Musical Influences: The Ruse

The Ruse are a four piece rock band who met and formed in New York, before moving to Los Angeles to pursue their career.  They are made up of John Dauer on vocals, Jim Bilus on guitar, Jason Young on drums and Mark Stolze on bass.  Whilst the majority of their music has a rock edge to it, they are also more than capable of creating moving ballads that perfectly augment the albums they sit on.  They have created four albums to date (Invasion, Light in Motion, Midnight in the City and Love Sex Confusion)  and have also released a live Ep (Live at the Viper room).  They are presently at work on their latest Ep due for release in the next few months.

The Ruse, Courtesy rusemusic.com

Over the past few years they have featured on numerous TV shows, most notably ’The Hills’ and were nominated for a MTV Video Music Award for Breakout artist LA in 2008.  They tour extensively performing to their loyal fan base and impressively they have done 6 coast to coast tours in three years.

Their musical influences are fairly evident in their songs and they have the uncanny ability to create music that wedges itself into your mind after just one listen.  By time you’ve played any of their albums twice you are normally hooked.  Whilst their music is reminiscent of the bands that have shaped their sound, they are also able to create a sound that is uniquely their own and which keeps you coming back for more.

I gave their latest album a listen recently and was so impressed I requested an interview.  Jim Bilus has replied on the bands behalf and the answers to the questions give us an insight into the bands influences, motivation and aspirations.  I am very grateful for the time he has taken in answering my questions.



How did you all meet and form your band?

John (singer) and Jim (guitar) met in a baby group when they were 3
years old. Met Jason (drums) in elementary school and started a garage
band that lasted for a few years.

After college, the three of them decided to start up a new band. Jim
brought in his friend Mark from college to play bass. Lived in NYC for
a few years before moving to Los Angeles to be closer to the sun and
skinny people.

Did you grow up around much music at home?

All of our parents love music. None of them ever played an instrument
at any high level, but all of them supported us in every way from day
one. Their instilled love of old school rock still shows up in our
music from time to time.

Do you share song writing duties or is one of you more prolific than the others?

The inital song idea starts with Jim (guitar). Then the song get
hashed out with the rest of the band. Each band member has a lot of
freedom to find his own perfect part for the song.

Lyrics are usually done jointly between Jim and John.

When recording do you focus on your own specific instrument or do you
swap and change about to get the right feel and sound?

We always stick to our own intruments. Sometime we will give each
other ideas for ways to improve a part, but most of the time we just
let each other roll....

Do you write in the studio or do you go in with a complete body of
songs ready to record?

We always go in with finished songs. One of the first things you learn
in music is how much recording in a real studio costs. For our last
album (Love Sex Confusion), we were able to spend only 3 days total in a
professional studio tracking drums, bass and guitar.

Everything else we did by ourselves (with the help of our good friend
and producer Jorge Vivo) at home. This way we're able to get really
professional sounds where it matters, but we're still able to keep
costs down.

Do you have aspirations to learn another instrument or how do you
mainly see yourself progressing on the instrument you currently play?

We've just hit our 30's. At this point the only other instrument we
want to learn is finacial instruments.

What has been your worst and best live performing experience?

Best- Playing for a sold out hometown crowd in NYC at the Mercury
Lounge. We do this about twice a year.

Worst- Playing for a lone bartender at a dump in Missouri. Although
she did make us fried chicken after the show.

What’s the first album you bought?

First one that matters- U2's Achtung Baby. The album that changed
Jim/John/Jason's life. Mark's first album was "Forever My Lady" by
Jodeci and he still listens to it a lot.

What’s the first concert you went to?

U2 Zoo TV Tour at the Hartford Civic Center. Still one of the top 5
shows of all time. Mark's first show was the 1989 Jodeci tour "Banging
all the Honeys" in St Louis.

What album do you always suggest to your friends?

Bloc Party- Silent Alarm. These guys brought the swagger back to rock.

What’s your favourite music venue to play and which is your favourite
as a music fan?

Mercury Lounge in NYC, Troubadour in Los Angeles. Both are also great
places to see live music as a fan. Nice and small, with a great old
school feel.

What album helped you get through your teenage years?

Counting Crows- August and Everything After

What album can you always listen to regardless of time or mood?

See above :)

What album do you most wish you’d written?

Achtung Baby. If you released that album today, it would still sound
like it came from the future.

What album is your guilty pleasure?

Maybe not an album, but we really like old school 80's music as a
whole. We've been known to cover Don Henley's "Boys of Summer" from
time to time.

What album can you not live without?

Achtung Baby. And for Mark "Totally Krossed Out" by Kris Kross.

What are you listening to now?

A lot of Death Cab for Cutie. Looking foward to their new one. Also:

Mew
MGMT
Black Keys
Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros
Sigur Ros
Stone Foxes
Ray LaMontagne

Do you have any news and release dates for your next album?

New 5 song EP is being mixed right now. Should be out in the next
couple of months. Lots of great rock, and one classic ballad.

Where would you like your band to be this time next year?

In the US Virgin Islands?

Check out the bands Website, Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and YouTube channel for updates on new material and upcoming tour dates.

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