The Rubens - NYC Recording Diary

THE RUBENS manager Tim Baker finally secured an American visa and got his ass over to New York to hang with his band while they are recording their first album. Tim will keep us updated on a weekly basis. Read what the dudes have been up to below;

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It was my first long flight overseas, Sydney to LAX to New York City. 22 hours of travel time. Middle Row the whole fucking way. I left Sydney at 32 degrees in shorts and thongs and landed in NY in the same getup sticking out like a sore thumb in -1 degree torrential downpour. It goes without saying. I needed a beer.

As I waited for my bag to come around the carousel none other then Steve Buscemi walks up and stands next to me, a lot shorter in person but I couldn’t help but fanboy, I introduced myself and left him alone, he was a nice guy.

I get to my loft in Williamsburg, put some pants and shoes on and hit the bars. Stumbling back to our building, which resembles Sydney’s Hibernian House, inside and out, I found myself pulled into two house parties and thrown right into the deep end of New York’s creative underbelly.

This quickly became routine and here I am one week late for submission of this article and still jetlagged. I managed to fill my new $13 Nokia with a million numbers and fill my wallet with business cards. You see with Williamsburg, everyone has something going on and they are all waiting for someone to listen.

One business card I scored was from a guy called Leo from the band, SPANISH PRISONERS, a few days later I bought their album off bandcamp for a name your price scenario. The album is called Gold Fools and it is the album MGMT should have wrote after Oracular Spectacular.

But anyway, the reason I am in New York is all thanks to the band I manage, Sydney four piece, THE RUBENS. After a few killer tracks and a case of “right place at the right time” the last 12 months has seen the band come from bedroom demos and empty club shows, to recording in New York City with David Kahne (Paul McCartney, The Strokes, Regina Spektor, The Bangles).

I rocked up to NY about a month after the band arrived, and since they have landed they have barely seen the light of day, shut up in Montana rehearsal studios surrounded by signed posters of Joan Jett, The Fugees and Jeff Buckley, fine tuning tracks for their debut record out later this year.

The boys seem to fit right at home here, replacing the grassy hills and tractors of Menangle with skyscrapers and yellow cabs.

Today is the last day of rehearsal before tracking starts in the morning, with a schedule tighter than a butthole (watch workaholics, you’ll get this) the band will be recording right up until 29^th March then are homeward bound to hit the road on their debut tour. (TIX ON SALE NOW)

Until next week!