Myshkin's Ruby Warblers
Country of origin:
U.S.
Type of music generally:
Evocative/eclectic beautiful & fierce contemporary folk, flavoured by almost everything: especially country, Americana, and jazz
Status:
Most recent release, Trust and The High Wire (2018)
See also:
Myshkin's Ruby Warbler's siteThe Ectophiles' Guide's entry for one of Myshkin's other projects, The Road Dog Divas
Comparisons:
The eclecticism of her friend, Amy Denio but that's really the only comparison I can think of. Her voice is reminiscent of Ferron's.
Covers/own material:
Own
General comments:
She's a really talented musician, very intense performer, and a real friendly person. I bought all her CDs but the latest at her show (it wasn't quite out yet), and they're a bit erratic, but filled with lots of gems. (jjhanson@att.net)She's also doing a mellower, jazzier thing then she was doing when I first saw her a few years ago. But I still love her singing and her songwriting. And, at Folk Alliance, I thought her set with the Ruby Warblers was stellar. (Neal)
Comments about live performance:
A strong singer and presence, with a pretty unique style. Worth checking out. Myshkin has a bit of a country flavor to her edgy folk sound. And a really powerful voice. When she passed through town and played at my neighborhood coffeeshop, she would step out from behind the mic and just belt it. (4/02, Neal)
Recommended first album:
Rosebud • bullets or corvidae
Recordings:
- Slate (Myshkin solo, 1993)
- Dr. Plague and other Lullabyes (Myshkin Impossible band, 1995)
- Econoline (Myshkin with Mike West, 1997)
- Blue Gold (Myshkin with the Big Bang Dance Band, 1998)
- Why do All the Country Girls Leave? (Myshkin with the Big Bang Dance Band, 2000)
- The Road Dog Divas (The Road Dog Divas, 2002)
- Rosebud • bullets (Myshkin's Ruby Warblers, 2002)
- corvidae (2004)
- Sigh Semaphore (ep, 2006)
- That Diamond Lust (2012)
- Trust and The High Wire (2018)
Why do All the Country Girls Leave?
Release info:
2000—Bink—1024
Availability:
See Myshkin's website
Ecto priority:
Recommended
Comments:
Fun, lively mix of polka, country, blues, punk, rock and pop with attitude and smarts. My favourite track is probably "Milk and Honey". (Neile)
Rosebud • bullets
Release info:
2002—Double Salt Records
Availability:
See Myshkin's website
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Myshkin—acoustic guitar, electric guitar, tenor guitar, mandolin, vocals
Scott Magee—drums, bass clarinet
John Lutz—upright bass
neti Vaan—fiddle, phonofiddle
Ben Schenck—clarinet
Christopher Trapani—piano
Laura Freeman—harmonica
Produced by:
Myshkin (except one song produced by Mike West & Myshkin)
Comments:
I started listening to a couple of samples from this and then had to get the full album, and have really enjoyed it. The overall sound is quite different from anything else I own, and so is Myshkin's strong voice. Every song in this collection has its charms, but my favourites are "Scarecrow", "Ruby Warbler", "Cory Jo", "Big Wind", "Rosie": what a incredible melody lines! I find both her songwriting and her vocal performance very impressive here. Highly, highly recommended. (Neile)
corvidae
Release info:
2004—DoubleSalt Records—DoubleSalt 02
Availability:
See Myshkin's website
Ecto priority:
Highly recommended
Group members:
Myshkin—acoustic, electric, and tenor guitars, vocals
Guest artists:
Sailor Banks—bass, guitars, piano, organ, drumloops, samples, trumpet
Scott Magee—drums
Brent Martns—bass Skip von Kuske—cello
Nathan Langston—violine
Enion Pelta—violin
Produced by:
Myshhkin and Sugar Shortwave
Comments:
Like Rosebud • bullets I find this compulsive listening. The songs tells stories and Myshkin's powerful, emotional vocals wrench every bit of emotion from them. Heartbreaking, charming, terrific listening. (Neile)
Sigh Semaphore ep
Release info:
2006—DoubleSalt Records
Availability:
See Myshkin's website
Ecto priority:
Recommended
Group members:
Myshkin—guitar, vocals
Guest artists:
Sailor Banks—upright bass, guitar, beats
Leila Chieko—drums
Skip Von Kuske—cello
Lara Michell—guitar
Marissa Sega—French horn
Squish—musical saw
Produced by:
Sugar Short Wave and Myshkin
Comments:
This is a seven-song ep with Myshkin's recent work—very similar to that of Rosebud • bullets and corvidae. The songs are strong and promise great work to come. (Neile)
