By Bob Makin
originally published: 04/14/2023
“The Change,” the latest video from the Jersey witch-edelic doom rock band Ruby the Hatchet, is the Makin Waves Song of the Week. PHOTO BY DON VINCENT ORTEGA
Have you ever seen the Jersey-based female-fronted witch-edelic doom band Ruby the Hatchet?
Well, “The Change,” the latest clip from their highly anticipated 2022 LP, “Fear Is a Cruel Master,” will show why you should. The multi-cam video for the Sabbath/Bowie-influenced Makin Waves Song of the Week was shot live at the band's record release show at Warehouse on Watts in Philadelphia by Joshua Kost and Azon Miller.
As the Makin Waves Song of the Week, “The Change” also can be heard between 6 and 8 p.m. on April 14 on “Radio Jersey” at ThePenguinRocks.com. If you miss it, you can tune in any time in the archives at The Penguin or MixCloud.
Before they head out on tour with fellow doom/stoner rockers Elder of Massachusetts and Howling Giant of Nashville, Ruby the Hatchet will play April 22 at the Anchor Rock Club in Atlantic City. The subsequent month-long tour will take them on May 3 from Buffalo, N.Y., to the Midwest, West Coast, Canada and New England.
"If you’ve seen us out on the road then you’ve seen us at our best,” singer Jillian Taylor said. "We live for the stage and authentic crowd connections. When filming our record release show in Philly … we wanted to capture just that: the energy we get from all of you. It was a special night with friends and fans that we are now able to share with anyone who couldn’t make it via our video for 'The Change,’ a song perfectly fit for encapsulating the last five years before releasing our latest album.”
“Our upcoming tour with Elder will build on the energy from the last round where we were just getting a handle on playing songs from 'Fear Is a Cruel Master' in a non-studio setting,” she continued. “They are friends, and supporting them is a special honor. You simply cannot play before Elder without bringing everything you've got, so we will be doing just that."
Infectious “The Change” captures feelings of shifting from a young, carefree, rock ‘n' roll lifestyle to getting older, said Jillian, who recently got engaged to Alex Rosen, guitarist of Asbury Park hardcore punk band Hot Blood.
The song chronicles trying to stay true to yourself and what you love from the wild side, while realizing not everything still serves you, Jillian said.
“Growth, the pains that go along with it, letting go of what no longer suits you and holding tight to what always will,” she said. “The things that happen on tour, for better or worse, traveling to other countries and people are singing your songs back, that growth and camaraderie you get on the road — there is nothing else like it.”
“The Change” clip was preceded with the motorcycle mayhem of “Thruster,” as well as visualizer for the menacing “Deceiver.”
Recorded at New Future in Belmar with studio owner Paul Ritchie of The Parlor Mob and gods, the pandemic-inspired "Fear Is a Cruel Master" wasn't as meticulously mapped out as the decade-old band’s three previous albums. For their eight-song label debut on Magnetic Eye Records, the band purposely left space for spontaneity and magic moments.
“This time we left a lot of wiggle room,” guitarist Johnny Scarps said. "Most of the songs were fully fleshed out, but on a few, we made changes in the studio at Paul’s request – he had some really fun ideas – and we tried to do things we normally would not."
Paul also added guitar to “The Change” and the fantasy epic “Last Saga,” featuring great interplay with Johnny, as well as a haunting vocal duet between Jillian and drummer Owen Stewart.
Rounding out the band are bassist Lake Muir and keyboardist-organist Sean Kahn Hur. For more, visit https://linktr.ee/rubythehatchet.
Bob Makin has produced Makin Waves since 1988. Follow Makin Waves on Facebook and contact Bob at [email protected].
About the author:
New Jersey Stage is proud to be the home of Bob Makin's Makin Waves column since 2017. His Song of the Week column comes out every Friday. He also writes an Album of the Month and Interview of the Month as well.
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