Ribbons Interview

Image: via Liz Lawson, Deus Ex Machina

Brooklyn duo Ribbons is coming on strong this year. Having formed in 2007, they are bursting on the scene now with a new 7″ and lots of local shows, including a Seaport show this summer with Pains of Being Pure at Heart and a recently recorded Daytrotter session (not on the site yet). Comprised of singer/guitarist Jenny Logan and drummer Sam Roudman, their sound is pretty stripped down and did I mention pretty great?  Their debut album, Surprise Attacks came out in 2008. Check out the song “Plain.” You can see them live on October 1 at Tommy’s Tavern in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and on October 15 at Coco 66 in Brooklyn with Denver Hughes. There will be some CMJ shows too.

Here’s what Sam had to say about the band:

Big Apple Music Scene: How did you two meet? Was it musical love at first sight?

Sam Roudman: We met via a mutual friend after I moved here in 2007. We started, like many bands, without a particular plan or idea of how it was going to be or exactly what we were going to do. I think our first practice we were just feeling out playing together, but I do remember the jamming through a song that Jenny had (I think it was “Constant”), and hitting a point where I had that sense of being really dialed in, of having an immediate passionate connection to what we were playing. I knew I wanted to keep playing this music and see where it would take us; but that feeling of connection and activation was the first thing that made me want to pursue playing together.

BAMS: What do you think about the Brooklyn music scene? Has it been helpful to your career?

SR: I don’t really think about pursuing music as a career, it just seems so unlikely a thing to be able to make your entire life, not to say I wouldn’t go for it if the chance arose. That said, Brooklyn has been an incredible environment to pursue music generally, so many venues, so many talented people pursuing their own thing etc. I feel incredibly fortunate to have been afforded the opportunities I have had, and those opportunities would not exist without whatever is going on in Brooklyn right now.

BAMS: What was doing a Daytrotter session like?

SR: It’s based in this decrepit office building in a town called Rock Island on the border between Iowa and Illinois, and we just showed up, walked up these stairs, and were in this incredibly well appointed and slightly worn studio. They had already set up the instruments according to pictures they must have seen of us live, and then we sound checked really quickly and recorded to tape. Really low pressure, really fun. We didn’t have a show that night, so Sean Moeller, the guy that runs it, just gave us the keys to the place, and we were able to crash in the office after jamming for a couple hours. It was a singular experience, one of the highlights of touring.

BAMS: Tell me a little bit about the 7″ you have coming out.

SR: We had recorded it last December at Headgear Studios in Williamsburg, with Alex Lipsen (formerly of Jealous Girlfriends) engineering. It was the first time we had been in a studio that nice, and it was amazing to be able to call your shots, and get the sounds that you wanted. The vinyl turned out pretty too.

BAMS: What are your plans for the future? Anything exciting coming up?

SR: We’ll be having a CMJ show or two, and we’re just looking to play around, and hopefully book another tour for next summer. We’ll see where it takes us.