Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees - Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees (2009)

Genre : Indie,Rock,Electro,Female-Vocal
Myspace
Tracklist

01. you dont miss me
02. girls you love 0
03. trustfund
04. not about to
05. how to win friends and influence
06. danse danse resolution
07. the best of all
08. a thoughtful letter

A motley assortment of Halifax indie-rock ne'er-do-wells, Ruby Jean and the Thoughtful Bees have cobbled together the following formula for organic dance party success:

Colin Crowell (Jon McKiel) is the brains; writing, arranging and producing the beats and bleeps that swarm around the ensemble, and mixing all its component elements live on stage. Rebekah Higgs (solo artist, Outside Music) is the lungs of Ruby Jean, backing up her ecstatic, confident stage presence and audacious style with harmonies and effects created by sampling her own voice in real time. Guitarist Jason Vautour (Jon Epworth & The Improvements, Alright Already) is the arms, channeling both his Madonna and Napalm Death CDs to conjure drop-tuned-yet-danceable guitar counterpoint against pulsing synths. Sean MacGillivray (Alright Already, Jenn Grant) is the legs of the outfit, re-interpreting looped drums as real ones on a traditional rock drumkit.

A potent combination of skills and personalities, and a dedication to the art of the live show have drawn these Bees both audiences and accolades, including "Best Dressed Band" in alt-weekly the Coast's annual Best of Music Readers' Poll. Bucking the trend of indie-rock head-hanging and woe-is-me self-deprecation, this band has no fear of the fog machine.

Least fearful of all of a bit of showmanship is likely Rebekah, who adopts the "Ruby Jean" alter ego in her stage theatrics. An amalgam of her grandmothers' names, Ruby Jean is the predominant stylistic force in the band's live production, acting as an ad hoc style consultant, trippy light fixtures in tow.