The next show I caught after “Caroline Jones” was “Ruby Waters,” whose set began at 6:00 on June 23 at the Big Backyard. The Artist came out with 2 beers and water in an outfit that instantly made me think of the movie, “School of Rock.” She wore an oversized pull-over sweatshirt and pleated skirt that at first glance gave me uniform vibes.
On second look the skirt seemed to be that tennis squirt. Those pleats though, got me, and I could not shake off the thought of “School of Rock.”
The rest of the band seemed to match the relaxed rock look, wearing old band shirts (not their own merchandise.) And sported denim.
It might have been the outfits, but the set felt like I was watching a bunch of friends jam out in their garage. It felt artsy and relaxed.
The band was clearly trying to use their eyes for communication with one another as they found ways to interact and do those guitar jams together. With the raw number of cues the set lost some of its organic feel and began to take on a more orchestrated and rehearsed vibe. Which also may have added to the garage feel.
Ruby Waters a Soulful Voice
Ruby Water’s raspy vocals though were hauntingly beautiful. The vocals enchanted each song with so much soul.
The set went from one song to the next, without a lot of chitchat from the artist to the crowd. The set instead was song-heavy and interaction-light. During the times when most bands would interact with the crowd, the members of the band seemed to focus on communicating with each other instead of directly with their audience. Once again adding to the feel of watching a garage band rehearsal instead of a full-on show.
As this was my first time listening to this artist, I missed out on capturing their set list or being able to identify songs I liked. Which, not going to lie made writing this a bit tough.
She did perform “Flash Floods” which was one of her more upbeat songs. Although the ‘upbeat’ description is on something of a curve as her music, “Flash Floods” included, is incredibly mellow and relaxed. Most of her music dives deep and is straightforward about topics including drugs and relationships. This song was no different as it focused on an intimate relationship. Overall, I would recommend catching a festival set, but an independent headlining set may need more time to develop. Her closest upcoming set to Chicago is the 2023 WonderBus Music and Arts Festival in Columbus, OH on August 25th.
