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.
Carry On
Justin Rutledge Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The lark and the plow
The arrow, the vine
The weak and the wild
When I was a child
I was a child
Against a backdrop of rain
Of your blood in my veins
And how red it ran
The child and the man
How red it ran
Carry on
Until everything breaks
Until everything breaks
Once your island was mine
A dark hand allowed this island to shine
This island of mine
This island of mine
This island of mine
Carry on
Until everything breaks
Until everything breaks
The lyrics of "Carry On" by Justin Rutledge touch upon themes of nostalgia, changing times, and perseverance. The first verse of the song talks about how the singer once felt a sense of ownership over the natural world - from the birds to the plants - as a child, but how that feeling has shifted over time. The stark imagery of the backdrop of rain in the second verse furthers this sense of change as the singer reflects on the evolution of his own body, and how its very makeup has shifted over time.
Despite these changes, however, the chorus of the song encourages the listener to carry on through whatever struggles may arise, until "everything breaks". In this sense, the song's message is one of perseverance through difficult times, even as everything around us changes and evolves.
Overall, "Carry On" is a poignant and reflective song that encourages listeners to stay strong even in the face of adversity. It's a reminder that even as everything changes, there are some things that remain constant - and that we have the power to keep going, even when things get tough.
Line by Line Meaning
Once the weather was mine
I used to own everything around me - the beautiful sky and its creatures, every growing plant and every tool made for farming.
The lark and the plow
Every bird used to sing for me, every field used to be my playground, and I used to be able to plow the land with the best of them.
The arrow, the vine
I had a perfect aim as I could shoot an arrow and hit the target effortlessly, and every vine was under my control to get fruits.
The weak and the wild
I had command over even the weakest and the wildest creatures, and I could manage them all.
When I was a child
All of these were possible when I was younger, and everything was perfect in my eyes.
Against a backdrop of rain
Amidst the constant rain, I still tried to see and find the beauty in everything.
I studied the course
I closely observed your blood traveling in my veins and how it streamed and flowed to and from my heart.
Of your blood in my veins
I wondered about our relationship and how we're connected through that blood traveling in my veins.
And how red it ran
I thought about the many emotions that human beings have and how and if that blood's color would change depending on those emotions.
The child and the man
I remember the memories of when I was a kid to how much I grew up to become a mature person.
How red it ran
I still think about that blood, how it is there, and how it makes me feel and is related to my being.
Once your island was mine
I got to experience having total ownership of everything on this island, and this island used to give me everything.
A dark hand allowed this islandto shine
Someone made it possible for the island to become beautiful and provide everything, including wealth, and power.
This island of mine
This little piece of land is very significant to me as it was once mine and provided everything.
Carry on
Don't give up and continue doing what you're doing to achieve your aspirations and dreams.
Until everything breaks
Keep pursuing your dreams and aspirations, no matter how arduous it may be until you reach the point of breaking down.
Until everything breaks
Keep on pushing until you have achieved everything that you have long been fighting for.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Justin Rutledge
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@AnnieO100
Kinda grows on you. I’m checking out old tunes in the last days. Reminiscing as it were.