Jeff Hart and the Ruins

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Jeff Hart and the Ruins is a five-piece Americana and alt.country styled power pop band comprised of Jeff Hart (musician), Bryan Yamamoto, Eric Midkiff, Symen Blumenfeld and Brian Sodemann.

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[edit] Career

Jeff Hart and the Ruins was formed in January 1990 by Jeff Hart, along with bassist Chip Robinson and drummer John Flowers As with musical predecessors The Byrds, Tom Petty, The Kinks (Muswell Hillbillies era) and contemporaries like Paul Westerberg and The Jayhawks, the music of the band strays into both the alt.country and power pop styles of rock and roll.

[edit] Jeff Hart: The Singles 1960-1990"

Their debut CD was released in November 1990 and entitled "Jeff Hart: The Singles 1960-1990" (Bombay Records ABR-001). Though Jeff Hart and the Ruins played live in support of the CD, the recordings were essentially a solo anthology of studio material that Hart wrote and sang from his previous bands. This consisted of selections from the North Carolina alt.country pioneers The Hanks, The Ragdads and some acoustic sessions at Duck Kee Studio with Jerry Kee, Ron Bartholomew, Chip Robinson, Danny Moses and Steve Howell.

[edit] Glances From a Nervous Groom

Following the departure of Robinson and Flowers in 1991, numerous members (notably Dave Bartholomew of Tres Chicas and Danny Kurtz of Whiskeytown and The Backsliders) filled their roles in the short term. Beginning in 1994, a core lineup of Brian Yamamoto on guitar and vocals, Glenn Jones on bass and vocals and Bryan Sodemann on drums and vocals held steady until 1996.

The next CD, "Glances From a Nervous Groom" (Bombay Records ABR-002), was released in December 1995 and recorded with this new lineup. It was the first (and to date only) CD credited to Jeff Hart and the Ruins.

Eric Midkiff replaced Glenn Jones in the band in 1996 and played guitar while Hart moved to bass. After Midkiff's departure in 1996, Steve Hisada replaced him on guitar and occasional bass while Hart split bass and guitar duties with Hisada. Jeff Hart and the Ruins disbanded in July of 1998.

[edit] Reunion

After a five year hiatus, Midkiff rejoined the band in their reunion in April 2003 with Symen Blumenfeld on bass along with previous members Hart, Yamamoto and Sodemann. They continue to be active up to the present time.

"You and Your Kind", a song Hart wrote while with The Hanks, but played for the better part of a decade with The Ruins, was featured in the Betty and Veronica episode in the first season of WB Network show Veronica Mars. The recording used was from a 2003 live cd by The Brown Mountain Lights, "Late Show at the Cave" (ABR-003).

Jeff Hart's songs "Love In Return" and "So Old" have also been covered live by Chris Stamey and Chip Robinson in the Vibekillers respectively.

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