A demo recording dropped off to a producer in New York City has seen The Rubens, from small-town NSW, reach lofty heights.
THE Rubens will begin their national tour in Warrnambool tonight as they launch one of the year’s most anticipated debut albums.
Led by Sam Margin and his soul-drenched vocals, The Rubens have enjoyed a meteoric rise since first jamming together just last year.
The group of brothers and childhood friends from Menangle, NSW, have toured nationally and just released their debut self-titled record, this week’s Triple J feature album.
The record was made in New York City with producer David Khan, who has worked with Paul McCartney, Regina Specktor and The Strokes, to name a few.
After a hectic 18 months the group took some well-earned rest before preparing for their biggest tour yet, starting in Warrnambool tonight and hitting plenty of regional venues for the first time.
Frontman Margin said the band’s blues swagger was an organic part of how they first wrote music together.
“We wrote a few songs and out of nowhere we had our sound,” he told Offbeat.
“We’re not sure how we got there. We never made the conscious decision to sound like that, which is odd.”
It’s rare for a band to enjoy such a level of success before releasing their first album, but Margin said there had definitely been some good luck along the way.
A friend of The Rubens living in the US dropped their demo to Khan, who took a liking to the unique sound, particularly on My Gun, and wanted to hear more.
“That was a massive step for us, before Triple J even happened.
“We thought ‘we need money, no one knows who we are, we have to make it happen because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.’
“I started working really hard and saving money. Then a few weeks after that Triple J played us and things started to change here.
“Suddenly there were record labels involved and we realised we could make this David Khan thing happen.”
The gamble paid off as the band signed with Ivy League Records midway through recording in New York City with Khan.
“There was a lot of risk and we put a lot on the line.
“Most bands who end up doing okay seem like they do have to take a risk at some point. We were lucky we didn’t have to take a million risks, spend all our money on demos and take 10 years trying to make it.
“It’s like I just woke up after a year-and-a-half and I’m suddenly in a band and it’s what I’m doing for a living.
“We all regularly look at each other and laugh that this is our lifestyle now.
“Time is a different thing now.
“It just flies by and you sort of gauge time by what tour is next or the next thing you’re releasing.”
The Rubens will be supported by Bertie Blackman and New Gods at The Loft tonight.
