Born Ruffians

Fri 16th Jan, 2009 in Features

It’s rare that you talk to two band members only to have the same technical difficulties occur. In this case, both Luke LaLonde (guitarist/vocalist) and Mitch Derosier (bassist) from Canada’s Born Ruffians should probably start searching for new mobile phone providers. As one had a phone on its “last legs”, the other had unknown dropouts even when assuring me that everything would be fine.

Nonetheless, both seemed pleased and maybe a bit star-struck to be up at strange hours in their hometown of Toronto, giving an interview to a Australian journalist, all in preparation for the Laneway Festival tour in that exact place. Mitch confesses to still figuratively being in a “High School Band” and notes the issues it has gotten them into in the past.

“We played the V Fest, the Canadian version. And a lot of bigger acts played like the Flaming Lips and The Strokes. There was like two or three stages and if you were at the small stage you couldn’t go to any of the backstage of any of the larger stages. So it kind of felt like you were a freshman that can’t go hang out with all the cool seniors. I guess that’s just the way it has to be. But we’re hoping to break down some barriers at any of the festivals we go to.”

Luke, however, tends to be oblivious of exterior factors whilst on-stage, especially his audience. “I kind of go into a zone while I’m on stage and sometimes I don’t really notice the crowd – unless it’s huge. It’s usually one end of the spectrum or the other that I tend to notice; when it’s completely dead or it’s completely alive. But there’s a lot of in-between-grey areas that I don’t really pay attention to, I guess. And it’s funny: you can go back to the same city two or three times and have a totally different crowd every time.”

Part of Born Ruffian’s changing live experience has been the enlarging of venue sizes and proper touring for the band. When asked about their tour with big-time indie-electro-nerds Hot Chip, Mitch clarifies how much of a culture change it was for the band. “That was our first ever actual tour and first ever venture into the United States, as well. So it was kind of a big deal to be thrown onto on your first tour ever. It was pretty crazy.

“We kind of got a skewed impression of what touring was going to be like when our first tour’s with Hot Chip and you’re playing these massive venues and they’re full every time and there’s a big stage and a huge backroom. The next time we went out on our own it was all a little less complete, I guess.”

One of the more notorious parts of their rise has been the use of single Hummingbird from their début long player, Red, Yellow and Blue, in ads for Jeep vehicles worldwide. As it turns out, both Mitch and Luke have views on the issue. “Doing commercials and stuff like that: you take it all as it comes,” Luke states. “You can’t really say whether or not you’re going to do that. You have to look at each offer as they come: what kind of money it is, what we need to buy at the time.”

Mitch, however, takes the approach that advertising is just a general expansion of the music market. “I know there are those bands who set out, ahead of time, saying [in a faux-pretentious voice], ‘We will Never. Do. Commercials. It’s selling out, man!’ But you’re setting yourself up to break that rule if you set those boundaries up. Especially when a lot of bands need to make money and have to be different, somehow. And it’s getting a lot harder to do that just though normal media and normal means. We’re usually quicker to sign up for an ad in another country, not only for the added exposure but also because we don’t have to see it on TV all the time and get sick of our own songs!”

Despite all this, Luke has a reminder to those who might think they are – œcool’ due to influential sites such as Pitchfork and Hype Machine: think about the music first. “It’s an individual thing for them to figure out themselves, ‘Why they like the music they like?’, as far as if it’s something they actually like or if it’s just because it’s cool, y’know. If they come to realise that they don’t like our band because they just thought we were cool then that’s fine. To me, I just like the music that I like. I don’t mind what it’s associated with. To me, if it’s good, then it’s good.”

Born Ruffians climb aboard the Laneway Festival tour bus this January/February. Check the Gig Guide listings below for details.