Jesse Ruben

Jesse Ruben has been busy since graduating from Berklee School of Music last year. A debut acoustic album, "Aiming for Honesty", was released in January of 2008, followed by a run of sold out shows throughout northeastern US including the Paradise Lounge in Boston, The Point in Philadelphia and The Bitter End in NYC.

This summer, Jesse will hop on planes and, fortified by Teddy Grahams and cases of H20, will aim his 95’ Toyota Camry to points north & west, with his sexy-voiced GPS system Violet, by his side.

AP: You’ve been compared to John Mayer – is that a fair assessment?
JR: I play Singer/Songwriter music with a mix of Folk, Rock, and Jazz influences. Basically, if you remove everything lame and cliche about the Singer/Songwriter genre and added some witty banter, you'd end up with one of my shows.

I started out having a much younger audience, but over time all those middle and high school kids started bringing their parents to shows too. My audience ranges in age from 8 to 80. Everyone sings along together. It's quite a bonding experience.

AP: You’re pretty new to the touring scene – how do you manage all of your music business?
JR: I do most of the preparation and planning stuff myself, but I also have a management team who helps with the boring and tedious stuff.

I tend to book a lot of the private shows whereas my manager does the more long term touring stuff. It's a good balance.

It's tough to just cold call – they get so many calls from people they don't know that it is easy to get swept under the rug. I think personal connections are much more important than a fancy press kit.

AP: What kind of venues do you like to play most?
JR: 21+ is a big factor, I like all ages shows much more. Also, if they tend to draw their own crowd, if their equipment is good, and if I've heard good things from friends who have played there.

AP: Are you touring your usual route or hitting new areas?
JR: A whole bunch of new areas - and I'm flying out to LA to play after performing in Canada I've never played on the west coast.

I’m playing Mini tours - a few shows with a bunch of different people. That way you get to be seen by a different audience. Plus, meeting more new and amazing people is always fun.

AP: How much did you budget for your traveling needs?
JR: Gas is by far the biggest expense. It's the worst. The amount changes depending on how much gas is on a particular day. I usually budget $30 for food per day, plus $80 in gas for every 400 miles. Then there are the other random purchases you have to make on the road...new strings, extra socks, etc. So it’s quite a lot. I tend to have places to stay in most of the major cities I'll be traveling to. I make sure to plan that way in advance because although sleeping in the car sounds fun, it usually isn't.

AP: Are you hitting the road with another band?
JR: Yep. I'm touring with Nathan Angelo in July, and then in September I'll be performing with Kyle Patrick of The Click Five.

AP: Are you finding that show attendance is being affected by the economy?
JR: Not really, since most of the shows I play aren't more than $10 or $12. However, when playing for larger audiences, I've heard a lot more "Oh man, I really want to buy your CD, but I can't afford it." Which has been frustrating because as a musician, you want to get your music out to as many people as possible.

AP: Do you feel that live music scene is healthy?
JR: I think it's thriving. In a world where it’s possible to download anything for free, it is still impossible to duplicate the feeling of being part of an amazing live show. I don't think that will ever change.

Jesse is in the process of finalizing dates for his September run with
Kyle Patrick. The following solo dates have been lined up:
August 30th – The National Underground (New York, NY)
August 31st – StageOne (Fairfield, CT)
September 28th – Club Soda (Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
October 21st – Penn State Berks (Reading, PA)

Other artists Jesse supports are:
Nathan Angelo (http://myspace.com/nathanangelo)
Kyle Patrick (http://myspace.com/kylekylepatrick)

For more info on Jesse, visit: jesseruben.com or www.sonicbids.com/jesseruben