My little cousin, Allie, who is really not so little anymore has turned into a fine and very cool young woman. She attends school at Ohio University in Athens, OH and plays the cello, studies film, interns on movie sets with various jobs ranging from camera assistant to marketing assistant and even has an IMDB page. It’s sad that I don’t see her more than I do, but I have followed her over the years fascinated with all of her projects and artistic skills. She is so creative, and it did not surprise me at all when I suddenly started seeing posts from her that she was sitting in as a guest artist playing cello in the popular Athens band, The Ridges, from time to time.
When I announced that I was launching “The Songstress Spotlight,” she contacted me very soon after to suggest that I write about The Ridges. It was a no-brainer. I had listened to The Ridges off and on over the years and am thrilled to feature them. They are such a talented group with such a unique sound, and I am proud and excited to share their music with all of my readers today.
The Ridges consist of:
–Victor Rasgaitis (guitar, vocals)
–Talor Smith (cello, vocals)
–A rotating cast of guest musicians adding instruments ranging from additional cellos to viola, violin, trumpet, banjo, mandolin, bass, vocals, percussion and accordion
Cousin Allie put me in contact with her friend and band mate, Talor Smith, and Talor and I have been writing back and forth over the last couple of weeks. She has been nice enough to squeeze some time in for me between her studies, and I have really enjoyed our fun banter back and forth. When getting some interview questions returned to me a few days late, she wrote, “I am a bonehead!” It is so not true, Talor! You are busy and have accomplished far more than most young women your age. ”Bonehead” would be the last word I would use to describe you. Check out these thoughtful and wise-beyond-her-years responses, and you, too, will know how insightful this lady is.
Tuscon Songstress: Did you and Vic meet in classes at OU? How did you start playing music together?
Talor:
“Vic and I are actually five years apart, so we never were at Ohio University at the same time. We met through a mutual friend who is a singer-songwriter. She was playing a show at our local coffee shop, Donkey Coffee, and she asked me to play cello with her. At that point, because of my classical upbringing, I had never played cello in a non-classical setting, so I was honestly a bit terrified. My friend was opening for her friend Vic, who was visiting Athens to play this show, which was actually on his birthday. Upon hearing that his opener managed to find a cellist, he quickly asked her if I could play with him as well. I was so nervous, but I managed to gather the courage to accept his offer, and that night ended up being the starting point for our collaboration. A couple of months later we formed The Ridges. The day was almost exactly three years ago, and now we proudly have a rotating line-up of around ten musicians that are all very talented.”
Tucson Songstress:
In Athens, The Ridges is also known as a mental health institution, and on the band splash page, The Ridges music is described as “indie rock music with moody folk sensibility.” Was it the moody emotion of the music that connected the band with the mental health institution? Please tell my readers why you chose The Ridges as your name?
Talor:
“The Ridges Insane Asylum is an incredible piece of Victorian architecture that sits on a hill overlooking the Ohio University campus. It is legendary for its ghost stories, as well as its real stories of now outdated ‘cures’ for insanity. Many think that it is haunted, but I just see it as haunting. This is also how I would describe much of our music, which is heavily minor and intensely real, with both folk and classical instrumentation. We take inspiration from our name sake, because it is exactly that- a classical, Victorian building resting in the foothills of Appalachia.”
Tucson Songstress:
The Ridges just completed a tour with the Seedy Seeds which culminated with several days at SXSW. Was this the first time the Ridges hit the road and please share your experience about what SXSW was like. What did you take away from the experience.Talor:
“SXSW was such a mind-blowing experience. I don’t even know how to begin to express how awesome it was and how grateful I am to have experienced it. It’s our longest tour to date, and it was also the farthest we have traveled. We stopped and played shows in Nashville, Newport, Columbus, Lexington, Louisville, and Chattanooga on our way to Austin. We were so lucky to have the best tour buddies ever, The Seedy Seeds, who are unbelievable…. and everybody should look them up if they haven’t already graced your ears with their presence. We got the pleasure of playing with a bunch of amazing bands, like The Miracles of Modern Science, who are almost too talented. We had six awesome shows in Austin, listened to many incredible bands (check out Mother Falcon. Do it.) and we also had some experiences that I never thought would happen… like meeting the owner of the Boston Celtics and hanging out with him at his birthday party.”Tucson Songstress: “War Bonds” is your current single off of your self-titled album. War bonds were also used to finance military operations for the government and to get the average citizen involved in the financial side of WWI & WWII. Why did “The Ridges” feel compelled to right about this topic? Talor: “Well, I don’t want to tell you too much about the meaning of War Bonds, because I don’t want to ruin the listener’s interpretation of the song, because it is very important. But, I will tell you this: War Bonds were a way to get American citizens to help the greater struggle. People had to sacrifice to help to whole. The song “War Bonds” is about our own personal wars that we fight with ourselves and others.” So, Tucson Songstress blog readers, now is the time for you check out this incredibly talented and intelligent band. Here is all the info you will need about The Ridges.” The Song: Here is the link to listen to their most recent release “War Bonds.” http://theridges.bandcamp.com/track/war-bonds The Splash Page: Everything you need to know about The Ridges including contact and booking info, music samples, bio, etc: http://onesheet.com/TheRidges/splash/# The Youtube Channel: Awesome video footage….some of it even filmed by my cousin, Allie! http://www.youtube.com/user/RidgesBand The Twitter Account: Follow The Ridges on Twitter for updates and band info. Handle is @the_Ridges. Or, here’s the link to their Twitter page: https://twitter.com/The_Ridges The Facebook Page: Another way to follow The Ridges! https://www.facebook.com/TheRidges?fref=ts Thank you so much, Cousin Allie, for putting me in touch with Talor Smith. The Ridges are one seriously rockin’ band with a promising future, and I encourage all of you to keep them on your radar. I know that I will be following them for a long time and look forward to all the new music they put out ahead. If you are a just-starting-out musical artist and would like to be featured in “The Songstress Spotlight,” contact me! (http://tucsonsongstress.com/contact-me/) Let’s get your music heard, too!
