Page 29 - the Noise March 2017 Edition

CESAR RUIZ INTERVIEW/GIG PREVIEW
BY BEVERLEY NAPALM
Flagstaff’s Cesar Ruiz is a welcome face among the local DIY scene, ever present with a welcoming smile, a relaxed delivery, and a fine set of pop tunes. He performs with his new full band at Headspace on March 10th with Panoramic, from California, and Flagstaff locals Rabbit Trap.
Beverley Napalm posed the following questions.
You are performing as The Cesar Ruiz Band, as opposed to solo. Apart from, presumably, hav- ing more people on stage with you, does your musical perspective and ambition change any when playing with a full band?
People will always change my perspective during performance. When I’m perform- ing by myself I am always wishing that I could play with friends instead. I become ener- gized yet relaxed when someone is there to support me and rub my back. I have other members to swap moments with, often with “eyebrow raisers.” These are unexpected moments during a performance such as a solo or amplifier equipment cutting in and out. I write bigger arrangements for my songs when I know that other people can play. With my rock band, I can focus more on my immediate duties as a vocalist and guitarist.
Your music to me reminds me of polished ‘80s guitar pop. In particular, a song like “Soap No.2,” with its portamento keyboard, vocal and bass arrangements. I know you are of an age where you weren’t even around in that decade! I wondered if indeed the ‘80s are an influence to you, or if not, what would be more a contemporary influence that helped you arrive at your sound?
The live version of “Soap No.2” is busy with drum machine and synthesized sounds but the recorded version is much more ‘90s R&B influenced. I change the arrangements of my songs quite often, allowing them to constantly evolve. The ‘80s is actually a decade of music that often escapes me. Most of my influence arrives from my friends’ music and other decades, but I am a huge Prefab Sprout listener. At the moment my overriding interest is in really slow music; we will see if it influences my approach. Ambient and drone play important roles in my record collection. The last year’s inspirations are Stephen Steinbrink, A Dog in the Rain (Eric Dowswell), The Exquisites, and every band I witnessed for better or worse.
You are playing Headspace, an unconventional all ages space in a hairdresser’s. How did this space start to host shows? Do you see playing venues like Headspace as a declaration of your independence and DIY in terms of bypassing traditional bar based music venues?
Headspace does not normally host concerts but the owner and my friend Vanessa Vil- laverde has graciously opened the space for the community. It is a nice inviting environment with plenty of room to stand. I decided to have the show at Headspace because every other venue is occupied that night! It is a good problem to have too many shows in a small town. Also, I personally do not book shows that have age restrictions and I am constantly looking at ways of making my events inclusive to many different people. I do not have much against bars, but I personally love a show where music and communication are the main priority.
Aside from your solo work, you have also played with Cereal Milk and Diners, and I imagine a few others I may not be aware of. How easy is it for you to juggle work and “real life” with your numerous musical projects? Are your roles defined in each project and do you think you have a different approach to each?
Lately, it has become tricky to maneuver my endeavors. Cereal Milk is easy because it is based in Flagstaff but Diners is based in Phoenix and another band I play in called Dogbreth is now based in Seattle. I’m working a full-time job for the first time in my life and I have to manage my availability to each project. It is therapeutic to play other friends’ music; it allows me to practice new forms of technique and witness songwriting from another mind. Each project is slightly different but because we are all close friends it is easy to find chords and pranks that are similar.
How did you hook up with Panoramic?
Panoramic are a band from the Orange County part of California. My friend Alyx Poska has managed several shows for the other bands I play with and he reached out to me about playing Flagstaff. I love being connected to people through shared lifework and this just shows the power of DIY music communities. Alyx will be helping the band with lights during their tour and I believe my friends Matt Sturgis and Jonathan Modell will be playing bass guitar and drums respectively. Say hello to the band when you, the reader, attend the show.
This show also highlights representation of queer musicians in the Flagstaff music scene. The show is open to all ages and will start and end early for people to attend other shows that night. Head- space Southside Salon (217 S San Francisco St, Flagstaff, AZ 86001) on Friday March 10. Please note this is an all ages early show, starting at 7PM and finishing at 9:00PM.
29 • March 2017 | the NOISE arts & news | www.thenoise.us