Jeff Hart and the Ruins
Encyclopedia
Jeff Hart and the Ruins is a four-piece Americana and alt.country
-styled power pop
band composed of Jeff Hart (musician), Brian Yamamoto, Symen Blumenfeld and Jim McPhail.
Chip Robinson and drummer
John Flowers. As with musical predecessors The Byrds
, Tom Petty
, and The Kinks
(Muswell Hillbillies era) and contemporaries like Paul Westerberg
and The Jayhawks, the music of the band strays into both the "alt.country" and power pop styles of rock and roll
. Don Bailey later joined the original three to round out the first era of the band.
alt.country pioneers The Hanks
, The Ragdads and some acoustic sessions at Duck Kee Studio with Jerry Kee, Ron Bartholomew, Chip Robinson, Danny Moses and Steve Howell.
of Tres Chicas
and Danny Kurtz of Whiskeytown
and The Backsliders
) and bassist Thomas Wilson filled their roles in the short term. Beginning in 1994, a core lineup of Brian Yamamoto on guitar and vocals, Glenn Jones on bass and vocals and Bryan Sodemann on drums and vocals held steady until 1996.
The next CD, Glances From a Nervous Groom (Bombay Records ABR-002), was released in December 1995 and recorded with this new lineup. It was the first (and to date only) CD credited to Jeff Hart and the Ruins.
Eric Midkiff replaced Glenn Jones in the band in 1996 and played guitar while Hart moved to bass. After Midkiff's departure in 1996, Steve Hisada replaced him on guitar and occasional bass while Hart split bass and guitar duties with Hisada. Jeff Hart and the Ruins disbanded in July 1998.
"You and Your Kind", a song Hart wrote while with The Hanks
, but played for the better part of a decade with The Ruins, was featured in the "Betty and Veronica" episode in the first season of the WB Network show Veronica Mars
. The recording used was from a 2003 live CD by The Brown Mountain Lights
, Late Show at the Cave (ABR-003).
Jeff Hart's songs "Love In Return" and "So Old" have also been covered live by Chris Stamey
and Chip Robinson
in the Vibekillers respectively.
Alternative country
Alternative country is a loosely defined sub-genre of country music, which includes acts that differ significantly in style from mainstream or pop country music...
-styled power pop
Power pop
Power pop is a popular musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop and rock music. It typically incorporates a combination of musical devices such as strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements, and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are...
band composed of Jeff Hart (musician), Brian Yamamoto, Symen Blumenfeld and Jim McPhail.
Career
Jeff Hart and the Ruins was formed in January 1990 by Jeff Hart, along with bassistBassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Chip Robinson and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
John Flowers. As with musical predecessors The Byrds
The Byrds
The Byrds were an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964. The band underwent multiple line-up changes throughout its existence, with frontman Roger McGuinn remaining the sole consistent member until the group disbanded in 1973...
, Tom Petty
Tom Petty
Thomas Earl "Tom" Petty is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is the frontman of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and was a founding member of the late 1980s supergroup Traveling Wilburys and Mudcrutch. He has also performed under the pseudonyms of Charlie T...
, and The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
(Muswell Hillbillies era) and contemporaries like Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg
Paul Westerberg is an American musician, best known as the former lead singer, rhythm guitarist, and songwriter of The Replacements, one of the seminal alternative rock bands of the 1980s. He launched a solo career after the dissolution of that band...
and The Jayhawks, the music of the band strays into both the "alt.country" and power pop styles of rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. Don Bailey later joined the original three to round out the first era of the band.
Jeff Hart: The Singles 1960-1990
Their debut CD was released in November 1990 and entitled Jeff Hart: The Singles 1960-1990 (Bombay Records ABR-001). Though Jeff Hart and the Ruins played live in support of the CD, the recordings were essentially a solo anthology of studio material that Hart wrote and sang from his previous bands. This consisted of selections from the North CarolinaNorth Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
alt.country pioneers The Hanks
The Hanks
- The Hanks :The Hanks were formed in 1987 and helped usher in the alt.country or No Depression scene in North Carolina several years before Whiskeytown and Ryan Adams put the sound on the national map. They disbanded in 1989...
, The Ragdads and some acoustic sessions at Duck Kee Studio with Jerry Kee, Ron Bartholomew, Chip Robinson, Danny Moses and Steve Howell.
Glances From a Nervous Groom
Following the departure of Robinson, Bailey and Flowers in 1991, numerous members (notably Dave BartholomewDave Bartholomew
Dave Bartholomew is a musician, band leader, composer and arranger, prominent in the music of New Orleans throughout the second half of the 20th century...
of Tres Chicas
Tres Chicas
Tres Chicas are an alternative country group from Raleigh, North Carolina.The members of Tres Chicas first began singing together in 1999; their first performance was an impromptu singalong at an Alejandro Escovedo show in a Raleigh bar. The name was bestowed upon them by the owner of the bar after...
and Danny Kurtz of Whiskeytown
Whiskeytown
Whiskeytown was an alternative country band formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1994. Fronted by Ryan Adams, other members included Caitlin Cary, Phil Wandscher, Eric "Skillet" Gilmore, and Mike Daly. They disbanded in 2000, with Adams leaving to pursue his solo career...
and The Backsliders
The Backsliders
The Backsliders was an alternative-traditional country-rock band composed of Chip Robinson, Steve Howell, Danny Kurtz, Jeff Dennis, and Brad Rice. Chip Robinson teamed up with Steve Howell to form The Backsliders, which began as a duo in 1991 in Athens, GA...
) and bassist Thomas Wilson filled their roles in the short term. Beginning in 1994, a core lineup of Brian Yamamoto on guitar and vocals, Glenn Jones on bass and vocals and Bryan Sodemann on drums and vocals held steady until 1996.
The next CD, Glances From a Nervous Groom (Bombay Records ABR-002), was released in December 1995 and recorded with this new lineup. It was the first (and to date only) CD credited to Jeff Hart and the Ruins.
Eric Midkiff replaced Glenn Jones in the band in 1996 and played guitar while Hart moved to bass. After Midkiff's departure in 1996, Steve Hisada replaced him on guitar and occasional bass while Hart split bass and guitar duties with Hisada. Jeff Hart and the Ruins disbanded in July 1998.
Reunion
After a five-year hiatus, Midkiff rejoined the band for their reunion in April 2003 with Symen Blumenfeld on bass along with previous members Hart, Yamamoto and Sodemann. Midkiff took time off again in 2008. Original drummer John Flowers rejoined briefly in 2010 and upon his departure, he was replaced by Jim McPhail. The Hart, Yamamoto, Blumenfeld and McPhail lineup continues to be active today."You and Your Kind", a song Hart wrote while with The Hanks
The Hanks
- The Hanks :The Hanks were formed in 1987 and helped usher in the alt.country or No Depression scene in North Carolina several years before Whiskeytown and Ryan Adams put the sound on the national map. They disbanded in 1989...
, but played for the better part of a decade with The Ruins, was featured in the "Betty and Veronica" episode in the first season of the WB Network show Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars
Veronica Mars is an American television series created by Rob Thomas. The series premiered on September 22, 2004, during television network UPN's final two years, and ended on May 22, 2007, after a season on UPN's successor, The CW Television Network. Veronica Mars was produced by Warner Bros...
. The recording used was from a 2003 live CD by The Brown Mountain Lights
Brown Mountain Lights
The Brown Mountain Lights are a series of ghost lights reported near Brown Mountain in North Carolina. The lights can be seen from the Blue Ridge Parkway overlooks at mile posts 310 and 301 and from the Brown Mountain Overlook on NC Highway 181 between Morganton, NC and Linville, NC...
, Late Show at the Cave (ABR-003).
Jeff Hart's songs "Love In Return" and "So Old" have also been covered live by Chris Stamey
Chris Stamey
Chris Stamey is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. After a stint playing with Alex Chilton, and a brief partnering with Mitch Easter under the name Sneakers, he formed The dB's, whose stewardship he would share with Peter Holsapple.In 1977 in New York, Chris founded the...
and Chip Robinson
Chip Robinson
Chip Robinson is a retired race car driver. He drove in the IMSA Camel GT series and won the 1987 24 Hours of Daytona Chip Robinson (born March 29, 1954 in Philadelphia, PA) is a retired race car driver. He drove in the IMSA Camel GT series and won the 1987 24 Hours of Daytona Chip Robinson (born...
in the Vibekillers respectively.