Blood Ruby creates atmospheric alternative musi… Read Full Bio ↴::THE BLOOD RUBY SOUND::
Blood Ruby creates atmospheric alternative music somewhere in the vein of dream pop, ethereal, and neoprogressive rock. The band met online in the cyber ether space between Chicago Ill and New Haven Conn. Two subtly emotive female vocalists ply a range that spans from lyrical, sweet mezzo, to smoky, jazz-rooted alto, delivering haunting melodies and crafted lyrics full of evocative imagery and cinematic storytelling. Spacious mixing and production lend prismatic detail to the music's lush instrumentation. The result is a textured, layered sound that takes listeners on an ambient, often dark, and sometimes epic journey through drifting landscapes of emotion, strange places, and complex characters.
::BAND MEMBERS::
Blood Ruby consists of Cynthia Conrad (vocals), Margaret Browning (vocals, bass, guitar, keyboards), and Thomas Wall (guitar, bass, keyboards, programming, engineering).
::BAND BIOGRAPHY::
Blood Ruby benefits from a combination of in-house talent and training in production, music, writing, and marketing. Thomas' degree in audio and visual production and his experience as an audio engineer are key to the band's overall sound. Both Cynthia and Margaret have undergone various degrees of training in voice, music, and music theory. Furthermore, Cynthia's education in literature and creative writing are evident in her seasoned lyrics and skilled songwriting, while her professional marketing, promotion, and public relations experience have given this Connecticut band international grassroots exposure. The band's collective music and business skills produce professional results with a DIY sensibility.
::BAND HISTORY::
Thomas and Cynthia met online in early 2001. For over a year, they collaborated long distance on fledgling demo tracks, getting together once every few months to record. To evoke the rich, deep, shimmering, shadowy, multifaceted sound to which they aspired, they named the project after the most rare and valuable gem in the world, the blood ruby.
By early 2002, Blood Ruby had released several demo songs on a handful of online music sites. Cynthia launched the band's marketing campaign and began building the bloodruby.com website. Thomas moved to Connecticut to work more collaboratively on the music. In 2003, Cynthia's former bandmate, Margaret Browning, joined the band and the core creative lineup of Blood Ruby was finally complete. The band's sound evolved as the three began writing and recording new, more ambitious material.
In the few short years Blood Ruby has been in the public eye, they have amassed a diverse following of thousands of fans and friends from all over the world and of many different musical tastes—despite the lack of any official release. The band's songs have been played and downloaded tens of thousands of times, both on the bloodruby.com website and at nearly 50 other online music sites, where they have frequently attained chart status. Blood Ruby has also been featured on numerous internet radio broadcasts and podcasts, including live interviews and as featured artists.
As of this writing, the band is putting the finishing touches on recording its first full-length CD, Little Creatures, and is actively seeking a label or distributor through which to release it.
Sleepwalk
Blood Ruby Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He knows his history
He reads, he dreams
So much ability
He drives Northwest
Up the interstate
The snow falls slow
Bright with life,
He leaves behind
Endless days
And longer nights
His eyes are wide,
His ears are numb
Filled with pulsating
Engine hum
Don't rush by unseeing
Through the places
And the pleasures of the ride
(Take it all in)
Don't skim through the pages
Of the ponderous volume
That describes your life
(Don't miss a word)
Some seek distraction
Just to pass the time,
Not entertain
We sometimes sleepwalk
Sacrificing joy to numb the pain
I saw the scene
I didn't want to see
Steel, glass, debris
Stranger, rest in peace
How could he know
When he awoke
That this was the day
His book would close?
Have you thrived
Or just survived
If this were the day
You said goodbye?
Don't rush by unseeing
Through the places
And the pleasures of the ride
(Take it all in)
Don't skim through the pages
Of the ponderous volume
That describes your life
(Don't miss a word)
Some seek distraction
Just to pass the time,
Not entertain
We sometimes sleepwalk
Sacrificing joy to numb the pain
We sometimes sleepwalk
Lyrics © 2004 Margaret Browning
The song starts by describing the singer's routine, highlighting his diligence and intelligence. He is described as a hardworking individual who has a great deal of potential. The lyrics go on to describe his journey, as he travels up the interstate, in the midst of a beautiful hypnotic snowfall. As he drives, he is said to have a heightened awareness of his surroundings, his eyes wide open, and ears tuned in.
The song then takes a sudden turn, and we see a scene of destruction, a stranger who has died in a car accident. The singer realizes that this could happen to anyone, and it begs the question of whether we are truly living our lives or just going through the motions. The lyrics urge us not to just skim through life, but to take in every moment, and not to just seek distractions, but to find joy in every aspect of our lives.
The song overall speaks to the idea of living in the moment, cherishing every moment and not taking anything for granted. It warns against giving in to mindless routine and urges us to be conscious of every decision we make in life.
Line by Line Meaning
He works, he sleeps
He follows the pattern of life, engaged in his work and rest
He knows his history
He is aware of his past actions and learnings
He reads, he dreams
He reads to learn new things and dreams to fuel his creativity
So much ability
He possesses great potential and talent
He drives Northwest
He heads towards a certain direction
Up the interstate
He takes the highway to reach his destination
The snow falls slow
The snow descends gently and slowly
Hypnotic and opaque
The snow exerts a strange effect and is almost obscure
Bright with life,
The previous surroundings were lively and colorful
He leaves behind
He forgets his past and moves forward
Endless days
The days seemed unceasing and monotonous
And longer nights
The nights seemed to drag on for longer
His eyes are wide,
His eyes are open wide with amazement
His ears are numb
His ears feel dull and insensitive due to the noise he is used to
Filled with pulsating
He is immersed in the rhythmic sounds of his vehicle's engine
Engine hum
The steady sound of his vehicle's engine running
Don't rush by unseeing
Pay attention and observe the experience, don't let it pass by unappreciated
Through the places
In different environments and sites you pass through
And the pleasures of the ride
Experience the joy that the journey brings
(Take it all in)
Make sure to absorb everything
Don't skim through the pages
Take your time to go through and understand your life story
Of the ponderous volume
Life is a long and heavy book, don't miss out on any part
That describes your life
What you write is in relation to how you experience life
(Don't miss a word)
Pay attention to every detail
Some seek distraction
Some people look for something to keep them busy
Just to pass the time,
Some just want to kill time
Not entertain
But they aren't necessarily enjoying or finding fulfillment in the activity
We sometimes sleepwalk
We go through life in a daze, without being fully present
Sacrificing joy to numb the pain
We miss out on joy in life when we try to avoid confrontation with sadness and difficult emotions
I saw the scene
Witnessing an unexpected and unwanted incident
I didn't want to see
Watching something you wished you didn't
Steel, glass, debris
He sees scattered objects and items from a vehicle crash
Stranger, rest in peace
Sending a prayer to the deceased stranger's peaceful afterlife
How could he know
How can anyone predict what each day holds
When he awoke
When he started his day
That this was the day
That this was a day of unexpected events
His book would close?
That his time was up
Have you thrived
Are you succeeding in your goals
Or just survived
Are you only managing to persist
If this were the day
What if this very moment was your last
You said goodbye?
What if you had to exit this world right now
Contributed by Jasmine R. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@caue9516
Yoh...i used to listening them way back 2009 - 2010. Still like them. Thanks for the upload!