While there have been may great albums reased thus far this year, one of my personal favorites is the little gem that is Forever Ruth by Washington DC's Rosemont Family Reunion. Kyle and Lissy Rosemont weave elements blues, folk, lounge jazz, pop-rock, bluegrass, and alt-country into a musical tapestry they themselves describe as "digital Americana."
Their sonic quilt is patterned from Kyle's gravelly croon, which is nicely balanced by Lissy's more delicate vocals, and the whole beautiful mess of patchwork is tied together with little atmospheric electonic bits. Forever Ruth is a soulful record that is full of both happiness and sorrow, but (ultimately) what really hooks the listener is the gorgeous melodies. It's is an eclectic and intoxicating album that slowly reveals more deatils with each additional listen. Head over to their website and pick up a copy of the album today.
Kyle Rosemont was also kind enough to answer a few of my questions and actually give some details about this mysterious band. (Questions in bold, Kyle's answers in italics.)
Who exactly is the Rosemont Family Reunion? Are you actually a family? Give us some more info on the band.
The Rosemont Family Reunion started as a solo project to record and release material I'd written in college. I wrote the bulk of Forever Ruth while in Gainesville FL attending UF - after moving to Washington DC I started recording and releasing stuff under that name. Then a friend introduced me to Lissy, and we immediately hit it off, so I scrapped my then pretty hazy plans for the album, rearranged a bunch of material, wrote some more, and we recorded it over a year and a half at home.
But we kind of did things backwards - most folks would have formed a band, then recorded an album. Now we had an album and no band - so we gradually formed a fantastic rhythm section and started playing shows. The family moved from something more theoretical to something more concrete - funny how one thing kind of defines the other.
So you are or aren't related?
Perhaps I would now go into two sets of answers, one that is more or less accurate, and the other that is more fun - you can pick between the two
1. We're a family in that we're a collective making art together. I love every Rosemont as I would a brother or sister.
2. Indeed we are a family. We all established our bonds during the great Rosemont Reunion of '02 in Dahlonega, GA. Previously, we'd been a part of several Rosemont clans - I of the Floridian Rosemonts (a group known for their canoe prowess and love of Lynyrd Skynyrd) and Lissy of the Georgian Rosemonts (who pride themselves in lepidoptera research and a critical appreciation of Big Bill Broonzy). The area had flooded and I had salvaged a spare door and was riding that to safety, when I found Lissy, contentedly perched (barefoot) ontop of an Airstream she'd safetied away. Having been a state away, we would only see each other at the ten year reunions (Rosemonts meet in state-wide annual events and inter-state on decades).
Upon connecting and ferrying her Airstream to safety, we discussed our shared love of the Carter Family and some of the more obscure Chess recordings. I'd previously written some material, but upon being reacquainted with my opposing musical half, we rearranged the material, released it, and picked up Jason and Shareef (Virginia Rosemonts, an odd breed skilled in rhythmic pounding and moonshine production).
DC is known for having a vibrant and progressive music scene. Is that something The Rosemont Family feels like a part of? How has being from DC influenced you? Has it helped/hurt the creative process?
To me I feel like DC is more a part of the band than we are a part of DC. DC, as a city, has this electric personality - everybody is here because they think this is the place they can change the world in. You might not agree with their methods or routes, but their passion has to be admired. This passion and immediate potential for change is reflected in the music, I think. In terms of the general scene of DC, we were essentially a bedroom project until four or five months ago, so it's hard to have the perspective necessary to answer that question. We've met a lot of fantastic people in the scene around here, and hope to meet a lot more - but we're babies in the grand scheme of DC.
What music are you listening to at the moment?
Hmm...new to me or just new? On my playlist lately has been: the Flying Burrito Brothers, Beatles' White album, greatest hits of Al Green, The Name of this band is Talking Heads, Os Mutantes' first two albums, and Randy Newman's 12 Songs. Oh, and the Songs of Leonard Cohen.
How about new (recently released) music? Is there anyone that really impresses you right now?
Ah - right now. OK - the most recent Sufjan Stevens album, the Vashti Bunyan album Lookaftering, Kicking Television, the live Wilco album, and the new Camera Obscura album.
How would you describe the band for those unfamiliar with your music?
I would say, "Imagine Bob Dylan, John Cage, George Gershwin, and Jeff Mangum driving through the desert at night in an el Camino powered by voodoo."
What about a combination of Al Green and the Flying Burrito Bros?
That's what we're shooting for - I think we fall broadly into Americana, which is a pretty loosely defined genre to begin with. I want Rosemont to be musical collage artists, taking what we like from what we like, and leaving the rest.
What's next for The Rosemont Family?
I've been writing a lot for the next album which we hope to record this fall, it's going to be a huge batch of character studies, which I'm really excited about. I got really interested in musical systems of taxonomy during the last album and developed this system to track influence on creating, so I'm hoping to employ that to a greater degree during this next project.
Seriously folks, pick up a copy of the their album Forever Ruth and you will not be disappointed. Listen to the tracks below if you need extra convincing.
MP3 | The Rosemont Family Reunion - Stomp Forever Ruth
MP3 | The Rosemont Family Reunion - Olive Forever Ruth
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