Artist InformationBiography
Ruth Minnikin and her bandwagon have been invited to showcase at
- CMJ in New York City
- Wed Oct 21st, Googies Lounge - above The Living Room - 11:30pm
- Nova Scotia Music Week
- Sat Nov 7th - Rudders - 10:30pm
and at CMW (Canadian Music Week), in Toronto, March 2010!
Ruth Minnikin and her bandwagon - The artist of the month!!
http://www.herohill.com/2009/09/herohill-music-nova-scotia-band-of.htm
Ruth's song 'Depend on This', received honorable mention in the 16th annual Billboard World Song Contest!!
Here is what they had to say about it. "Very cool song, unique and fresh. Excellent work. Wonderful blend of sounds and musical flavors."
For July and August, The Minnikins (Ruth and her brother Gabe) played festivals and art spaces throughout England.
Great new live review of Ruth Minnikin and her bandwagon's showcase at NXNE
New press links at the bottom of the page
January, through to June saw Ruth performing at festivals, showcasing at Folk Alliance, ECMA, CMW, SXSW and NXNE, touring Canada, and preparing to release her disc 'Depend on This'!
Ruth Minnikin and her Bandwagon have completed the mastering of their new album 'Depend on This'. Two mastered tracks are now up for streaming 'Four Churches' and 'Depend on This'.
Some past nods -
“Ruth and her brother are from Nova Scotia and play an assortment of instruments (accordion, mandolin and guitar) and sing glorious harmonies. Ruth sounds a bit like Laura Cantrell and her brother has a deep gruff voice like Billy Bob Thorton. It’s acts like these that make this particular festival a treat for music lovers. By the time they left the stage after a 30 minute set, there was a queue of 11 people at the merch stall, to buy their CD.”
Maverick Sept 2008 Issue #74
"Canadian country gal Ruth Minnikin just gets better and better. Beautifully presented in a stamped canvas sleeve, third LP Folk Art (4 stars) finds her shifting further from the sweet country-folk of earlier work into the darker recesses of rural American tradition. A bony set of tunes veering from freakshow carnival nightmares ("Bad Dreams Pt.1") through N’awlins jazz ("Chicken Cooped Up In Country Music") to spare parlour folk ("Song Mill"). See www.ruthminnikin.ca for details."
Uncut - by Rob Hughes
"Ruth Minnikin signed with EMI as part of The Booming Airplanes at the age of 17. Ten years and several albums with Nova Scotian Alternative Country band The Guthries later, she issues her third solo record, Folk Art, in a small cloth bag with stenciled artwork, accompanied by a handwritten track sheet. Recorded and mixed in three days, even fans of lo-fi singer songwriters like Jolie Holland or Freakwater might find Folk Art a little minimal, but Minnikin's cracked vocal skips over perfectly miniaturized songs featuring mandolin, banjo and French horn. Find Folk Art at www.ruthminnikin.ca. There's a hootenanny in the dolls’ house."
London Sunday Times - by Stewart Lee
“Play her when you have company and absolutely everyone will ask you who the singer is. Some will say she sounds like a female Leonard Cohen.”
Monday Magazine, BC
“Ruth Minnikin has a voice that would harmonize happily with the McGarrigle sisters and writes songs of stark but simple emotion that are evocative of Natalie Merchant or Gillian Welch at their respective best."
Maverick Magazine, UK
Ruth’s first band, the Booming Airplanes signed with EMI she was just 17 years old. Now ten years later, she is a musician, visual artist and businesswoman with an impressive history of national and international tours both as a member of such bands as The Guthries, The Heavy Blinkers, Reels and as a solo artist. Her voice can be enjoyed on radio stations all over the world.
Some of the big-wigs Ruth has been lucky enough to share a stage or CD with are: Beth Orton (UK), David Byrne (UK), Orwell (France), The Handsome Family (US), Calexico (US), Kris Kristofferson (US), The Lemonheads (US), Joel Plaskett and The Nova Scotia Symphony (CAN), Buck 65 (CAN) and Blue Rodeo (CAN).
Contact Songmill Music
for mailorders, bookings, interviews
Buy downloads from www.zunior.com
Buy albums through local stores
www.myspace.com/ruthminnikin
www.ruthminnikin.ca
Instrumentation
Ruth Minnikin - vocals, guitars, keys, bass
Gabriel Minnikin - vocals, guitars, keys, mandolin
Craig Buckley - vocals, bass, percussion
Brian Murray - banjo, drums, vocals
Anna Plaskett - french horn, vocals
Dave Christensen - flute, bass clarinet, vocals
Discography
High demand for Ruth’s unique voice has found her featured on over 50 recordings!!
1996 Booming Airplanes – Yarn - singer/songwriter
1998 The Heavy Blinkers – Hooray For Everything - singer
2000 The Heavy Blinkers – The Heavy Blinkers - singer
2000 The Guthries – Off Windmill - singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
2001 Joel Plaskett – Down at the Khyber - singer
2001 Hopeful Monster – self titled-guest - singer
2001 The Heavy Blinkers – Better Weather - singer
2002 The Havenots EP (UK) - singer, accordion, mandolin
2002 Paul Bellini – Disco album - singer
2002 The Guthries – self titled - singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
2003 Ruth Minnikin – Live EP - singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
2003 Heavy Blinkers – Papa Nez – Tribute to Michael Nesmith - international release - singer
2003 Heavy Blinkers – Split single with Orwell (FR) - singer
2004 The Heavy Blinkers – The Night And I Are Still So Young - singer
2004 Gabriel Minnikin – Hard Feelings - singer, accordion, mandolin
2004 Jason Haywood – Nothing Stays the Same - singer, accordion
2004 Reels - EP - singer
2004 The Hurtin’ Unit - accordion
2004 Ruth Minnikin – Marooned and Blue - singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
2005 Dale Murray – Brighter Lives, Darker Side - singer/songwriter
2005 Kate Maki – The Sun Will Find Us - singer, accordion
2005 The Life and Times of Guy Terrifico - soundtrack to film - singer
2005 KTB (UK) – Bluebird - singer
2005 James Lyons Compilation (UK) - singer/songwriter
2005 Mid-Winter Night’s Dream - singer/songwriter
2005 Jonathan Andrews – Halifax Indie Rock - singer
2005 Norma Macdonald - singer, accordion
2005 Old Man Luedecke - Hinderland - singer
2005 Mid-Autumn Night’s Dream - singer/songwriter
2005 Gabe Minnikin - singer, accordion
2006 The Hylozoists - la fin du monde - singer
2006 The Divorcees - singer
2006 Ruth Minnikin – Folk Art- singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist
2006 Johnny Stevens - singer, accordion
2007 Orwell (France) – le genie humain- singer
2007 Gabriel Minnikin (UK) - singer, keys
2007 Reels – Autumn Country - bass, singer, keys, percussion
2007 Tribute Album to The Inbreds - contributed - accordion, singer
2007 Adam Puddington - organ, accordion, singer
2008 The Russian Futurists (ON) - guest vocalist
2008 Tribute Album to Thrush Hermit - contributed - accordion, bass, singer, rhodes, percussion
2009 Kelly Sloan - accordion
2009 Rich Aucoin - guest singer
2009 Eric's Trip Tribute - contributed song
2009 Helen Creighton tribute album
2009 Savoury - accordion, singer
2009 Jason Haywood - accordion, singer
2009 Atlantic Voices - Rhino - contributed song
2009 Sloan Tribute - contributed song
2009 Ruth Minnikin and her bandwagon - Depend on This - Autumn 2009
solo albums
2009 Ruth Minnikin and her bandwagon - Depend on This - Autumn
2006 Ruth Minnikin - Folk Art
2004 Ruth Minnikin - Marooned and Blue
2003 Ruth Minnikin - EP
Stream from www.radio3.cbc.ca/bands/Ruth-Minnikin
Links