Fellow Greenpoint resident, Colin Ruel, went on tour with The Lemonheads this July, visiting us here at the Knitting Factory on 7/24 after Springsteen’s hometown, Asbury Park, NJ. His album came out through Junko Records on 7/19. I suppose The Lemonheads felt you’d like Colin Ruel if you like them. You might also like him if you like Elliot Smith, Wilco, Smog and for Ruel’s occasional falsetto and melodic quality, The Beach Boys. Take a listen and a watch: he edited this found-footage cartoon music video for my favorite song of his.
Until now Colin Ruel was a solo act; almost not an act at all, as he had put music on hold to focus on painting, recently quitting his job to freelance as an artist full time.
Having back-burnered his rock n’ roll dreams, the call from The Lemonheads came when he least expected it. They asked him to come on tour, and said he needed a band.
He called on his friends Will Roan (keys, formerly of Amazing Baby), Johnny Thompson (drums) and Tony Contflone (bass). They rehearsed for a couple weeks in their hometown, home-island rather, Martha’s vineyard.
Colin moved to Martha’s Vineyard from Connecticut in his tender freshman-year of high school and skipped class to play his guitar. He’d invite me to join him in the music room to jam on my flute. I’d find him there playing Blind Melon’s No Rain over and over. I did not jam. However, I did enjoy it then, and I’m still enjoying it now.
All photos courtesy © janis vogel / www.janisvogel.com