By Ruby Gold
Singer-songwriter and visual artist Emma Ruth Rundle has released her new video “In My Afterlife” today. Self-directed with John Bradburn, the visual is “an expiration of insanity, a lot of sagazan and influence from Julie Taymor’s circa 2000 film rendition of Titus,” Rundle tells.
“I developed the character, makeup and costume myself, which I made by painting and modifying found articles while I was in the UK. This mask or character is supposed to represent what is left after life ends, wandering the halls of their own existence, reliving little joys, and sufferings. They are a demented and unsettled character.”
Rundle’s headlining North American Spring tour kicks off March 24 in Vancouver and will be the first time she performs her latest renowned albums Engine of Hell and Orpheus Looking Back EP (Sargent House) live stateside. Japanese-American multi-instrumentalist and composer Patrick Shiroishi will be supporting all dates. Highlights include two nights at Los Angeles’ Masonic Lodge at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery (which are now sold out), two nights at San Francisco’s Swedish American Hall, NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge, Chicago’s Thalia Hall, Vancouver, Toronto, Boston (sold out, new date added) and more. See below for a full list of dates.
Rundles’ latest and riveting album Engine of Hell is stark, intimate, and unflinching. For anyone that’s endured trauma and grief, there’s a beautiful solace in hearing Rundle articulate and humanize that particular type of pain not only with her words, but with her particular mysterious language of melody and timbre. The album captures a moment where a masterful songwriter strips away all flourishes and embellishments in order to make every note and word hit with maximum impact, leaving little to hide behind.
Rundle has always been a multifaceted musician, equally capable of dreamy abstraction (as heard on her debut album Electric Guitar: One), maximalist textural explorations (see her work in Marriages, Red Sparowes, Nocturnes or collaborations with Chelsea Wolfe and Thou), and the classic acoustic guitar singer-songwriter tradition (exemplified by Some Heavy Ocean). But on Engine of Hell, Rundle focuses on an instrument that she left behind in her early twenties when she began playing in bands: the piano. In combination with her voice, the piano playing creates a kind of intimacy, as if we’re sitting beside Rundle on the bench, or perhaps even playing the songs ourselves.
Emma Ruth Rundle Live Dates:
All Dates w/ Patrick Shiroishi
Mar 24: Saint James Hall – Vancouver, BC
Mar 25: Neumos – Seattle, WA
Mar 26: Revolution Hall – Portland, OR
Mar 28: Swedish American Hall – San Francisco, CA
Mar 29: Swedish American Hall – San Francisco, CA
Mar 31: Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever – Los Angeles, CA (SOLD OUT)
Apr 01: Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever – Los Angeles, CA (SOLD OUT)
Apr 04: Thalia Hall – Chicago, IL
Apr 06: Axis Club – Toronto, ON
Apr 08: Crystal Ballroom – Boston, MA (SOLD OUT)
Apr 09: Le Poisson Rouge – New York City, NY
Apr 11: Crystal Ballroom – Boston, MA
Jun 21: Center United Church at Sled Island – Calgary, AB
