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| Groningen House Show (Ham Radio Communications) |
| photo by: Roland Kok |
the first Rue Royale song I ever listened to was the eponymous Guide to an Escape, which is clearly a grower—I like it more and more with each replay. and the background echo loop, which at first almost seemed out of place, instead merged into the mix like an essential ingredient—through out the song it carries a subtle sense of urgency. an escape. while the rich haunting piano chords then became a backbone of apprehension. Guide reaches deep.
I thought about how you both covered tens of thousands of miles touring Europe, and how you must depend on one another. also, in a sense I suppose, touring itself can be considered as an escape, as a songwriting duo pursues a creative dream. with that in mind, do you each serve as a guide to the other in a sense? but that question comes from a new fan's impression. could you please describe to me the real meaning of Guide to an Escape, how the inspiration for the song came about, and really, what it means to your hearts, because it sounds like a song that poured out of a heart.
[brookln]
Guide to an Escape (the song) is about stealing away from the journey we so often otherwise sing about. The journey to do the right thing, find peace or truth if it exists, reconcile the way we were raised with the way we now see the world, etc.. I am consumed by insecurity and questioning and am not one to settle easily. To the degree that it's exhausting, difficult and gets in the way of finding the peace I so desire. Guide to an Escape was written in a season where the fatigue was winning, peace was far and I was longing to not care about any of this journey but to rest.
[ruth]
In response to your comment about us touring so many miles and serving as each others guide: I feel like touring is an emotional journey full of highs and lows and with a lot of stressful and stretching times. We rely on each other for support constantly and yes in some ways guiding each other through great times and hard times as one can often be in a very different place to the other and needing a voice of reason and balance in the midst of this. Brookln is definitely the driving, visionary force for the band and I tend to rely on him for this as I can be a very slow mover who dwells on things for far too long.
[indiessance]
I liked the music video you did with Amsterdam Acoustics; how the neighborhood background activity blended with your performance of the song Blame, which can also be found on your latest LP, Guide to an Escape.
in one of your press releases, I found the statement: It’s all about the journey, not the destination. There the duo was in the Netherlands, next you were in Germany. how has touring, which has taken you all over the world, helped you advance as musicians, and also as people? what have become your favorite places to perform? can you talk more about this musical journey, which has taken place on both sides of the pond?
[brookln]
Touring has changed so much about us. Everything from our vocabulary and our taste buds to our preference of music have been informed by all of this globe trotting. Musically we've been inspired by the rooms we've played in, the weather and geography we've driven through and picnic-ed in and the bands we've met and listened to along the way.
[ruth]
I feel we have had our eyes opened wide and our minds too as we have travelled so much and met so many people with such different stories and history. This has been life changing in the most extreme way and to be honest I feel we are still processing these past few years.. it will take a while to get through all we have experienced.. maybe even our whole lives! We love performing in many places and in many different venues. We love house concerts still but also enjoy playing the festivals. Wherever it is we really appreciate being with people who take the time to listen to our music and support us on this journey. We have met many musicians too who have also played a part in our story, with inspiring tales of touring and with their own musical journeys. There seems to be a sense of community with some of these musicians and people and this plays a huge part in our story as they provide us with support and friendship on the road..
[indiessance]
thank you very much for sharing your thoughts, and may you be blessed over and over—over the road.
- youtube: guide to an escape
- youtube: Blame (live in Amsterdam)
- home : rue royale
- soundcloud : guide to an escape
- ultimate-guitar : guitar tab: guide to an escape (ver.2)
- discogs : guide to an escape
- wikipedia: rue royale
- spotify : guide to an escape
- bandcamp : guide to an escape
Guide to an Escape
1.
Guide to an Escape
04:07
2.
Halfway Blind
03:36
3.
Flightline
03:11
4.
Get me Standing
03:58
5.
Blame
04:06
6.
Knocked Back to the Start
03:20
7.
Crater
03:37
8.
Meant to Roam
04:31
9.
We'll Go on Alright
03:57
10.
Foreign Night
04:10
11.
The Search and Little Else
03:00
