Bella Ruse

Artist Information

Biography

Bella Ruse's combination of airy folk and crunchy pop transforms rooms into secret gardens and paints pictures of invading bombardiers, salty sea love, and super glued hearts. Surrounded by a laboratory of instruments - typewriter, suitcase organ, glockenspiel, and kazoos - singer Kay Gillette's antique voice and Joseph Barker's mournful guitar twist and twirl and dip and dive and carry you deep down the rabbit-hole into their magical musical world.

They've been traveling the country in a van powered by vegetable oil for two years, opening for Sarah Mclachlan, Heart, and Kate Nash along the way. Their songs have been heard on MTV and Showtime and their most recent album, KUHZOO, spent eight weeks on the CMJ Radio Top 200. They were the Needle in the Haystack artist on MTVmusic.com and Performer Magazine calls Gillette's voice 'truly unique.'

In 2010 their song 'Push On' was handpicked by Sarah Mclachlan and Terry McBride as a winner of the Lilith Fair talent search competition and Bella Ruse was offered a spot at the nationally touring festival. Kay joined Sarah, Ann Wilson, Martie Maguire and Emily Robison on stage for the final number at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

This September, after their album Kuhzoo charted on the CMJ Top 200, Bella Ruse went on a midwest radio tour which culminated in Cincinnati's Midpoint Music Fest, where they were named one of the weekend's must see acts along with Mates of State, The Album Leaf and The Low Anthem.

Other Achievements:
-included in the Songs for the Streets charity compilation album along with Sarah Mclachlan and The Thermals
-featured on MTVmusic.com homepage
-the album 'Bella Ruse' was #1 on Jamendo.com
-album 'Kuhzoo' #15 in radio adds, 8 weeks on CMJ Top 200
-featured on ourstage.com 50 States in 50 weeks blog
-interviewed for US Airways in-flight featured music
-song 'Remember Me' used in an award winning Coke commercial screened at Cannes Film Festival.
-featured on thesixtyone.com homepage

Instrumentation

Kay Gillette - glockenspiel, keyboard, toy piano
Joseph Barker - Guitar
Alex Young - Drums, Percussion, Typewriter
Nathan Eliot - Bass

Discography

Those Were Good Times, Weren't They - Due June 1st

Golden Baby - EP February 2012

Welcome Christmas - Nov 2012

Kuhzoo - Debut Full Length January 2011
- 8 weeks on CMJ Top 200
- #15 in CMJ radio adds April 2011
- 'Gumption & Guts' featured on MTV's Skins

Bella Ruse - EP June 2009
- received national college radio play
- 'Heart of Everyone' featured on Showtime

Live at the Glacier Fringe - EP May 2009
'Twas a Bella Ruse Christmas - EP November 2009

Official Website

http://www.bellaruse.com

Links

• Facebook
• Youtube
• Twitter
• Last.fm

Audio

• 3. Try
  Listen  
• For the Ancient Sun
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• Operation
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• Complicated Rhythm
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• Gumption & Guts
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• An Animal A Natural
  Listen  

Lyrics

• For the Ancient Sun
• Complicated Rhythm
• Gumption & Guts
• The Kazoo Song
• Dark Horse
• Operation

Video

Complicated Rhythm

Gumption & Guts

Photo Gallery

Press

• Needle in the Haystack Presents Bell Ruse [+ Show ]
  

  Minneapolis-based folk-pop duo, Bella Ruse, are vocally reminiscent of the 20s and also incorporate ...Minneapolis-based folk-pop duo, Bella Ruse, are vocally reminiscent of the 20s and also incorporate many eclectic instruments into their music- glockenspiel, melodica, xylophone, kazoo and typewriter to name a few. Find out more about her addiction to Sims 3, their tour bus that runs on vegetable oil and how their relationship influences their songs.

• Record Review: Bella Ruse - Kuhzoo [+ Show ]
  

  Kuhzoo is one of those catchy, smart records that will stick in your mind even after you've taken of...Kuhzoo is one of those catchy, smart records that will stick in your mind even after you've taken off your headphones. It's 37 minutes that you will not only enjoy, but that you will ultimately keep coming back to for further listens.

• Lilith Fair announces local band, charity winners [+ Show ]
  

  In anticipation of their July 18 stop at Canterbury Park, the organizers of the Lilith Fair conducte...In anticipation of their July 18 stop at Canterbury Park, the organizers of the Lilith Fair conducted a local talent search, soliciting songs from area bands via the music networking site OurStage. The winner for the Twin Cities date is Minneapolis two-piece Bella Ruse, who will kick off the day's festivities with a set of minimalist folk-rock on the Village Stage prior to sets by Mary J. Blige, Kelly Clarkson, Heart, Metric, founder Sarah McLachlan, and more.
  
  Sample one of Bella Ruse's songs, "Push On," below.

• Needle in the Haystack: Bell Ruse [+ Show ]
  

  It was only a matter of time before Bella Ruse was scooped up as a Needle In The Haystack artist. Ju...It was only a matter of time before Bella Ruse was scooped up as a Needle In The Haystack artist. Just this past year the folk pop duo has embarked on three national tours, recoded three EPs and released their first full length album. Their live show has impressed onlookers from Seattle to New York and garnered them world wide television and radio play—their song “Push On” even scored them an opening spot in the Lilith 2010 Festival through OurStage’s “Lilith Local Talent Search”. Their brand-spanking-new album Kuhzoo was funded purely through Kickstarter.com, and if all that’s not enough ambition for you, the band is currently touring in a van powered by vegetable oil.

• Our Must See Midpoint Picks [+ Show ]
  

  Why I can't wait: You can hear Kay Gillette smiling on the band's new album, "Kuhzoo." How sweet is...Why I can't wait: You can hear Kay Gillette smiling on the band's new album, "Kuhzoo." How sweet is that?

• Bella Ruse - Secret of the Day [+ Show ]
  

  Bella Ruse, a Minneapolitan duo consisting of Kay Gillette and Joseph Barker, employs a kaleidoscope...Bella Ruse, a Minneapolitan duo consisting of Kay Gillette and Joseph Barker, employs a kaleidoscope of instrumentation into its sunshine-y folk-pop sound. Carrying seemingly permanent smiles, Gillette plays the smokey chanteuse to Barker’s acoustic-guitar sideman with tremendous results.

• Press Shuffle: Music To Unplug To [+ Show ]
  

  Is that a typewriter? By golly it is! It’s been stated before that this author has a soft spot for h...Is that a typewriter? By golly it is! It’s been stated before that this author has a soft spot for happiness-infused folksy duos and their feelgood, lovey-dovey lyrics, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that this incredibly talented act is included in this list. Besides, singer Kay Gillette’s vocals are so invitingly playful that she draws you deep into her musical world in mere seconds.

• KahBang On: Kick-off with Hey Marseilles, Bella Ruse [+ Show ]
  

  Kay Gillette, and her guitarist, Joseph Barker, treated the small crowd to a mixture of delightful c...Kay Gillette, and her guitarist, Joseph Barker, treated the small crowd to a mixture of delightful catchy pop songs, and heartbreaking slower tunes. Their minimalist setup of two voices, a guitar, glockenspiel, and organ really set them apart from the other groups

• Kuestionaire: Bella Ruse [+ Show ]
  

  The sweet nature of Bella Ruse is the bare simplicity of their folk-jazz style and the whimsical lyr...The sweet nature of Bella Ruse is the bare simplicity of their folk-jazz style and the whimsical lyrics of lead songwriter, Kay Gillette. There also seems to be a heavy influence of Swedish pop music mixed with modern American folk pop. The Minneapolis duo are careful with their smile inducing tunes, it’s kind of humbling how minimal they get and still create affective jazzy pop.

• Bella Ruse EP review [+ Show ]
  

  My request for the band is simple: more, please. More blood, sweat, tears, booze, ultra-lights, magi...My request for the band is simple: more, please. More blood, sweat, tears, booze, ultra-lights, magic fairy dust or WHATEVER combination birthed this beauty.

Setlist

We have 1 hour + of originals and 3 hours of folk, pop and standard covers.

Basic Requirements

Calendar