The Ruby Spirit

In keeping with the spirit of the Summer Olympic Games in London let us award the gold,silver and bronze medals for the Thursday at the Harbor show on August 2nd, 2012. The show one of the most anticipated of the summer schedule featured reunited noise pop pioneers The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Ruby Spirit the young up and comers from Toronto and our own beloved masters of psychobilly punk music The Irving Klaws. Let the judging begin!

Easily capturing the gold medal is The Ruby Spiritwww.therubyspirit.com who was embraced by the citizens of Buffalo for their ebullient performance.Their delicious mix of campy cabaret, gothic horror movie elements and edgy alternative guitar makes for some interesting music. The band is also an interesting and appealing visual treat with the quasi performance art posturing of lead vocalist Paige Boy along with her equally animated band mates Alex Pulec (guitar), Mike Donnell (bass), Jason Cipparonne (drums) and Juliana (keyboards). Their forty minute set was highlighted with new and older material including "Sound of the Bell", "Caligari", "Evolution Sickness", "Ruby Dog" and "Microhearts". The band is currently working on a new album at Robby Takac's GCR Studios and will make a return trip for a set at Music is Art on September 15th, 2012. Let's give a wave of the Maple Leaf flag for The Ruby Spirit's winning performance. - Best of Western New York - Bob Sylvestri

The Ruby Spirit, an international act hailing from Toronto, Canada, performed a great set at the Hastings Ballroom as part of Showtime Clothing’s “Showtime Hearts Detroit” Rock and Roll Party, February 11, 2012. The rock music song they present here is titled “Sound of the Bell,” and was the song with which they opened. - DetroitRockBand.com

I found The Ruby Spirit quite by accident through a mutual love of Captain Beefheart. Their music has sounds from the 60's 70's guitars 80's and 90's but exists in a space that has no time frame.
It could be the cold Toronto air that makes their sound so spiky and rough around the edges, but underneath the songs weave a rich musical tapestry as varied as their influences.
They have been steadily building a live reputation in New York and rightly so. singer Paige is a theatrical vision part Gaga/ Bowie/ Siouxsie that keeps your eyes in focus while your ears are suitably stimulated.
Flush the Fashion, spoke to Paige and Alex from The Ruby Spirit about their debut EP ‘Born Under A Veil’

What are you up to at the moment?
Paige: Listening to “Hero’s and Villains” from Smile.
How long have you been together?
Alex: We’ve been playing music together for a few years now. It wasn’t until last year when we wrote a new batch of songs that we were really happy with when we decided to record our debut EP.

Who were your influences when you got the band together?
A: Lots of films, stories, and music. John Lennon, David Bowie and Captain Beefheart were our heroes, we love old German silent film and David Lynch, weird folklore and storytelling.
The band are originally from Canada, Is there much of a music scene in Toronto?
P: There are great bands and great talent. Although I’d say honestly there is a thin platform in which to survive long term here. The fans are eager for Canadian talent, but the industry keeps shoveling the dime a dozen first quarterly projects to the front of the stage.
The fans, independent blogs, and magazines here are tops though, they want to know the whole story and keep scene alive.
Have you moved to New York full time now?
P: No not at the moment. We travel there for a few shows every month, but the commute is so reasonable, we don’t need to live there yet. The band plans to move as we gain traction in the city. Since we’ve gone down we’ve had a great reception with new audiences, they made us feel at home. We’re drawn there, and will continue to play there as long as we can.
What does the title ‘Born Under a Veil’ mean?
P: When writing the lyrics to the song ‘Sound Of The Bell’ I was spewing out words, and the phrase “Caul Bearers” came out of my mouth and I wondered, “what does that even mean?”. I spelled it out just as I thought it must have been spelled, and looked it up. Apparently, babies born with a “Caul” are born with a sheet of skin over their face.
They are considered by some religious groups to be sacred, the skin is removed and often the child is never told about it. Such a strange coincidence to the meaning behind the song, I kept it, and it became the title of the record.
What is your favorite song to play live?
A: It would have to be ‘Caligari’. It just so much fun to play, it makes us feel like we’re in a carnival. - Flush Magazine

The Ruby Spirit recently released their debut album “Born Under A Veil.” Their new album is a special record featuring experimental recording techniques and several off-beat moments. The Ruby Spirit is a “colorful art-rock pop explosion tied together with infectious melodies and harmonies.” They really push the limit in the pop genre with “conviction, bold intensity, and love.” The band, which includes Paige Boy (vocals), Alex Pulec (guitar and voice), Mickey Donnell (bass), Jay Cipparrone (skins and rims), and Juliana Eye (organs, synth, and keys), is currently one of the top indie-pop bands in Toronto. They are fearless in their music and put on high-energy live shows. The Ruby Spirit has been compared to “looking through a musical kaleidoscope.”

Their passion, determination, uniqueness, and work ethic have all resulted in this fantastic debut album. They have shared the stage with big Canadian names such as The Vilestones & Carole Pope and the band was also named “Best Toronto Indie Band” at the Toronto Independent Music Awards. Check them out by sampling their whole debut album, “Born Under A Veil,” and watching the music video to the single “Ruby Dog” off the debut album (below). You can find the album on iTunes, Amazon, and Bandcamp. This band is getting hot, so get on the hype! - HypeTune.com

The Ruby Spirit is coming to a stage near you – twice this March, to be exact. “We like to take over a space,” shares Paige Boy, the band’s lead singer. “Even if it is the Mod club, we’re dragging mannequins on stage. If it’s the Great Hall, we’re turning it into a circus tent. It’s just our style.”
From the second I sit down with the band, it’s obvious the five members have a very clear idea of what their band is and where they want to take it. Their assuredness is reflected within the music – a melodic mix that hypnotizes with Boy’s powerful voice and driving beats – and the big plans they share with me throughout the interview.

When I walk in to the living room of drummer Jason Cipparrone’s Toronto home, the band is bursting with excitement about the first vinyl copy of their debut, Born Under a Veil. “You’re the first to see it other than us,” exclaims Alex Pulec, the band’s guitarist and vocalist, as he unfolds the packaging to show me the artwork. It is obvious that expression through many mediums is a key part of their work, from their experimental sound to their colourful costumes and command of the stage, which all border on performance art pieces.

“For sure we have a theatrical, colourful bunch of songs, and we’re theatrical performers, so the fashion really just enhances those traits. Anything colourful we gravitate to,” says Boy.

All of the band’s members met in high school. They were formerly called Sadie May Crash, but decided to change the name. “The prior band, that was kind of calling for more – more instrumentation, more sound,” Boy shares. “We wanted to thicken the songwriting possibilities so we added a new member, Juliana (Eye, who plays synth, organ, and provides backing vocals) and it just started going so well we named all the songs of the project after The Ruby Spirit and never looked back.”

“It doesn’t really have a meaning per se, it’s just [words] that we felt conjure up images. It’s not a trendy name or a hip name,” says Pulec. Mike Mcdonnell, the band’s bassist, adds it took quite a while for the band to find a name they all agreed on.

“We’re not a traditional band…. We wanted a name that was more about the collective and us as a group and all our eclectic influences. So, spirit was kind of fitting,” says Boy. The band cites David Bowie, The Beatles, and Patti Smith as some of their favourites, and the appeal of glam and punk is evident in their sound.

The band tells me they have shows coming up in New York in February. They’ve played there before, and say it’s where The Ruby Spirit belongs. “So many of our heroes eventually ended up there, and they get the alternative arts. I think this band is very alternative so they get what we’re going for,” says Boy.

A lot of the band’s plans center around New York, including finding a Parsons student to make their costumes, and playing shows at fashion week. “We can’t buy the clothes we want to wear, so we’ve got to make them,” says Pulec. The band does have a very notable, eclectic style. Mcdonnell lists The Salvation Army, Value Village and Goodwill as his go-to places to find interesting pieces, and Boy says 69 Vintage is one of her favourite boutiques. The band does make some of their own clothing as well, evidence that their creativity spans beyond their music – they also did the cover art for their album themselves.

With plans to play the Royal York Hotel on March 9th for the Canadian Music Week showcase, and again for Pop With Brains at The Rivoli on March 18th, the group has even more on the go than just art direction and their dreams of fashion in Manhattan. How do they manage? Boy shares a piece of advice for any aspiring artists: “Like a friend of ours says, you have to eat, sleep, shit, lick, fuck, suck music.” A little off-colour for the Royal York crowd, perhaps, but it’s a message that suits The Ruby Spirit just fine. - Plaid Magazine

Welcome to the plasticine horror show that is “Caligari,” a world reconstructed by Toronto psychedelic pop-rock band The Ruby Spirit. The band takes quarreling to a whole new level, as they decide to kill their bassist and BBQ him for being late to their meeting (an idea that came from him being late to the video concept meeting). The remaining members om and nom on their picnic happily while enjoying a movie. And all is well in psychedelia-land!

Directed by Mike Walter through double stop-motion photography, the plasticine set and band were put together in over 5,000 shots.

“Caligari” is off the album Born Under a Veil, and based on the 1920 German silent horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. The band will play Toronto’s Legendary Horseshoe Tavern this Saturday, October 8, and will head down to New York at the end of the month to play the CMJ marathon and record a new 7” single. - Aux TV