Coming from Australia, Ruby Tigers are a rock group who have built up a loyal fan base in the last twelve months. They were kind enough to answer my questions about sunshine, Home and Away and oh yeah, the music!
Altsounds: You guys hail from Australia, we’ve seen a few heavier bands surface there in past years, what is the music scene like?
Ruby Tigers: The scene is very diverse, there’s a lot of great indie and Rock/Pop. Australian Hip Hop has had some success and there is definitely an underground resurgence of heavier rock/metal and hardcore happening here at the moment.
Altsounds: Having received international exposure, tell me what makes Ruby Tigers stand out from the crowd?
Ruby Tigers: We really focus on making sure the songs have strong melodies and a sense of spirit and purpose. We feel that there’s a real honesty to our music and we absolutely love to play our songs live!
Altsounds: Musically, do you rely heavily on your influences for ideas, or are they merely icons to follow in footsteps of?
Ruby Tigers: I think you can’t help but be influenced by the music and bands that you love, but it’s not something that we consciously set out to do. Anything that I hear influences me in some way; we all appreciate and enjoy so many different styles of music.
Altsounds: How did your appearance at the Mosaic Music Festival arise?
Ruby Tigers: They heard our stuff on Myspace and really dug what we were doing. We were lucky that they liked us enough to have us do some shows for them. We had a great time!
Altsounds: Has that affected your international fan base?
Ruby Tigers: It has definitely helped with exposure to the Asian market, we weren’t sure how we would be received being a rock band (they love Pop over there, big time), but they absolutely loved the band and everyone was really receptive and vibed at the shows.
Altsounds: I’ve always wanted to go to the Whiskey A Go Go, had you been there before your LA gig?
Ruby Tigers: Yeah, we had been there before a few times to see some bands play and to check it out. It’s a world famous venue with so much history. It was a blast playing there, we were so excited!
Altsounds: What was the feeling before flying out there? And what was the gig like?
Ruby Tigers: To be honest we were all a little nervous. It was an industry showcase, and no matter how many of those you do, they still feel awkward and not like a normal show. It’s like people are there to judge you rather than just enjoy the music. We tried to ignore that and just had fun rocking out in a great historic venue. It turned out to be a really good show in the end and it helped us get our deal.
Altsounds: Returning to the US to support Warrant must have been a great moment; how did that partnership come about?
Ruby Tigers: Our label hooked that up as a warm up gig, it was a great rock crowd and we had an awesome time. Nothing like having way too many beers and singing along to “Cherry Pie” in a place where it’s OK to do it without fear of being beaten up!
Altsounds: What is your stage show like? Are you lights and smoke guys, or straight to the music?
Ruby Tigers: We are more about the music at the moment, but that’s mainly due to the fact that we don’t have the budget yet to have a huge U2 like stage show! Hopefully as time goes on the stages will get bigger and so will our heads…ha ha!
Altsounds: You’ve got a debut single coming out the beginning of March, entitled ‘The Deal’, what is the songs inspiration? Do you feel it is your most accessible track on the forthcoming album?
Ruby Tigers: 'The Deal' is really just about trying to make a change in your life and trying to turn around what seems like a hopeless situation to make things better…whether it’s a relationship or even your state of mind. It’s definitely a good song for radio, but I would say we have some other songs on the album that could do just as well if not better on the charts, I guess time will tell.
Altsounds: 2010 is a busy year for Ruby Tigers, with a debut album entitled "Year of the Tiger" also surfacing. Have you been delaying the release in order to coincide with the Chinese year of the Tiger?
Ruby Tigers: No, we are not that clever timing wise, it just worked out that way. But it did seem like the perfect album title.
Altsounds: Are you big on social networking? Where is the best place to find out all the latest news regarding Ruby Tigers?
Ruby Tigers: Yeah, we are fast becoming internet whores, we are all over it, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, pick your poison.
Altsounds: What can be expected from Ruby Tigers in the future? Any international tour?
Ruby Tigers: We are dying to tour as many places as we can, as soon as we can. We are planning to head back to the USA in a few months for more shows and then if all goes well, Europe and then Asia. We definitely know that it’s still one of the most honest and best ways to win over new fans. We love to play live and we pride ourselves on being a great live band.
Altsounds: Are you the type of band who take an acoustic guitar down to the beach and have a jam with friends?
Ruby Tigers: It depends on the friends you have with you at the time and whether they are tone deaf, loud singers or not!
Altsounds: The big question: Describe a perfect gig line-up, with Ruby Tigers playing alongside ANY other two bands / artists.
Ruby Tigers: Wow, that’s a tough one, because we will play with just about any type of artist and feel confident that their fans will appreciate something about us. We are lucky in the fact that everyone from Metal heads to Pop princesses dig something about us. But in answer to your question I think a show with Ruby Tigers, Lady Gaga and The Killers would be great.
Altsounds: Being from the UK, tell me what it is like to experience Sunshine?
Ruby Tigers: Ha ha, you poor English buggers! I couldn’t begin to imagine what it’s like for you guys being sunshine deprived! I guess I’ll find out when we come over to do some shows huh?
Altsounds: Please excuse my generalisation by answering ‘Neighbours’ or ‘Home and Away’ and why? Is one really better than the other?
Ruby Tigers: Oh no, really? Do I have to? Both shows hurt my brain! If I had to make a choice based on the most elementary form of human stimulation, then I would say Home and Away, because the girls are hotter on that show at the moment!
Altsounds: Any last words for the Altsounds readers / fans?
Ruby Tigers: Just that we hope 2010 (The Year Of The Tiger) is a great year for everybody and that we look forward to coming over and playing some shows for you guys as soon as we can!
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