.
  
  But the real star on the record is, of course, Bobruk herself. Taking cues from old Disney film scores, the songs contain certain fantastical elements that really make you take notice. “Two Of A Kind” starts off sounding like a cassette demo before a higher-definition version works its way in. The mixture of crystal-clear sound and warbling analog accents lends intimacy to the song, and it’s all topped off by Bobruk’s ethereal melody. Whatever the sounds give you visions of, you can certainly see–and hear–the young artist’s singular talent.

• Radar: Aimee Bobruk [+ Show ]
  

  To say that Austin-based songwriter Aimee Bobruk likes to color outside of the lines, musically spea...To say that Austin-based songwriter Aimee Bobruk likes to color outside of the lines, musically speaking, would qualify as a pretty serious understatement. It's not surprising that Bobruk, who cites silent movies, painting and cartoons as influences, named her forthcoming January 29 album after the phonetic spelling of her name -- /ba:'brook/ -- this is an musician who brings a distinctive visual focus to her art, as if she wants to see what others might hear. Calling on local indie stalwarts producer/bassist Brian Beattie and drummer Dony Wynn to help interpret her songs instrumentally, Bobruk manages to find the hidden, shadowy essence of her compositions, turning a song like her new "Two of a Kind" from what might have been a straight forward folk/pop song into something reeling, woozy and completely left-of-center. And, concurrently, completely disarming. “My original demo vocal was very shaky and lo-fi, and I loved the fragile texture of it, but I told my producer that there was no way I could ever reproduce it," says Aimee. "So, he started arranging the song into a duo that would consist of my old vocal side-by-side with the new track and we ultimately produced a song that morphs back and forth, between old and new, with one voice from two different times.”

• "The Sounds of Austin"--Book [+ Show ]
  

  Aimee Bobruk was invited to be a featured artist photographed and interviewed in Austin's Premeire m...Aimee Bobruk was invited to be a featured artist photographed and interviewed in Austin's Premeire music photo book.

• A House of Song [+ Show ]
  

  Denmark's Jelling Musikfest is one of the larger festivals in northern Europe. Located in the green ...Denmark's Jelling Musikfest is one of the larger festivals in northern Europe. Located in the green fields outside Jelling, a small suburb of Vejle, the six stages draw 25,000 people a year and some of the bigger acts from Denmark, England and the continent. At last year's festival, the last weekend in May, the headliners included France's synth pioneer Jean Michel Jarre, Ireland's blue-collar rockers Thin Lizzy, Denmark's Springsteenish legend Poul Krebs and Denmark's up-and-coming pop-rock duo Hush. Also part of the line-up were two Texans, Troy Campbell and Aimee Bobruk, singing their recent Danish hits.

• 10 Austin Bands to Watch in 2010 [+ Show ]
  

  In a town full of earnest singer-songwriters with acoustic guitars it's easy to get sucked in the un...In a town full of earnest singer-songwriters with acoustic guitars it's easy to get sucked in the undertow by a wave of competition.
  What makes Aimee Bobruk stay afloat is the way she wraps her delicate voice around soothing, atmospheric melodis and experiments with effects, sounds and phrasing. She flirts with folk, pop and Enya-world, without quite fitting the parameters of any one genre.
  
  The Huntsville native, who swims about four miles a week at Deep Eddy pool and learned to finger-pick while lifegaurding at a summer camp by practicing on her knee, confesses she's drawn to water. So it's no wonder she navigates Austin's crowded musical scene so deftly. One of her more interesting upcoming endeavors is a donation-based song subscription service, in which she plans to deliver songs online whit story-behind-the-song tidbits, then follow them up with the studio-recorded versions financed by fans. One of 10 regional finalists in the 2008 Mountain Stage NewSong Contest, she also surrounds herself with some of the city's top talent, like Cowboy Junkies pdeal steel player Kim Deschamps. In fact, bobruk's vocals have earned comparisons to Junkies singer Margo Timmins.
  
  She manages to avoid taking herself too seriously, however. When she writes, she often wears a pair of vintage glasses she picked up in Nashville. "They have no lenses," she says, "but they make me feel good." her video for "Fools for Love" invloved strolling through downtown Austin in a dunce cap, handing out big red hearts to strangers. And, no doubt, stealing stealing a few as well."
  By Lynn Margolis, Austin Monthly

• CD: Review: Performing Songwriter [+ Show ]
  

  "Nothing short of a work of art." "The Safety Match Journal, the debut from Austin, Texas songst..."Nothing short of a work of art."
  
  "The Safety Match Journal, the debut from Austin, Texas songstress Aimee Bobruk, is a work to be savored from beginning to end. Each song carries enough pop sensibility to stand on its own, but the album as a whole—strung together with quirky and inventive instrumentation, almost tribal percussion with a lilting blues beat and ethereal, folk-savvy vocal stylings—is nothing short of a work of art.
  
  “Liverpool” opens the set with a heartbroken girl’s attempt to regain lost love. The threat of heartache continues in the deceptively upbeat “Fools for Love,” a rollicking lesson in the consequences of materialistic romance. Finally, “Shores of Gold,” a breathtaking soundscape with a glimmer of hope, leaves the listener savoring every last page of this insightful Journal."

• CD Review: Maverick Magazine UK [+ Show ]
  

  A sweet, sensual and surprising album from start to finish Austin’s Aimee Bobruk takes every oppo...A sweet, sensual and surprising album from start to finish
  
  Austin’s Aimee Bobruk takes every opportunity to defy convention. Not least did she send out her promo CD’s encased in old 12 inch record sleeves, individually pasted over with paint and stickers - enough to capture even the most jaded journalists attention. But the twenty-six year-old, who could have so easily blended in with a glut of middle-Americana songstresses, has teemed up with innovative producer Darwin Smith to give her songs on THE SAFETY MATCH JOURNAL a variety of edgy, indie, ambient, classical and even prog rock spins. The result is a lush yet delicately textured palette if ever there was one, sensitive and uncluttered.
  
  But just when you’re acclimatized to the spacey effects of Puppets at Play or the bass synths, trombone and vibraphone worldliness of Yo Los Veo a comparatively simple and rootsy number like Precious Jesus or Blessing peeks round the corner and knocks your socks off. With echoes of Po’ Girl, Feist and the Cowboy Junkies, these are clever songs executed with great intelligence. HK
  

• CD Review: Austin Chronicle [+ Show ]
  

  "...gorgeous instrumentation." "Aimee Bobruk presents a notable debut with The Safety Match Journ..."...gorgeous instrumentation."
  
  "Aimee Bobruk presents a notable debut with The Safety Match Journal. It's something to please Cowboy Junkies fans, given Bobruk's dreamy, Timmins-esque vocal languor and the CJ's Kim Deschamps on steel. Bobruk's songwriting recently left the folk-pop cocoon and tries out its muted-color wings with gorgeous instrumentation and a flutter of hesitancy. Bobruk brims with potential and plenty of time to test the waters."--Margaret Moser, The Austin Chronicle
  
  Link to this review online at:
  http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/review?oid=oid%3A610833

• CD Review: Austin Statesman [+ Show ]
  

  This review received the following Headline in the Printed Version: Bobruk's 'Journal' Lies Somew...This review received the following Headline in the Printed Version:
  
  Bobruk's 'Journal' Lies Somewhere Between too Weird and Stunning!
  
  "Ready-for-radio 'losing the magic'...Bobruk is at her best when she is like everyone else, only more open and with an atmospheric voice made for both cello and feedback."
  
  
  "“The Safety Match Journal,” so texturized with unique musical ideas, finds Bobruk and producer Darwin Smith veering from Lilithian expectations. With “Fools For Love” bringing “vo-de-oh-doe” to modern times, “Dulcinea” dripping in dreamy lust, and shards of guitar scratching the melody of “First Move,” the album gets a little close to the edge of too-weird.
  
  But the stunning, ready-for-radio “Losing the Magic,” the most singer-songwriterly song on the album, ties all the loose ends together.
  
  With the slow-strumming “Precious Jesus” and LP closer “Shores of Gold” other highlights, Bobruk’s at her best when she’s like everyone else, only more open and with an atmospheric voice made for both cello and feedback. "— Michael Corcoran
  
  Link to this review at:
  http://www.austin360.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/music/entries/2008/02/28/cd_reviews_aimee_bobruk_bob_sc.html

• CD Review: IndieMusic.Suite101.com [+ Show ]
  

  "Austin singer-songwriter Aimee Bobruk's new album, The Safety Match Journal, is a collection of fol..."Austin singer-songwriter Aimee Bobruk's new album, The Safety Match Journal, is a collection of folk songs dressed up in a sparkling pop package."
  
  For years, Aimee Bobruk has been somewhat of a satellite orbiting Austin's dense singer-songwriter community. With her recently released debut L.P., The Safety Match Journal, she aims to move toward the center of that universe. The album is a tightly-focused collection of folk-pop songs bolstered by a quirky production ethic and anchored by Bobruk's crystalline singing.
  
  From the opening swells of a pedal steel on "Liverpool," it's apparent that the years of dues-paying Bobruk has spent on the Austin scene have paid off. "Last night I got tangled in the arms of Liverpool / I fell in love all over, head crying on the pillow / Now I know it won't be easy with the state I'm in / I could do something very strange," Bobruk sings.
  
  It's a song that easily could drift into formulaic roots-rock, yet thankfully avoids that road by smartly building up instruments--percussion, electric guitar, banjo, and even a horn section--and employing simple yet elegant rhymes.
  
  Safety Match Musicians, Production Excellent
  
  Meanwhile, "Fools for Love" is a bouncy depiction of a woman who more than lives up to the title, as Bobruk sings, "Heartbreak from hell hot on her trail / It could take a lifetime to escape / Like a patchwork doll tattered from taking the fall / She wouldn't change her ways if it meant losing passion." It's dark stuff of the best kind, elevated by an eclectic arrangement that expertly mixes saxophones, flute, and organ. Fans of Over the Rhine will find a certain kinship here.
  
  Much of The Safety Match Journal's value can be attributed to the tasteful contributions of some of Austin's brightest musicians (Kullen Fuchs, Ana Egge, and Will Sexton, to name a few). However, it is the intuitive production of Darwin Smith, who also contributes the bulk of the electric guitar, that keeps these songs on course.
  
  On what could have been a derivative salsa number, Smith skillfully keeps "Yo Los Veo" from traveling that road, instead relying on the quirky interplay of horns, percussion and a staccato electric guitar. The approach works, allowing Bobruk's tale of a poor neighborhood to breathe without collapsing into triteness.
  
  In the End, Bobruk's Voice Shines Through
  
  Taking a cue from Renaissance music, "Dulcinea" waxes poetic against a backdrop of violins and cellos. "You make love to fantasy, her illusions sweat of your brow," Bobruk sings, "Devouring kisses from chapped lips / You heave and thrust ephemeral lust."
  
  It is perhaps the most unusual track on the album, considering it comes right before the spacey rock of "First Move." Together, the songs show Bobruk's versatility as a songwriter as well as Smith's breadth as a producer.
  
  By the end of The Safety Match Journal, "Shores of Gold" finds Bobruk right back where she started, plucking an acoustic guitar and letting her voice carry the weight of the song. Even with the layered instrumentation that flows throughout these 12 tracks, the production is unobtrusive, allowing Bobruk's vocal and lyrical assets to shine through.
  
  By Lee Simmons (9/4/2008)
  View online at:
  http://indiemusic.suite101.com/article.cfm/aimee_bobruk_releases_new_album

• CD Review: BabySue [+ Show ]
  

  This...is a debut album...???!! Whew, you'd never know it from the sound of the smart, mature compos...This...is a debut album...???!! Whew, you'd never know it from the sound of the smart, mature compositions on The Safety Match Journal. Aimee Bobruk's smooth, crystal clear voice immediately reminded us of Mary Hopkin...although in terms of songs she is markedly different. So many up-and-coming artists quickly throw together some words and music...and are then declared "the next big thing" by easily-persuaded folks in the media. Journal is a different animal altogether. Aimee writes smart, memorable tunes that hold up to many repeated spins...and the arrangements are impeccable. The minute subtleties in these compositions all serve their appropriate purpose...which is to support the main melodies. This is easily one of the best debut albums we have heard this year. Cool pensive cuts include "Liverpool," "Fools for Love," "Here She Comes," and "Shores of Gold." Recommended. (Rating: 5++)

• CD Review: Austin Daze [+ Show ]
  

  There are several ways to approach making an album. You can just hit the record button, play the mus...There are several ways to approach making an album. You can just hit the record button, play the music and hope to capture the energy. You can put in certain instruments and try to emulate the sound of a genre. You can also focus on textures and soundscapes, in an attempt to create something more like film. The latter of these is the goal of The Safety Match Journal, and this Darwin Smith produced album has many elements of a well-crafted film score.
  
  I often cringe when vocals and songwriting take a backseat to production, as it often attempts to cover up lackluster abilities. In this case however, Ms. Bobruk brought in solid material to the project, as well as a strong yet graceful voice.
  
  A luscious blend of melody and sound, the CD avoids being tossed into the traditional singer/songwriter bin. Considering this is her first full-length album, it is indeed remarkable.
  
  I don’t personally swear by any one recording philosophy as being the best. I think it really depends on the artist and his or her objective. In this case, I think Ms. Bobruk was successful in setting out what she attempted to do, and that always makes a superb record to my ears.
  
  9 Daisy Stars
  
  Daisy’s Favorite Lyric: “I know it won’t be easy with the things you say changing everyday.”
  

• KOOP 91.7FM, Sandra Beckmeire
  

  "She [Aimee] certainly has her own sound."--Sandra Beckmeire, KOOP 91.7 FM Radio

Setlist

Sets range from 1-3 (45min/set)

Original compositions are performed.

Covers are performed upon request and range from early pop, rock, and folk

Basic Requirements

Calendar