Getting to Know the Road to Ruin

The Road to Ruin are an intriguing group who hail from Brooklyn, New York. Last week we saw the premiere of their new track “All the Things,” which delighted our ears to no end. Their charming instrumentation is filled with doses of Americana goodness that has us craving more of the noteworthy new band. The brainchild of frontman Miles Stenhouse, the group takes us on a musical journey lyrically, emotionally, and spiritually. We had the chance to catch up with the band for an unforgettable interview, below.

 

 

-Your new single “All the Things,” is a song that struck me immediately. What went into creating the track?

All The Things was recorded at my home in Bushwick. Most of the song was written in late spring of 2016 during the main block of sessions for our record. I played all the instruments except the bass (Sam Lubin) and one backup line (Katie Ortiz). I think the recording was done within about 10 days of me finishing the song. I didn’t really think about how to arrange the it, I just sort of dived in. Most the choices I made felt inevitable and there was never a point where I felt like I was reaching to do something that didn’t work. I often find the recordings I am most proud of in retrospect require the least amount of labour at the time.

-When forming a song, what steps does the band take to create your vision? Typically how long does it take you to build a song from start to finish?

Mostly I think that inconsistency prevails in these areas. There isn’t really a typical amount of time it takes to build a song from start to finish. Nor do we really have a single set of steps that we take to get there. There is a huge range. I have written songs and had the finished recording of them done within days of first drafting them on acoustic guitar. On the other hand, one recording from our upcoming record was started in the summer of 2015 and the final overdubs were done last summer. In terms of realizing the arraignment potential of a song, that goes many ways too. Sometimes I build a demo and take a mostly arranged song to the band and they learn the parts I wrote. Other times I’ll take a song to practice having no idea what I want to do with it and they’ll jump all over it and come up with a bunch of great parts that hadn’t crossed my mind. The most consistent element though has to be editing. No matter where an idea comes from, who thinks of it, or what the context is, I hold all our material to the same standard.

– How did The Road to Ruin form? and how did the band decide on and form your sound?

I have been working with our bassist, Sam Lubin, since my sophomore year of college. We were actually assigned as random roommates to each other and have been playing music together since. The most fundamental aspect of our sound is the counter point he creates over my songs. The line up has changed frequently since then but these days we are working with a wonderful drummer named Marcus Kitchen and an excellent lead guitarist by the name of Mike Sposato. Mike and Marcus are great listeners and have found ways to augment what Sam and I are doing. I’ll give them direction if I have specific arraignment ideas but often I am very pleased with what they come up with by themselves. 

– When did music profoundly start to have an influence on your life?

I remember when I was nine, my cousin, Daisygreen, was given a walkman and a copy of the then new Beatles Yellow Submarine sound track compilation. We were driving up to my families house in New Hampshire and she wasn’t using it and let me listen. I didn’t take the headphones out of the rest of the 3 hour ride. My parents bought me a walkman and a copy of that disc shortly after (they have always helped foster my love of music) and within a couple years I was in deep. . . 

– What sparks your songwriting creativity? Is it more of a storytelling aspect or a personal aspect?

I definitely write in both styles. I find even when i am telling a story it is hard not to bring some personal aspects into my narrative though. In the case of All The Things I use a fictional narrative to convey a very personal sentiment.

– With two new singles in tow, is the band leading up to a full length or EP sometime this year?

Yes. Our new full length, Don’t Envy The Wheels is tentatively slated for release on September 7th!

 

 

Find The Road to Ruin on their Socials:  

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Road-To-Ruin-310737635717271/

Website: http://theroadtoruinmusic.com/   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thenightthesaucerscame/