Mustard had the pleasure of speaking with musician and current Berklee student, Ruby-Sage; about the community at Berklee, being a folk/rock camp counselor, and their upcoming debut single “Mad @ You”. Check out the interview below!
1. Hello! Mustard thanks you for being here. How are you doing?
Thank you so much for having me! I am doing quite well!
2. Mustard recently interviewed Honey Eyes who are also Berklee students.I s there a community of independent musicians at Berklee? Do you all support each other? How do you manage being both a student and a musician? Are there any other Berklee musicians we should check out?
Yes there is a huge community of independent artists at Berklee! I would say we definitely all support each other. We collaborate, go to each others shows and buy each others merch! It can be really hard to manage the time spent between school and music, but we’re really lucky to go to a school that priorities us working on and towards our careers!
I personally try to get all my homework done early in the week so I can spend the rest of the time booking and marketing and playing shows. A lot of students also have jobs (me included) so sometimes that makes it even more busy!
Some of my favorite Berklee musicians are Cameron Lane and Robo Pumpkin as well as Samantha McKaige
3. Who inspires (or what) inspires you?
I am inspired by my peers and experiences. I am also inspired by the idea that someone could relate to something I write, like being a voice for people who can’t find the right words to say. I am inspired by bands like Peach Pit. I am also inspired by Haim and Regina Spektor, which are two artists/bands who are Jewish woman fronted! I think it is so cool and inspiring to have Jewish women in the industry and I am in awe of them, and totally inputted by them.
4. What is it like being a folk/rock camp counselor? What is your favorite camp activity and song?
Being a folk rock camp counselor is great! I feel like I can relate to the childhood fun of camp while also feeling like I’m relating to people by saying things that they feel. I grew up going to camp and the magic of being there brought me back for years. I always loved my counselors and they always harbored such amazing energy. I always wanted to be that kind of person and have found a way of expressing that through my music.
My favorite camp activity was swimming or the bonfires (basic I know). I loved just being outside too. Gardening was something my camp had as well and I always loved that. I had one counselor, Brian, who was in charge of gardening and he inspired me a lot as well, just by how cool he was. My favorite songs were the little green frog song and the circle game
5. Your debut single “Mad @ You” comes out soon! Mustard apologizes for whatever they did. What can listeners expect from your debut single? If someone does something to make you upset or angry, how can they make it up to you?
Oh Mustard I could never be Mad @ You! Listeners can expect to hear some acoustic, some electric, some angst, and a lot of passion. I wrote it about an experience I had where I had gotten broken up with in a really respectful way, but was still so hurt and didn’t really know how to deal with it. I was so confused on how to validate my feelings of anger and sadness when I really had no reason to feel that way at all. But I am really forgiving and all I really need to do is express myself(which I did in this song), but if anyone ever made me mad and wanted to make it up to me, talking it out is always the way to go with me. I am super into honest conversations
6. At the start of this month you performed at your first house show. What was that experience like?
I did!! Playing my first house show was super fun! It was nothing like I had ever done before. My band and I had played some local bars, but playing a house show is such a special thing. I loved the energy and I felt like what I was doing really mattered. Everyone there seemed to enjoy what I did and it felt so amazing and was so cool to be able to share that experience with so many people.
7. Where can readers listen to your music?
Listeners can find my single out everywhere May 21! Also on my website: ruby-sage.com
I also have merch up on the website as well!
Thank you so much for having me Mustard, it was a pleasure talking to you!
Music Shelf With Mustard 