New York based songwriter Ruby Greenberg is an acoustic artist combining elements of folk songwriting and dynamic vocal stylings.
Raised in a musical house in Colorado, Ruby spent her formative years singing at the piano, eventually honing several instruments and learning to perform in local bands and vocal groups. After moving to NYC to spend her college years studying Jazz at Greenwich Village’s The New School, she eventually found home in songwriting.
What first got you into music?
I first got into music because I loved to sing. Singing is my safe space. It’s where I recenter and come home to myself. It’s also how I express myself and connect to other people. I was totally content just singing a cappella, though I did eventually learn to accompany myself on the piano and guitar. The gift of telling a story, moving someone with my voice – there’s nothing like that feeling for me, and I felt it was very specific to the physical act of using the voice. I also realized very early on that music built community. My family would often sing together, gathering around the piano and singing in harmony, and then later in life my bandmates and other musicians became my friends. Those early experiences got me into music, but they are also what keep me passionate every day.
Who inspired you to make music?
My brother studied music before I did, so I watched him play multiple instruments and learn to perform. Eventually I started to learn to play too, and I desperately wanted to keep up with him. I think that pushed me musically when I was a kid. Sibling dynamics! But it was a very special time and was only ever positive – we would write songs together, I’d sing, and he’d play guitar, and he was the first person to teach me more about music theory and harmony. This really helped me develop my own chops and pushed me to become more serious about my vocal technique and playing piano and guitar more seriously.
Are you finding the isolation of the pandemic conducive to your writing or is it hindering the experiences you can write about?
One of the things that came out of the pandemic for me was that I realized the importance of rituals. Especially when I wasn’t able to do shows and perform, it became important that my music had a routine – so I started writing every morning. Each morning before spending any time on my phone or with others, I would journal for about 40 minutes. In the evening, I would songwrite and sing. These habits were especially helpful during the lockdowns, but they have stayed with me over the past year. I also think my writing has become more personal, as it has become something I do in solitude.
Where have you performed? What is your favourite and least favourite venues? Do you have any upcoming shows?
My last tour before the pandemic was a run in the Philippines. I was opening for the R&B duo Tropic, who are close friends of mine. That tour is really special to me because I was in such an incredible and beautiful place and looking back now it means even more because the world was about to change and shut down. My favorite show on the tour was a show at a really cool venue called Flotsam & Jetsam, which is an awesome surf hostel. Throughout the tour, we jammed with Tropic and the other bands playing the venues. It was tons of fun.
Have you always been interested in music? Was there a particular song/performance that made you say “Woah! I want to do that!”?
I’ve always been singing and performing my whole life, but there was a specific moment when I was inspired to start writing songs. I specifically remember when I first heard the Joni Mitchell album “Court and Spark.” Something clicked for me – I was inspired by the poetry, the lyrics, and the stories. I realized I absolutely had to try that. Then once I started singing my own songs, I realized how much more personal it became, and I just wanted to keep doing it.
What can we expect from you within the next 6 months? Any releases planned? Future gigs?
I’m very excited for some additional upcoming releases in the coming months. When I was in the studio recording “Run Away,” I also recorded two other singles at the same time. They’ll be released early in the new year. I’ll also be playing a release show in NY after the final single is out. I’m especially excited because I’ll be doing more solo shows on the road in 2022, so stay tuned for that announcement as well!
How do you deal with writer’s block?
Writer’s block happens, but I found a few ways to overcome it as much as possible. Most of all, I try to absorb other art as much as possible – I’ll visit art museums, see a musical, or listen to full albums all the way through. Another strategy is to journal. I start writing anything I can get onto the page, even if it’s just a stream of consciousness. This helps because sometimes I’ll read back even one phrase or paragraph that turns into an entire song idea.
Where was your last song recorded?
“Run Away” was recorded at Degraw Sound in Brooklyn, NY. My friend Charlie Culbert produced, engineered, and mixed the single. He and I go back pretty far because we met in music school. It’s cool because he helped me record some of the earliest demos of the first songs I ever wrote, and now we’re working on fully produced releases. That background of working together is helpful because he always seems to know intuitively what I’m trying to convey in my music and helps me find the best way to tell that story.
What is the most useless talent you have?
Call it a talent or not, but I have the ridiculous ability to fall asleep anytime and anywhere. I’ve literally fallen asleep standing up, in a roomful of family members, and in public at movie theatres. I blame the fact that my parents took me to loud concerts as a kid – I think I got used to being able to fall asleep easily! Now I think it makes me a perfect fit for being a musician. I can fall asleep on the road, in planes on tour, or in a room of bandmates.
Which fictional character do you wish was real?
Jo, from the novel (and recent movie remake) “Little Women.” She was a force of nature. She was also a young writer, and had to learn how to make business decisions, keep her artistic integrity, and advocate for her writing. She did all that while being there for her family and friends, and also happened to be hysterical. Incredible character.
What makes you nostalgic?
So many things! Run Away is all about nostalgia. I love to connect to the past, so I get nostalgic a lot-I’ve always been this way even as a kid. Hearing a song from a particular time of life is one thing that transports me back. I also get nostalgic during the holidays and going on road trips – something about them just makes me think.
Which are cooler? Dinosaurs or Dragons?
Whoah, definitely dragons.
What would you bring along to an idyllic picnic?
I’m a breakfast fanatic, so I’d bring breakfast foods. Bagels, muffins, granola mix, honey. I love making waffles from scratch too, so I’d bring that even if it didn’t fit with a picnic.
Website: rubygreenberg.com
Instagram: @rubygreenb
Facebook: facebook.com/RubyGreenB
