Mandie And Ruby
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Mandie And Ruby

Fullerton, California, United States | SELF

Fullerton, California, United States | SELF
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"OC Music Awards 2012: Mandie & Ruby Create Jazzy, Fun Acoustic Tunes"

Celebrating its 11th anniversary, the OC Music Awards kicks off on January 3rd with seven weeks of free showcases at different venues across the county. 35 local artists will compete for the titles of Best Live Band or Best Live Acoustic and a performance slot at the 2012 OC Music Awards, March 3 at the Grove of Anaheim. And, the voting is open now!

“I met Mandie in high school, we were in this little punk rock/sort-of ska band. She was the singer and we wrote music all through high school,” said Ruby, one-half of Orange County acoustic-duo, Mandie & Ruby.

The pair, who have played together officially since October 2010, but have known each other for about nine years, were entered in the OC Music Awards based on the merit of their live performances at places like coffee shops, private events, and the Downtown Fullerton Art Walk and are thrilled by the crowd response.

Although the two have been in and out of other bands throughout their lifetime, the two hold down artistic day jobs (Ruby is a chef at Disneyland’s exclusive Club 33 and Mandie is a designer for her retro-styled clothing business Heartbreaker Fashion) and admit to having not connected so readily on the musical front with other people as much as with each other.

Mandie elaborated: “With Ruby, it’s really easy. She comes over. We drink a bottle of wine. It’s like, ‘Alright. Let’s write this. Let’s do this.’”

“Ruby gave me the opportunity to sing a different style,” Mandie continued, referencing her past singing career in “indie rock” group 1518. “I’m finding it’s much better suited to my style of voice. My style of singing. Ruby has sort of the same standpoint in music as I do…I listens to how she plays and then my singing influences her style sometimes and vice versa…We feed off each other really well. Finding a good writing partner is actually hard to do.”

Although they are relatively new to the Orange Country music scene as a duo, both Mandie and Ruby have a lot of experience in music. Mandie has been taking private voice lessons since she was 11-years-old, went to an arts high school in Los Angeles, and majored in voice at Cal State Fullerton.

Ruby, who according to Mandie hails from Texas, said that both her and Mandie are jazz-trained and she has played music, in one form or another, since she was about 8-years-old. They both have similar musical tastes as well.

“I find myself very drawn to soulful music like the blues and jazz,” Mandie said. “I like reggae a lot too. Especially music that came out in the 1960s. I like vintage reggae as I like to call it.”

“I identify myself with a lot of old school reggae and jazz bands,” Ruby agreed, elaborating. “Just seeing videos from when I was younger of old jazz guitarists like Django Reinhardt and Wes Montgomery. That kind of inspired me to pick up that sort of style and I definitely like playing jazz and stuff like that.”

Mandie and Ruby’s live show consist of both covers and original songs. Mandie said that she treats covers as a way to introduce her friends and listeners to a song that they wouldn’t otherwise have heard.


When we first started, we did a lot of cover songs.” said Mandie. “We were covering bands and artists that were probably not as well-known…and part of the reason why I wanted to do that is because they’re songs that I really like and I kind of wanted to be able to share with other people because they may not hear it otherwise… And then from that, we do have our own original songs too. “

One such song is the sexy, bluesy tune “Sugar & Cream,” which Mandie describes as inspired from a morning when she was “getting out of bed” earlier than her boyfriend and said to herself “Man, I don’t want to leave.”

A lot of Mandie’s influences are derivative of her emotion. The singer said eloquently, “This might sound really cheesy but I think one of my biggest influences is my own emotion.”

“I’m the type of person that’s very drawn towards things that are good and honest and wholesome. And I don’t mean that in a prudish sense,” Mandie continued. “Essentially, in a word, love–not romantic love, but all-encompassing love. When I’m making music, when I’m in that zone, that’s all that I can feel, that’s all that I can really describe.”

“When you get chills when you’re listening to your favorite band live,” Mandie elaborated in terms that anyone who loves music can understand, “and they’re on their last song. It’s like the climax of the song. You just get chills all over your body. It’s that feeling.”

“I definitely feel that passion brewing inside of me whenever I play with really talented people,” agreed Ruby. “I just want to continue wherever it takes me. I love playing music.”

“There’s something in the vibrations of the music that human consciousness can’t necessarily describe,” concluded Mandie philosophically.

Read more: OC Music Awards 2012: Mandie & Ruby Create Jazzy, Fun Acoustic Tunes http://kroq.radio.com/2012/02/07/oc-music-awards-2012-mandie-ruby-create-jazzy-fun-acoustic-tunes/#ixzz1lp5zAKoZ
- KROQ.com


"Mandie & Ruby at the Violethour"


Lost in the labyrinth of The Violet Hour—a gallery featured in Downtown Fullerton’s ‘First Friday Art Walk’ each month—a faint crooning from the main room served as a guide out of the maze of paintings, sculptures, photos, and sketches. As the volume grew, accompanied by graceful strums from an acoustic guitar, I finally found the clearing and posted up in a plush velvet armchair to ingest the effortless sound of Mandie & Ruby.

The mood of The Violet Hour… unknowingly endowed, carelessly captivating, and perfectly disheveled… provided a faultless setting for the two humble talents. With singer Mandie Bee sporting Toms and guitarist Ruby Reginaldo in a worn pair of Converse, the pair radiated a sense of ease that was penetrable.

According to their Facebook band page, “Mandie & Ruby began out of a necessity to fulfill musical needs of both members,” and I can attest that the innate gifts these artists possess need to not only be realized, but more importantly shared.

Mandie’s voice is rare and radiant. The poignant notes that slip from her lips without visible exertion make an onlooker such as myself think I too could sing (key word: think). Likewise, Ruby’s calling is unmistakably musical. She participated in drum line during high school, can play different horns, bass and guitar—in other words she is the type of person who drives me crazy with jealousy: the self-taught genius who can nonchalantly pick up any instrument and naturally play.

Mandy & Ruby. Photo by Chelsea Jeheber
Friday night’s set included a number of covers from both well-known and underground artists. Their rendition of The Beatles folk rock ballad “Rocky Raccoon” predominantly caught my attention. I am generally disinclined to most interpretations of my favorite bands (Zeppelin and The Beatles in particular), but Mandie & Ruby’s “Rocky Raccoon” captured the essence of the original while still staying true to their own sound.

They also played original songs, including “Sugar and Cream,” “Baby, I’d Let You Get Away,” and “Fast Asleep,” proving that their abilities span much farther than just being great performers. Their lyrics and melodies are equally notable and give Mandie & Ruby the potential to make a real footprint in the ever-vast world of “indie” music.

There were multiple forces threatening to drown out the pair during their final song, “Baby, I’d Let You Get Away”—a French Bulldog jumping up on my leg, an announcement that the owner of a black BMW needed to come to the front for their car was being towed, and a boisterous woman who had undoubtedly consumed one too many cups of “punch”—but I remained captivated and they played on unfettered.

Considering that Mandie & Ruby came together only a little over a year ago, the opportunities for growth and achievement of the pair are endlessly exciting. Whether they remain underground at coffee shops and bars, or eventually reach a broader commercial audience, these two are a delight to watch and shouldn’t be missed. - OC Music Magazine


Discography

Demo Recordings- October 2010

Photos

Bio

Mandie & Ruby began out of a necessity to fulfill musical needs of both members.

Mandie wails and rocks out with her other band, 1518, but wanted to have the opportunity to "bring it down" and write lyrics and melodies that would cater to a different set of ears and give her an outlet to sing in a different genre as well.
In high school and college, she studied vocal music. Her passion to emote through singing is pertinent to her every day life.
"I wake up singing or at least humming some little melody. I kind of laugh at my groggy voice in the morning, but it sets the mood for the rest of the day. I need to sing. Sometimes just speaking doesn't explain what I'm trying to say nearly as effectively as it could when I'm singing it."

Ruby has always had a great passion for playing music. Participating in drum line in high school, learning different horn instruments, guitar and bass.
She decided to take a career path that initially lead her away from music almost entirely. It is clear that Ruby was naturally meant to be a musician. Having the ability and the talent to pick up various instruments so quickly and so happily is not easy to come by.

Mandie recalls, "Ruby said to me, 'I want to be in a band. I want to play music. I miss it.' and with that the gears in my brain just started spinning."

The two realized how much they needed one another.

Beginning in October of 2010, Mandie & Ruby started opening for other bands, coffee shops, bars, and the monthly Downtown Fullerton Art Walk covering songs by their favorite artists. Surprised with the positive crowd response,
Mandie & Ruby very quickly decided to write original music. They still cover a variety of songs, but are also beginning to notice friends and strangers at their shows mouthing the lyrics to their own songs as well.

Mandie decided to extend her vocal abilities with the novelty and sound of a melodica, a small hand held keyboard-wind instrument.
"Every show, someone's got somethin' to say about it. It's just rad." Says Mandie.

Their influences include:

Jenny Lewis of Rilo Kiley
Ella Fitzgerald
Andrew Bird
Devendra Banhart
Nick Drake
Paul Simon
Sam Cooke
The Slackers
Bob Marley
Death Cab for Cutie
Emiliani Torrini
St. Vincent

VIDEO:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Mandie-and-Ruby/157155104312315?v=app_178091127385&ref=ts#!/video/video.php?v=1549639175592#comments

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5qsu2SXajE