Spookey Ruben

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Spookey Ruben
Origin Ottawa, CA
Genre(s) Alternative, Power Pop, Industrial, Progressive pop
Years active 1995 -
Label(s) TVT Records(former),Hi-Hat Recordings(current)
This article is about the indie rock musician. For other people named Spooky, see Spooky (disambiguation).

Spookey Ruben (born in Ottawa, Canada) is a Toronto-based pop musician. He grew up in Germany, Holland, and Washington, D.C. In his childhood, Spookey's parents insisted he take up an instrument and so he chose classical guitar. At age 13 he got his hands on an electric guitar and spent the remainder of his teenage years playing in array of hardcore and speed metal bands (most notably Transilience). It was at this time that he received his nickname "Spooky", a result of his high-school friends teasing him about his metal-head appearance with his long hair and Satanic T-shirts. At age 19 he moved to Toronto and enrolled in film school at York University, but kept musical ideas rolling on a 4-track recorder.

Spookey began developing his talent for songwriting, mixing keyboards with acoustic and electric guitars and trademark distinctive high vs. low vocals. These experiments led to his solo debut album Modes of Transportation Vol. 1 (TVT Records). International critical acclaim followed, hailing the album as the 'Pet Sounds of the 90s'. Disputes with TVT resulted in his leaving the label and years of apparent silence. Eventually, Ruben simultaneously released two separate CDs entitled Bed and Breakfast (Hi-Hat/Zomba). Currently, Spookey is promoting his independent album Alone at the Zoo, co-produced by John McEntire of Tortoise/The Sea and Cake.


Contents

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

  • Modes of Transportation Vol. 1 (tvt records 1995, quattro japan 1996, intercord germany 1996, emi uk 1997)
  • Wendy Mcdonald - Live in Japan EP (1997)
  • Modes of Transportation Vol. 2: What's a Boy to do? (1998)
  • Brunch
  • Bed (2001)
  • Breakfast (2002)
  • Alone At The Zoo (2003)
  • Ausfahrt Walsrode (2006)

[edit] Singles

  • "These days are old" (1995)
  • "Running Away" (1995)
  • "Wendy McDonald" (1996)
  • "Brand New Game" (2002)
  • "Shauna" (2003)
  • "Glenn Take Care" (2003)

[edit] External links