Brian Standefer (cello, Patty Griffin & Alejandro Escovedo)
Ana Egge (vocals)
Brad Houser (bass, bass clarinet, bass saxophone--New Bohemians and Critters Buggin)
Will Sexton (bass)
Kim Deschamps (pedal steel, banjo--Cowboy Junkies)
Dony Wynn (drums--Robert Palmer)
Steve Moore (Synth, Piano--Laura Veirs)
John Tomasson (bass)
Steve Bernal (cello)
David Chenu (clarinet, sax)
Mat Mollica (B3 organ)
Jon Notarthomas (electric guitar, vocals)
Darwin Smith (electric guitar, vocals, ambiance--Love County, Seela)
Kullen Fuchs (trombone, trumpets, vibraphone, melodica--Ian Moore)
Mellissa Greener (vocals)
Erin Bobruk (vocals--Cluan)
Charles Branch (bouzouki--Cluan)
Roberto Riggio (Violin--Atash)
Travis Weller (Violin)
Produced & Engineered by:
Darwin Smith at Cacophony Recorders (Austin, TX)
Mastered by:
Jim Wilson (Airshow Mastering, Boulder, CO)
Influences
Charles Simic, The Beatles, The Velvet Underground, Beethoven, Ron Sexsmith, Laura Veirs, Lou Reed, John Cale, Everly Brothers, Kingston Trio, Bob Dylan, Pixies, The Faces, Sam Philips, Paul Simon, Danial Lanois, Brian Eno, Nick Lowe, The Replacements, John Vanderslice, The Recorders, Guided By Voices, Charles Bukowski, Nikos Kazantzakis, Alexis Zorba, Rainer Maria Rilke, Thich Nhat Hanh, Arthur Miller, Franz Kafka, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Alber Camus, The New York Times, Mark Rothko, Alberto Giacometti, nightmares and daydreams.
Sounds Like
***PURCHASE AIMEE"S MUSIC***
The Safety Match Journal
CD Available At: www.WaterlooRecords.com (Support independent record stores and album art.)
Order directly from Aimee: Receive a LIMITED EDITION special pkg, with cd, poster, and matchbooks. Write aimeebobruk[at]aimeebobruk[dot]com
Decide for yourself...but here is what the critics are saying.
"...a work to be savored from beginning to end. Each song carries enough pop sensibility to stand on its own, but the album as a whole—strung together with quirky and inventive instrumentation, almost tribal percussion with a lilting blues beat and ethereal, folk-savvy vocal stylings—is nothing short of a work of art....breathtaking soundscape with a glimmer of hope...insightful." --Performing Songwriter
Performing Songwriter
"Ready for radio "Losing the Magic"....Bobruk's at her best when she's like everyone else, only more open and with an atmospheric voice made for both cello and feedback." --Michael Corcoran, Austin American Statesman The Austin American Statesman
"Aimee Bobruk presents a notable debut with The Safety Match Journal. It's something to please Cowboy Junkies fans, given Bobruk's dreamy, Timmins-esque vocal languor and the CJ's Kim Deschamps on steel. Bobruk's songwriting recently left the folk-pop cocoon and tries out its muted-color wings with gorgeous instrumentation and a flutter of hesitancy...Bobruk brims with potential and plenty of time to test the waters." --Margaret Moser, The Austin Chronicle The Austin Chronicle
"This Darwin Smith produced album has many elements of a well-crafted film score...Bobruk brought in solid material to the project, as well as a strong yet graceful voice.
A luscious blend of melody and sound, the CD avoids being tossed into the traditional singer/songwriter bin...it is indeed remarkable." --Daisy, The Austin Daze
The Austin Daze
"The album is a tightly-focused collection of folk-pop songs bolstered by a quirky production ethic and anchored by Bobruk's crystalline singing." --Lee Simmons, IndieMusic.Suite101.com IndieMusic.Suite101.com
Aimee was selected as one of ten southwest regional finalists for the Mountain Stages Newsong Contest. Check it out Aimee at Newsong Contest
***BIOGRAPHY***
"Nothing less than a work of art" is what Performing Songwriter is calling Aimee Bobruk's latest work. In what she terms indie/ambient/folk/rock Bobruk presents listeners with rich orchestral melodies, crisp lyrical images, and combines non-traditional instrumentation with ambient textures. Most often, compared to Margo Timmins of The Cowboy Junkies, Bobruk entertains a modern pop edge in combination with her confidently sensuous voice. The result is what Brad Houser, from the New Bohemians calls "hauntingly beautiful."
Introducing herself to Austin with 2005 EP Small Town Girl, Bobruk quickly became a featured songwriter by Central Texas DJs like KUT’s Teresa Ferguson (Femme FM), KOOP’s Sandra Beckmire and Rick Star of Fredericksburg’s KFAN (“Rebel Radio”). She’s shared the stage with the likes of Butch Hancock, Alejandro Escovedo, Ruthie Foster, and David Garza. And in 2007, Bobruk, with fellow songstress-Hilary York, held down a Tuesday-night residency at Austin’s Scoot Inn, where her performance and her songs have held their own against many of Austin’s most talented musicians: Ian Moore, Robert Harrison (Future Clouds and Radar), Michael Fracasso, Will Sexton, Andrew Duplantis (Son Volt), Joe Reyes (Buttercup), Jane Bond, and Ethan Azarian.
Aimee Bobruk's new album, The Safety Match Journal, is a window into the thoughts of what some people call an old soul, and for someone still in her mid-twenties, releasing her debut album, Aimee is no newcomer. In 2006, Bobruk took the prize in the “Mountain Town Stages: Slopeside Serenade” songwriting contest in Utah and opened for the legendary Dr. John. More recently, she was selected as a southwest regional finalist for the prestigious New Song Mountain Stages Festival, and has billed with Ruthie Foster at the famous KGSR 107.1 FM "Unplugged at the Grove" music series. In addition her song “For the Lost Airwaves,” which appears on the The Safety Match Journal, was used in the 2007 documentary Team Everest: A Himalayan Journey.
***MORE ABOUT THE SAFETY MATCH JOURNAL***
The last thing Bobruk and producer Darwin Smith wanted to do with The Safety Match Journal was make another singer-songwriter record. Yes, Bobruk writes her own songs, and sings them too, but for the Huntsville, Texas, native now dwelling in Austin, that’s as far as it goes.
“Neither Darwin nor I wanted this record to sound predictable,” she says. “I approached Darwin with full trust and gave him complete freedom to explore arrangements, sounds, and textures– our intention was to uproot my songs from ‘genres’ like ‘folk’ and ‘rock.’”
Bobruk and Smith employed some interesting strategies to upend those staid classifications and give The Safety Match Journal its fresh sound. At Cacophony Recorders (Darwin Smith’s and Eric Wofford’s studio) Smith used a wide array of non-traditional instruments - an old doorbell and hubcap rims dipped in water – against more orchestral instruments like the bass clarinet and cello to embellish Bobruk’s poetic, heartfelt songs. Then Smith took it a step further, using studio alchemy like tracking speed and unconventional processing to subtly alter the finished tracks. The result is a canvas of lush, textured, and ambient arrangements.
The next phase of their plan was recruiting several of Austin’s top musicians to bring Bobruk’s compositions to life: former New Bohemians Brad Houser and John Bush; Cowboy Junkies alum Kim Deschamps; Alejandro Escovedo and Patty Griffin cellist Brian Standefer; acclaimed singer-songwriter Ana Egge; and Austin music scene mainstay Will Sexton, to name a few.
The Safety Match Journal includes the first song Bobruk ever wrote, “Dulcinea.” Like several other songs on the album, it reflects her deep interest in literature; other literary touchstones for the album are Shaun Tan’s The Red Tree, Homer’s Odyssey and Sinclair Lewis’ Babbitt. Bobruk is equally inspired by visual art. “I think musicians often work in terms of visuals,” she says. “For me, when I write, it’s as if a movie is playing in my mind. I don’t know exactly where it’s going or what it’s about, but my song comes from putting words to the images.”
“Liverpool,” “Fools For Love,” “Here She Comes,” and “Puppets at Play” demonstrate a more pop sensibility in her writing and address the universal emotions of frustration and heartache. Juxtaposed with nostalgic lullabies like, “For the Lost Airwaves” and “Blessing,” as well as the roots based “Precious Jesus,” Bobruk’s writing covers a broad range of topics and themes. Here are a few of the album’s inspirations, in her own well-chosen words:
“Shores of Gold”: “I think of some of the sounds we achieved as resembling a sort of exotic jungle. I also hear what reminds me of recorded whale cries. I imagine diving deep into the ocean to be confronted by beautiful monsters.”
“Losing the Magic”: “The spoken word combined with intention is very powerful. I do at times fear handing over this energy, but at the same time, there is a sense of excitement that accompanies sharing a cherished idea/wish/dream.”
“First Move”: “It’s a reaction to the American people’s apathy at the beginning of the Iraq war. Protesting, warning people of what certain actions could lead to, speaking out while armed with well-crafted rhetoric is the only way citizens can protect themselves against injustice and destruction without resorting to violence. The last verse about the Triton [the deep-sea messenger] and his people who are ‘choking on flames’ is a reference to the island of Fira and a lost civilization – the volcano erupted with no warning.”
And this is just the beginning. Bobruk wants her fans, both the present and future varieties, to know there’s plenty more where The Safety Match Journal came from.
“This album is one of many expressions to come,” she says. “My perspective will remain completely unique to me, but as far as the sound around it, I’m interested in exploring new boundaries.”
You tour looks amazing!! Best of luck and hope to see you before you take off. Sorry I missed your gig Thursday, I ended up working. You sounded great at the Cactus! Jackie
hey Aimee! i see things are going wonderfully for you! congrats on the Performing Songwriter write-up-what a great review! and your new video is adorable! any way, good luck with it all lady! ~ Suzanna ~
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