Rubyhorse
Encyclopedia
Rubyhorse were an Irish rock
band from Cork
, Ireland
. Their debut album, A Lifetime In One Day, was released in Ireland on 2 June 1995. In 1997 the band moved to Boston
, Massachusetts
, and all of their subsequent albums were released in the United States
.
song, and having toured Ireland to the point of saturation with their first release A Lifetime In One Day (which was recorded adjacent to a meat-smoking factory in an old industrial estate outside Cork), they decided that their best shot at success was in America.
The group left for Boston, Massachusetts, in January 1997, and eventually landed a weekly residency performing at an Irish pub called The Burren, in the Davis Square area of Somerville, Massachusetts
.
From having an audience of four, word quickly spread about a band who would eventually host a 60 week residency. Also setting up shop under the floodlights of Fenway Park
every Saturday night at the legendary Bill’s Bar on Landsdowne Street, they won three Boston Music Awards within one year of arriving on American soil.
National tours ensued, as did a battle among various record labels to sign them. Fueled by the group reaching number one on the fledgling MP3 charts (a first for an unsigned group at this point), Rubyhorse signed an ill-fated deal with Interscope Records
which saw them relocate to Los Angeles
, and record an album with producer Paul Fox
, which despite its enormous budget, was never released.
Major-label big-budget lesson learned, the band eventually returned to their roots, finding Ohio
-born, Nashville
-based producer Jay Joyce, and created the independently released album, How Far Have You Come, on a 16 track machine in his suburban Nashville basement.
Having toured the new album across the country, Island Records
signed the band to their second deal under the same Universal Records umbrella they had just left in order to rework the How Far Have You Come album into something new.
In the summer of 2001, the band returned to Nashville with Jay Joyce, recorded some new material (including "Sparkle"), took the tapes to Miami beach for Tom Lord Alge to mix, and finally released Rise, their only major-label album, which features slide guitar by George Harrison on the track "Punchdrunk".
The band toured the country, appeared on the David Letterman Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and Good Morning America
, showcasing their single "Sparkle" which eventually hit #21 in the 2002 Billboard charts
, won an Irish Meteor award, and can still be heard in movies such as Ed Burns’ Sidewalks of New York
, and TV shows like Smallville
. The song "Fell on Bad Days" was used in the final scene of the season finale of Season 1 of Rescue Me
.
Following the departure of songwriter and original member Owen Fegan
in 2004, the band returned to Jay Joyce’s Nashville compound to record Goodbye To All That, a critically acclaimed album which was released on the Atlanta-based Brash Label. The band toured extensively through the United States and Ireland, and although critically acclaimed, the album never gained the traction it needed to sustain the band, and eventually the remaining members agreed to split. While the band have never officially broken up, their website has not been updated in years.
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band from Cork
Cork (city)
Cork is the second largest city in the Republic of Ireland and the island of Ireland's third most populous city. It is the principal city and administrative centre of County Cork and the largest city in the province of Munster. Cork has a population of 119,418, while the addition of the suburban...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Their debut album, A Lifetime In One Day, was released in Ireland on 2 June 1995. In 1997 the band moved to Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, and all of their subsequent albums were released in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
History
Friends since kindergarten, the group became bandmates at the same time as they became teenagers; they assigned each other instruments according to personality. Taking their name from a Wonder StuffThe Wonder Stuff
The Wonder Stuff are a British alternative rock band, originally based in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in the Black Country, England.-Origins:...
song, and having toured Ireland to the point of saturation with their first release A Lifetime In One Day (which was recorded adjacent to a meat-smoking factory in an old industrial estate outside Cork), they decided that their best shot at success was in America.
The group left for Boston, Massachusetts, in January 1997, and eventually landed a weekly residency performing at an Irish pub called The Burren, in the Davis Square area of Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
.
From having an audience of four, word quickly spread about a band who would eventually host a 60 week residency. Also setting up shop under the floodlights of Fenway Park
Fenway Park
Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square in Boston, Massachusetts. Located at 4 Yawkey Way, it has served as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox baseball club since it opened in 1912, and is the oldest Major League Baseball stadium currently in use. It is one of two "classic"...
every Saturday night at the legendary Bill’s Bar on Landsdowne Street, they won three Boston Music Awards within one year of arriving on American soil.
National tours ensued, as did a battle among various record labels to sign them. Fueled by the group reaching number one on the fledgling MP3 charts (a first for an unsigned group at this point), Rubyhorse signed an ill-fated deal with Interscope Records
Interscope Records
Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group that currently operates as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-History:...
which saw them relocate to Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, and record an album with producer Paul Fox
Paul Fox
Sir Paul Leonard Fox, CBE, is a British television executive, who spent much of his broadcasting career working for BBC Television, most prominently as the Controller of BBC One between 1967 and 1973.-Early life:...
, which despite its enormous budget, was never released.
Major-label big-budget lesson learned, the band eventually returned to their roots, finding Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
-born, Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
-based producer Jay Joyce, and created the independently released album, How Far Have You Come, on a 16 track machine in his suburban Nashville basement.
Having toured the new album across the country, Island Records
Island Records
Island Records is a record label that was founded by Chris Blackwell in Jamaica. It was based in the United Kingdom for many years and is now owned by Universal Music Group...
signed the band to their second deal under the same Universal Records umbrella they had just left in order to rework the How Far Have You Come album into something new.
In the summer of 2001, the band returned to Nashville with Jay Joyce, recorded some new material (including "Sparkle"), took the tapes to Miami beach for Tom Lord Alge to mix, and finally released Rise, their only major-label album, which features slide guitar by George Harrison on the track "Punchdrunk".
The band toured the country, appeared on the David Letterman Show, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, showcasing their single "Sparkle" which eventually hit #21 in the 2002 Billboard charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
, won an Irish Meteor award, and can still be heard in movies such as Ed Burns’ Sidewalks of New York
Sidewalks of New York
Sidewalks of New York may refer to:*Sidewalks of New York , a movie starring Buster Keaton in 1931*Sidewalks of New York , a movie written and directed by Edward Burns in 2001...
, and TV shows like Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
. The song "Fell on Bad Days" was used in the final scene of the season finale of Season 1 of Rescue Me
Rescue Me (TV series)
Rescue Me is an American television drama series that premiered on the FX Network on July 21, 2004, and concluded on September 7, 2011. The series focuses on the professional and personal lives of a group of New York City firefighters in the fictitious Ladder 62 / Engine 99 firehouse.The show...
.
Following the departure of songwriter and original member Owen Fegan
Owen Fegan
Owen Fegan is Creative Director at New York Magazine. Born in Cork, Ireland, he is a founding member of Irish rock band Rubyhorse, formed in 1987 with schoolmates Dave Farrell, Decky Lucey, Joe Philpott, and Gordon Ashe...
in 2004, the band returned to Jay Joyce’s Nashville compound to record Goodbye To All That, a critically acclaimed album which was released on the Atlanta-based Brash Label. The band toured extensively through the United States and Ireland, and although critically acclaimed, the album never gained the traction it needed to sustain the band, and eventually the remaining members agreed to split. While the band have never officially broken up, their website has not been updated in years.
Band members
- David Farrell; lead vocals.
- Owen FeganOwen FeganOwen Fegan is Creative Director at New York Magazine. Born in Cork, Ireland, he is a founding member of Irish rock band Rubyhorse, formed in 1987 with schoolmates Dave Farrell, Decky Lucey, Joe Philpott, and Gordon Ashe...
; keyboards. - Decky Lucey; bass.
- Joe Philpott; guitars.
- Gordon Ashe; drums.
Discography
| Date | Title | Label | Type | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| June 2, 1995 | A Lifetime In One Day | Horse Trade | LP | Ireland |
| July 7, 1998 | Mini Hummer E.P. | Horse Trade | EP | US |
| November 14, 2000 | How Far Have You Come? | Horse Trade | LP | US |
| May 22, 2002 | Rise | Island Def Jam | LP | US |
| August 8, 2002 | "Sparkle" | Island Def Jam | Single | US |
| June 6, 2003 | Any Day Now | Island Def Jam | EP | US |
| December 2, 2003 | Goodbye To All That Goodbye to All That Good-Bye to All That, an autobiography by Robert Graves, first appeared in 1929, when the author was thirty-four. "It was my bitter leave-taking of England," he wrote in a prologue to the revised second edition of 1957, "where I had recently broken a good many conventions"... |
Brash Music | LP | US |