Justin Rutledge (born January 3, 1979) is a Toronto-based alt-country singe… Read Full Bio ↴Justin Rutledge (born January 3, 1979) is a Toronto-based alt-country singer-songwriter signed to Six Shooter Records.

www.justinrutledge.com

Rutledge has released three albums, No Never Alone, The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park and Man Descending. His fourth album, entitled, "The Early Widows" was released in May 2010 on Six Shooter Records.

Rutledge's musical style is often compared to that of American alt-country singer Ryan Adams. His influences, both of the literary and music world, include Leonard Cohen, Hank Williams, Richard Brautigan and E.E. Cummings.

In 2006, Justin Rutledge was named Toronto singer-songwriter of the year by NOW magazine.

Rutledge has toured Canada, the UK, the United States and Europe, and has played shows with Kathleen Edwards, Jim Cuddy, Blue Rodeo, Hawksley Workman, Luke Doucet and Dolly Parton.

His critically acclaimed lyrics are sometimes linked by music writers to his time as a university English major; he was editor-in-chief of a University of Toronto literary journal.

History

Early life

Justin Rutledge was born and grew up in the Junction neighbourhood in Toronto, a working class community centered around an intersection of four railway lines. He was raised in an Irish-Catholic family and grew up with aspirations of becoming a writer. To that end he studied English literature, with a major in modern poetry, at the University of Toronto. He dropped out after three years of school as his musical career got in the way. Rutledge told Macleans in an interview that his backup plan would be to finish his university studies in English "if this music thing doesn't work."

No Never Alone (2004-2005)

No Never Alone is Justin Rutledge's first album. In order to pay for the recording he worked as a bartender. Rutledge has remarked, "I would often do a studio session during the day, and then head straight to work until 4 or 5 in the morning"

The album earned Rutledge considerable praise, particularly in the UK, where he was compared to Ryan Adams by Comes With a Smile, who also proclaimed that "A major new talent has landed". Additional UK praise came from Uncut magazine who referred to Rutledge as “a master of gothic understatement” and NME describing the album as "an incredible breakthrough".

It was only receiving this attention in the UK that 'No Never Alone' was released in Rutledge's native Canada.

The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park (2006-2007)

Rutledge's second album, "The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park" was released through Six Shooter Records on October 6, 2006. "Devil on a Bench" is actually Rutledge's second attempt at a sophomore album - He spent a year recording his first attempt, tentatively titled In the Fall, before he scrapped it. He was unsatisfied with the album, and has explained, “I thought a sophomore album should have just a bit more of an assured sense about it. A second step forward should be a step up the ladder as opposed to just asserting your presence. You’re not just saying, ‘hey, I’m still here. You’re saying, ‘hey I’m here and I’ve challenged myself and I’ve hopefully done something that I haven’t done already. In order to challenge himself and create the album he wanted, Rutledge wrote a new batch of songs and recorded them in eight days with his band - opting for a more live recording style.

"The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park" was nominated for a Juno award in the category "Roots & Traditional Album of the Year: Solo" and received the Galaxie Rising Star Award at the Edmonton Folk Festival.
[edit] Man Descending (2008)

Man Descending

Justin Rutledge's third album, "Man Descending" was released on April 8, 2008 through Six Shooter Records. The album is named after a 1982 collection of short stories by Guy Vanderhaeghe, also called "Man Descending". Rutledge was inspired by a line from Vanderhaeghe's book, "A man descending is propelled by inertia; the only initiative left him is whether or not he decides to enjoy the passing scene." He says of the line, "It really resonated with me. As I continued to read the stories, I realized that all these characters in the book were dealing with the same kind of static or inertia in their lives. I kind of took little threads and wove them into songs."

The album features Ron Sexsmith, Jenn Grant, Catherine MacLellan, Hawksley Workman, Melissa McClelland, Joey Wright, Jim Bryson as well as "What Rutledge calls the best band in town; David Baxter, Bazil Donovan and Blake Manning; Burke Carroll and Bob Packwood."

"Man Descending" was long-listed for the Polaris Music Prize.[17] Other praise for "Man Descending" in 2008 included the #5 spot on Exclaim's Wood, Wires & Whiskey top 10 and a nomination for Contemporary Album of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards.

According to an interview, "Compared to 2006’s The Devil On A Bench In Stanley Park, Rutledge feels Man Descending is a much more patient, intimate and mature album, despite recording it in just three days."

The songs "Alberta Breeze" and "San Sebastian" were written for "In The Fall:" - the album that Rutledge scrapped in 2006, and were rerecorded for Man Descending.

In 2009 Justin Rutledge took part in an interactive documentary series called City Sonic. The series, which featured 20 Toronto artists, had him reflecting on his time performing at the Cameron House.

The Early Widows (2010)

The Early Widows is Justin Rutledge's fourth album, released in May 2010 on Six Shooter Records. Justin wrote several songs with a single character in mind from author Michael Ondaatje's Novel Divisadero after collaborating with Ondaatje on a theatrical adaptation of the novel. Michael Onjaatje also co-wrote several of the songs receiving official credit for the single Be A Man.

The album is produced by Canadian singer-songwriter Hawksley Workman (also credited as a musician on the album) and also features Canadian singer-songwriter Oh Susanna.

A Penny For The Band
Justin Rutledge Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Another Shirley Temple
Another Cain and Abel
There's nothing out the window
And nothing on the table

This life is like a sad list
Strong across the Nation
If I miss you at the soundcheck

I'll see you at the station

There's a beast inside of me
And he's not bad company
But he speaks in tongues I can never understand
He says it's one more show and a penny for the band

Keep everybody dancing
Keep everybody spending
I know I am not a good man
But I can keep pretending

I made it in a doorway
Your dress is like a dark vale
But I'm not going your way
I'm going back to heartache

With a bottle of Burgundy
Where she waits on the balcony
With a northern wish and a daisy in her hand
To send me all her love and a penny for the band

There's a beast inside of me
And I miss my family
All these pages and these stages made of sand

Still, it's one more show and a penny for the band
One more show and a penny for the band

Overall Meaning

In "A Penny For The Band," Justin Rutledge reflects on the toll that the music industry has taken on his life. The opening lines suggest a sense of monotony and repetition as Rutledge compares his life to "Another Shirley Temple" and "Another Caine and Able." He also paints a bleak picture of his surroundings with "nothing out the window" and "nothing on the table," possibly due to the transient lifestyle of being on tour.

The chorus reveals the conflicting feelings Rutledge has towards the industry. He acknowledges the beast inside him, which may represent his ambition or self-doubt, but also admits that it keeps him company. However, he cannot understand its desires as it tells him it's "one more show and a penny for the band." This line highlights the financial precariousness of a musician's life, where every show and every penny counts.

The second verse introduces a sense of guilt for his superficial motivations to "Keep everybody dancing" and "Keep everybody spending." Rutledge also yearns for a love that he has left behind like a "dark vale," reminiscing about a woman who "waits on the balcony." Rutledge sings of a "northern wish and a daisy in her hand," which evokes a sense of yearning for simpler times and a simpler life. Overall, Rutledge's lyrics explore the toll that the music industry can take on an individual's life, with its rewarding moments and detrimental effects.

Line by Line Meaning

Another Shirley Temple, Another Caine and Able, There's nothing out the window, And nothing on the table.
This is just another day of mediocrity, with nothing particularly special happening. It's a dull existence, with nothing interesting or exciting going on around me.

This life is like a sad list Strong across the Nation, If I miss you at the soundcheck, I'll see you at the station.
This lifestyle is a monotonous routine, constantly traveling from place to place across the country. If I happen to miss you during soundcheck, I'll inevitably run into you at the train station or the airport later on.

There's a beast inside of me, And he's not bad company But he speaks in tongues I can never understand, He says it's one more show and a penny for the band.
There's a subconscious force driving me forward, urging me to continue performing and touring. Although I'm not quite sure where this motivation comes from or what it means, I know it entails performing one more show and leaving a financial offering for the band.

Keep everybody dancing, Keep everybody spending, I know I am not a good man, But I can keep pretending.
My job as a musician is to keep the audience entertained, even if it means keeping them in a state of consumerism. While I may not be the most righteous of individuals, I'll always put on a good show and keep up appearances.

I made it in a doorway, Your dress is like a dark vale, But I'm not going your way, I'm going back to heartache.
I stumbled upon a woman standing in a doorway, wearing a dark and captivating dress. However, I know that I can't pursue her or indulge in any romantic fantasies, as my personal life is a series of heartbreak and disappointments.

With a bottle of Burgundy, Where she waits on the balcony, With a northern wish and a daisy in her hand, To send me all her love and a penny for the band.
In my mind, there's a beautiful woman waiting for me on a balcony, offering me all of her love and even a donation for the band. It's a romantic vision, albeit one that might not be entirely based in reality.

There's a beast inside of me, And I miss my family, All these pages and these stages made of sand, Still, it's one more show and a penny for the band, One more show and a penny for the band.
Despite any personal struggles or doubts that I may have, I'll still put on a show and contribute to my band's financial success. It's a necessary evil, driven by a deep-seated need to satisfy the beast within me.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Justin Rutledge

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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