In the fall, we saluted Rich Ruth as Best Multidisciplinary Breakout in our annual Best of Nashville issue. It’s worth making the distinction that “Rich Ruth” is the name of a project with lots of contributing musicians in orbit around composer and multi-instrumentalist Mikey Ruth, who you’ll know from rock ’n’ soul megaband Kansas Bible Company. “Rich,” as he explained to contributor Charlie Zaillian a couple years back, is his middle name, and he’s chosen to use it for this project in part to denote an evolution in his musical philosophies.
As both an individual and a rotating ensemble, Rich Ruth has been making evocative instrumental music drawing from traditions including jazz and electronic music for about five years. For much of 2023, the project was on the road in the U.S. and abroad, wowing crowds with kinetic sounds that encourage you to be present. Rich Ruth’s third LP Water Still Flows is on its way via Third Man Records, and today we’re very pleased to premiere a special live-in-studio recording of a piece from it.
“Crying in the Trees” is a showcase for how Ruth’s ideas keep expanding. A two-chord progression on thick, doom-y guitar is something of a black hole, with the rest of the piece teetering on its event horizon.
“I unintentionally locked into a creative zone fusing samples and heavy drone guitar,” writes Ruth in a release. “To me it sounds like Alice Coltrane and Pharaoh Sanders playing with Sleep while a sampled flute/gamelan ensemble plays in the distance.”
The version on the record features Reuben Gingrich on drums, Mikaela Davis (with whom Rich Ruth was recently on an extensive tour) on harp and longtime collaborator Sam Que on tenor sax. Director Brad Holland and his crew filmed an expanded ensemble recording this special version of the piece with audio engineer Jake Davis; Ruth and Que are there, alongside Patrick M’Gonigle on violin, Spencer Cullum on steel, Parker James on vibraphone, Taro Yamazaki on bass and Ben Parks on drums. Some decidedly ’70s video processing techniques make it appear as though the band is performing in a forest underwater; eat your heart out, Amon Düül II.
Water Still Flows is out June 21 via Third Man (visit Bandcamp, your favorite record store or this handy link for preorder options), and Ruth & Co. will celebrate the release at The Blue Room at Third Man Records on June 22. Meanwhile, follow Ruth on Instagram for more updates.
