Muse Chronicle

I am super excited to share with you another track by one of my favourite artist Rusty Reid, whom I came across just a couple of months ago when I reviewed his track “Corner of My Mind” from his album “Bayou Line”. Today, from the same album we will be talking about the track “”Our Love’s With You”.

“Rusty’s lyrics are comforting and feel like a warm hug in a cold winter, there’s something about his voice that soothes you instantly.”

Rusty wrote this track for his sister to commemorate her graduating high school and starting a new chapter in her life as she leaves for college. Rusty’s heartfelt vocals backed by his soothing guitar and Jed Demlow from Nashville on the keyboard. His lyrics are comforting and feel like a warm hug in a cold winter, there’s something about his voice that soothes you instantly. My favourite part is the chorus “If you long for sunshine baby, why suffer through the cold, wherever you may go our love’s with you” where he reassures his sister that no matter where she goes, her family’s love will always be with her. Rusty’s songs come from such an honest and sincere place that one can’t help but empathise and relate to his music. Give this soul-stirring song a spin today and I assure you, you’ll become his fan too.

We had the opportunity to ask Rusty Reid a few questions about his journey and his vision towards music.

1. Your unique approach toward music really stands out from the crowd! How did your musical journey start and what ignited your spark for music?

Thanks much. I appeciate that. I want to try to stand out from the crowd, though I’m dubious that is the general recipe for commercial success. Most listeners are not active explorers for the new and different ; they are passive receivers of the common and popular. When I was a wee one I started off listening to my mom’s record collection, which included a lot of “crooners,” so I suppose that kind of approach is in my musical DNA. Yet a few years later I was enamored by the transition of certain musical acts from “entertainers” to “artists.” It seems these “artists” were, indeed, seeking something very new and original. Perhaps the Beatles were the most prominent of this tangent, but there were many others, across many genres. Finding no other way to be an adult that appealed to me, I gravitated toward becoming this kind of “artist.” And brought my “crooner” voice along for the ride.

2. What message do you want to send out to our readers and your listeners?

This latest album, “Bayou Line: Songs from Houston” is a retrospective… re-recordings of some of the best of my older songs. The are mostly romantic relationship themes, so a bit shallow in the “message” department. There are a few exceptions on the album, the final four in particular: “Through His Name,” “Our Love’s With You,” “Corner of My Mind” and “Riding On.”

BUT…. my previous two albums, “NWXSW” and, especially, “Head to Heart” are FAR more message-oriented. If you want to listen to the story of the history of the universe in one song, or zero in on what is really the “meaning of life,” or consider a musical list of all that is WRONG with human civilisation, that album is for you. I suppose I have two thrusts of wisdom to impart, one positive, the other negative. The positive message is that life is precious, death is nothing to fear, and this is a beautiful world, which we need to embrace, nurture and defend. Indeed, that is the highest calling for humanity? What else could be? It ain’t “worshipping” a fictional god, that’s for sure. Which brings us to the negative: humanity remains engaged in a phalanx of beliefs and behaviours that virtually ensure our eventual demise. Mother Nature has a way of dealing with wayward children: extinction. And we have lately made her pretty mad at us. We’d better wake up soon.

3. Is there any interesting event during the making of ‘Corner Of My Mind’ that you’d like to share with us?

“Corner of My Mind” was one of my first collaborations with another writer. Paige Kemper Innerarity is a dear friend from way back in high school. She sent me some of her poetry and this one slapped me in the face. It is truly profound. I had to write music to it. Then, later, I added the bridge that employs a romantic flashback. I think this is one of my better songs, and has some interesting philosophy, as well. And the band for this one –Jed Demlow on keyboards, Jason Roller on guitars and Darin Watkins on drums — made it soar. This is one of the few songs where I’m not playing any instrument.

4. What is your biggest motivation to keep creating music?

I’m having more fun than ever. At long last, I feel in control of my songwriting, my singing, my playing, and the quality of the other players I can bring into the fold. I also have a lot of things I want to discuss through the art form of the popular song. I may not be finding them, but I’m not aware of anyone else focusing on these political, philosophical, spiritual and even mystical themes. I’ve had the good fortune to have had the opportunity to delve deeply into these subjects, borrowing from the wisest teachers in history, incorporating the traditional virtues, coupling the best of these old insights and values with modern science, and synthesising a worldview that makes sense of it all, for us all, and marks the trail for a better future for humanity and the rest of planet. Alas, much of culture is going the opposite direction…. into division, distrust, ignorance, fear, selfishness, hatred and the usual disregard for and destruction of nature. As I say in the song “There is a Pleasure in the Pathless Woods,” “So now the crossroad where we’ve arrive demands a choice of every soul alive… do we continue down the road of ruin or mingle with the Universal tune?” That’s straight-up the most important concept every human should be contemplating. I apologise for having so rudely interrupted the binge-watching of mindless nonsense.

5. How many bands have you played with and what has been your genre preference?

I started off as a solo singer-songwriter. I’ve been in four rock, or pop-rock bands (one of which will be featured on an upcoming album). In-between those projects, I fell back to the singer-songwriter mode. All along, to the understandable consternation of some of the bands, I thought of myself as a solo “act.” I just felt I had the range as an artist to blend genres to a degree, especially rock and pop and folk and country. I didn’t want to be tied down to a “band” sound, or the other compromises a band requires. Once again, that probably was not conducive to commercial success. I look back and wonder what if I had committed long-term to a well-rounded band with multiple writers and singers. But, I don’t regret the path I took. It hasn’t led to any real commercial success, yet I now realize that was always a phony goal. The “meaning of life” is the pursuit of happiness… and the happiest person needs the least to be happy. I’m in that mind-frame now… and have never been happier.

Catch the muse here: