NEW ALBUM "The Sacred Mood" OUT NOW!

NEW ALBUM "The Sacred Mood" OUT NOW!

The Gospel According to The Press



                             

Friday, September 30, 2011

Money Shot with Tor Burrows!


Hey Friends!


Check out this cool home video we have just been sent. This is our girl Tor Burrows of Notorious Design doing a kick ass little drum cover of our song "Money Shot" for us! Tor is also the lovely lady who has filmed & edited many of the rad videos you see for My Ruin like "Long Dark Night" & "Excommunicated" and is currently tucked away in her home in the UK working her magic on our latest video "Tennessee Elegy" from our new album "A Southern Revelation" which we will be debuting in November for your viewing pleasure.


It seems Tor is a woman of many talents and she never ceases to surprise and amaze us! We're proud to have her as a part of our behind the scenes team as a friend and family.

xo
Mrs M


Monday, September 12, 2011

The Beauty of Being Blasphemous: Interview with Carl Begai!



It's always a pleasure chatting with rock writer extraordinaire, Carl Begai of Bravewords.com- Mr B is a longtime supporter of My Ruin and it was nice to take a moment away from talking rock shop to discuss my other passion. Check out our latest interview for BGD reposted via his personal website at CarlBegai.com and visit my store online at www.bgd.bigcartel.com to see my current
one-of-a-kind custom jewelry online now!
xo
Mrs M

+++++++++++

"THE BEAUTY OF BEING BLASPHEMOUS"

Interview with Carl Begai

::::::::::::::
My Ruin vocalist Tairrie B. Murphy doesn’t subscribe to the mythical glitter of stardom, nor does she believe it’s necessary to get her assets out to sell her music. She’s an artist in the truest sense of the word, suffering both figuratively and – as the need arises – literally in order to get the results of her creative energy out to the masses. And, like many of her kind, she isn’t restricted by the “musician” box checked on her resumé. For sheer love of creativity, Tairre has her own business marketed under the banner Blasphemous Girl Designs, offering up one-on-a-kind custom jewelry for those interested in wearing a piece of in-your-face inspiration. Certainly not as high profile as selling hot sauce by the case or moonlighting as an actor, but it’s another pursuit that gives Tairrie a sense of accomplishment.

“I’ve always been a do-it-yourself girl,” she begins. “Back in the late 80's and early 90's, when I was a rap artist, I used to design custom pieces of jewelry that I would have made for myself at the Slausen Swapmeet in Los Angeles where Eazy E and NWA used to get stuff made. I was really into two and three finger rings, nameplates and cut out earrings. Before that, I was designing custom jeans and jackets that I would cut, bleach, sew, paint and embellish with various patches, vintage fur and found objects. I remember having this woman come up to me at an underground club I used work at one night, and she was a buyer for a really upscale store in Beverly Hills called Camp Beverly Hills. She asked me where I got my jeans and when I told her I made them myself she gave me her card. Next thing I knew, I had set up a make shift factory in my grandfather’s garage to hand make 80 pairs. It was crazy!”


“I have a lot of old videos of underground fashion shows I used to be a part of at clubs like Scream and Lunch back in the day, when I would design a whole custom collection and get my friends to model for me on the makeshift runways, strutting my designs to early Public Enemy and Malcolm McLaren records. It was a lot of fun, but it wasn’t until I was in my previous band Tura Satana that I started to design various pieces of jewelry to wear on stage and in photo shoots. I began seriously designing my own band’s merch once I started My Ruin. This is also when I started to create specialty pieces for our fans and friends. I think there’s a beauty in making one of-a-kind things by hand and from your heart that you can’t get with sourcing it out to a company to be mass produced, but it’s really hard work and time consuming to do it all by myself. When the time is right it might be nice to take it to the next level at some point and get a few of my ideas backed by a larger company.”


My Ruin fans have seen enough of Tairrie to know that she concerns herself with artistic expression first, income second. With that in mind, the question is raised to whether she’s ever second guessed herself with regards to turning what was a hobby into a potentially lucrative business. As in, if Blasphemous Girl Designs were to become large scale successful, does she worry about the diehard My Ruin fans consider it selling out?

“Not really. I honestly find it hard to imagine the fans of my band ever thinking I’m a sell-out in terms of what those words truly mean. I’ve been so underground in everything I do for so many years now that I highly doubt the term ‘sell out’ could ever apply to me at this point in my career. Musically, I’ve never been the girl looking to make it big on a commercial level because I believe it would mean giving up a great deal of myself and my personal integrity to make that happen, and that’s not what I’m about. There’s a fine line between keeping your artistic credibility and whoring yourself out to the highest bidder in whatever field you’re in as an artist. That being said, it would be nice to have my company grow over time and reach out to more people on a larger scale, while still having a bespoke boutique vibe about what I do. I think the possibilities are there, and I think those who have been with me on my journey would continue to support and stand behind me if and when I made that leap.”




Given the items listed on the website are often tagged as being sold out, as well as the sheer number of items available, it’s clear that BGD’s inventory consists of mostly one-of- a-kind pieces. A potentially painful situation in letting some of them go...

“Most of my designs are one-of-a-kind creations, but on occasion I’ll make two or a small collection that is relative to each other, with slight variations within the pieces to keep them all unique in subtle ways,” Tairrie reveals. “Sometimes I’ll find it hard to let a piece go depending on what has gone into the designing of it and the back story of the materials involved. I’ll admit, there have been times I’ve become attached to certain designs while in the process of bringing them to life. I often feel like I’m letting go a part of myself as I’m wrapping them and sealing the packages to be mailed.”


“I sign and scent everything with my signature oil that I mix by hand and have worn for years,” she adds. “I sometimes sell vials of it in my store as well. It’s one of my most popular items and I’ll have people come up to with a design they purchased months ago telling me they can still smell the oil on the leather, and how much they love it. I love that!”

“It’s a weird feeling to let your designs go but one that I have also come to enjoy knowing the people who will be wearing my creations will appreciate all the time and love that went into making them. I think that’s why I like the idea of selling to fans of my band rather than total strangers. I like having that personal connection and possibility that I’ll someday see them wearing it, whether it be in a photo they send me or front row at a My Ruin show. That’s the part about expanding my company that I’d miss.”

Tairrie offers a look inside her creative process for Blasphemous Girl Designs:

I’ve been creating what I call my Blasphemous Girl Designs since 2001/2002. It started with making a few pieces for one off shows we played in LA on Valentines Day or Dia de los Muertos and then branched out to my making custom clothing and jewelry for our tours to go along side of our merch. I also used to sell pieces to a store in Hollywood called Blest, which was a really cool place to find custom designer one-off pieces that were a bit more high fashion and even couture. In 2009, I opened my first online store and things just sort of took off from there. I create about five collections a year at this point. I was heavily into deconstructing clothing for a while but I really prefer making jewelry these days, although every now and then I will stud a jacket or paint a shirt or vintage slip. It’s become a nice little fun side business.”

“I believe, as an artist of any kind, you have to create when the muse speaks to you and the mood strikes. It’s the same with song writing; I feel a cathartic energy and an almost inner therapeutic release when designing. I often incorporate found objects, vintage keepsakes, classic images and religious icons within my pieces to help each tell its own story, and I suppose in a way, my own story. When I write a song, I usually do a few re-writes before I am ready to record it, and even then, when I’m in the vocal booth things always change at the last minute. There’s a long process when it comes to lyrics that goes from structuring the subject matter in my own mind, to arranging the words line by line on to the delivery, and ultimately the mixing with the music before the final master. I think you need to know when to let go. I think many musicians have trouble with this and will work on a song for months and months, re writing, recording and mixing it again and again until it loses that special something it had when it was first conceived. The same can be said when it comes to art. Sometimes you just need to go with your gut and feel with your heart rather than over-think it all with your head.”




Religious imagery is a common element in Tairrie’s songwriting. It bleeds down into her art, to the point that it’s become something of a BGD calling card. And, of course, depending on the mindset of people outside of the My Ruin circle, some of her jewelry designs have been branded controversial.


“I can’t really explain my attraction to religious imagery,” Tairrie admits. “It’s something I’ve often tried to understand in my own mind but have never really been able to define verbally. While there’s an unspoken comfort for me found in the beauty of certain images I’m drawn to, there’s also a fear and loathing behind the ideas of what many of those images and icons are meant to represent. This is where the dichotomy of the struggle within my own head lies when it comes to how I interpret them at the time. Whether I’m writing a song or designing a piece of jewelry, I’ll usually let the images guide my subconscious mind to the darker side, whether metaphorically speaking with words or color and concept combinations.”


“I don’t set out trying to be shocking or controversial. I never have because that’s not what I’m about as an artist. I do what I do based on what I feel. That’s really all I can say. I think the fans of my band that listen to my music and purchase my designs do so because they feel a connection with me. I’m sure there are some people who don’t get it as much as others do but I think they all understand and appreciate the blood, sweat and emotion that goes into everything I do. I love the freedom of creating something new by recycling something old and combining images and ideas that would not necessarily go together. I’ve always been a fan of mixed media art on a larger scale, and for many years I’ve painted religiously inspired statuary and created assemblages that have hung on the walls in my home or the homes of my friends. I’d love to put some of these types of things in my store, but the thought of shipping them scares me when it comes to their size.”


Not surprisingly, My Ruin’s music and song ideas play an important role in the pieces she produces for Blasphemous Girl Designs.


“It happens all the time, but it’s usually with my art imitating my life, which more often that not means my lyrics. After spending months writing and recording a new album, it’s not unusual for the theme of that album to resonate with me for months and sometimes years after, so I’ll find myself drawing on songs and subject matter that I can make tangible and flesh, so to speak, in the form of wearable art.”


On a business level, Blasphemous Girl Designs continues to develop because Tairrie is able to turn a profit. It’s a baby steps project with legs that she remains dedicated to between writing, recording, touring, and having a personal life.


“I would like to continue to create custom designs and eventually take the next step with a few of my signature pieces,” Tairrie reveals. “I think it’s a soulful and heartfelt process that just doesn’t happen overnight, and in order for me to be able to devote the serious amount of time and energy I would need to do it the way I’d want to. I think I’d have to make a few changes in my life that I’m not ready to make at this moment.”


“I’ve just launched my latest fall collection for September, but I’ve actually been keeping something under wraps for the last few months,” she continues, “but I’m about to make the official announcement soon so I can’t go into all the details yet, except to say that I have recently been contacted by a UK based jewelry company and designed my first high-end custom ring. It’s nothing like anything I’ve ever seen. I just received the prototype last week and it blew my mind. I’m planning a photo shoot for it now and will be introducing it in the coming months online. All I can say is that it has seven pieces and was designed in honor of My Ruin’s new seventh album, which is coming out in December of this year. It will be available in my store and each ring will be hand made and shipped from the UK.”





Friday, September 9, 2011

A SOUTHERN REVELATION!




OUR SECRET IS REVEALED!

Dear Friends!

Our secret is finally out and we are excited and proud to announce that we have a new album coming in December! Produced by Mick Murphy & Joel Stooksbury, “A Southern Revelation” is the 7th full length studio album by My Ruin. It was recorded at Soundtrack Black Studio deep in the snowy mountains just outside of Knoxville, Tennessee in the cold January winter of 2011.


As a thank you and gift to our longtime friends, fans and My Ruin family worldwide, for your continued support and rock love for us, “A Southern Revelation” will be made available as a 100% FREE DOWNLOAD digital only release on December 7th and just in time for Christmas exclusively via www.myruin.net in your choice of 320k mp3, FLAC, or just about any other format you could possibly desire.

The new album includes 10 tracks: Tennessee Elegy, Highly Explosive, Walk of Shame, Deconsecrated, Middle Finger, Vultures, Seventh Sacrament, Reckoning, The Soulless Beast and a cover of the Van Halen classic Mean Street.



In 2010 My Ruin signed a 2 album deal with Tiefdruck Musik based on lengthy conversations with label owner and founder Daniel Heerdmann. We felt he understood our band and what we were looking to achieve with our new album. He was completely supportive and encouraging to us during the entire recording process.

In July, My Ruin delivered our 6th album “Ghosts and Good Stories” to Tiefdruck Musik. We were on a high after recording what would soon become our most critically acclaimed album to date and everything felt great. We had begun to confirm shows for a European tour and were looking forward to working with our new label when suddenly there was a strange and unexpected turn of events and Daniel Heerdmann changed from being our biggest supporter into our most vicious adversary overnight. We had no idea why or where this sudden shift in attitude had come from. We were now dealing with a completely different man and it was scary. We quickly began to discover many of his promises had been lies regarding money transfers, marketing, promotion and tour support. This led to our being forced for the first time in our career to cancel our tour as chaos and confusion set in. Our album release was delayed in every territory and our once friendly mutual respectful relationship was now done. To date My Ruin has never received any accounting from Tiefdruck Musik for album sales.

Instead of touring “G&GS” in September 2010 as planned, we found ourselves at home due to circumstances beyond our control, reading the barrage of hateful and unprofessional emails which were being sent to us and our attorney. Mona Miluski, who was Tiefdruck’s in house publicist, relayed to us that all of this was a pattern and just one of the many reasons she had decided to leave the label after seeing this happen to many bands previous to My Ruin signing with the Tiefdruck. Before our album finally came out in September, we decided to cut all ties and contact with the label who we believed were now on a campaign to sabotage our album and reputation. With no promotion or support for “G&GS”, we were left to fend for ourselves like an unsigned band. This was when Mona Miluski started her own freelance press agency Platinum-PR, joined our team as a publicist and we began our DIY press campaign which proved to be a huge success as the album received some of the best reviews and press of our career.

In the eye of the storm, Mick and I decided to vent our anger and frustration by writing our thoughts and putting them to music while home in Los Angeles. Within 2 months we had enough material to record another album. Having already planned to spend the holidays in Mick’s hometown of Knoxville, we decided to reach out to a friend and fellow musician Joel Stooksbury who had built his own home studio hidden away in the hills of Tennessee. Knowing our situation and without the luxury of a budget or financial backing of any kind, Joel expressed his interest in recording with us purely based on his wanting to help us make a rad rock record. Soon we found ourselves at Soundtrack Black Studio for 3 very cold and snowy weeks quietly making what would become My Ruin’s 7th album “A Southern Revelation”. After all we had gone through leading up to the making of “A Southern Revelation”, it was an amazing and very calming experience to be out of our usual element in Los Angeles while recording and instead be in Tennessee surrounded by longtime friends and family while working with Joel. Not only did he and his lovely wife Mindy open their hearts and home to us but he proved to be an incredible co producer/engineer/mixer and a loyal friend along the way.

“Ghosts and Good Stories” was a great album and there was potential for both My Ruin and Tiefdruck Musik to build a real foundation together on this as a band and label had it been properly handled and promoted as agreed. Unfortunately, Daniel Heerdmann crossed the line with us on both a personal and business level from which there is no recovery. Recording another album for Tiefdruck Musik is not an option for us, so we have made the decision to do something out of the ordinary by following in the footsteps of a few disgruntled artists before us and give our new album “A Southern Revelation” away as a free download. In an age where the majority of fans download their music for free on torrent sites, all we ask is that this time you get it directly from us. This way you will get the best quality version possible.


Both sacred and profane, “A Southern Revelation” is My Ruin’s meanest and most pointed recording to date. It is a highly focused, intensely passionate and cathartic record that invites it’s listener with us on our personal journey of reckoning in retrospect. Staying true to our sound and confrontational lyrical delivery we believe “A Southern Revelation” stands alone in My Ruin’s catalog with renewed razor sharp, violent scream vocals and spoken word over stone cold crisp yet doomy metallic rock guitar riffs.

While friendship is a fashion and honesty is the holiest disease, this is our seven daggers of Megiddo; this is our slaying of the beast.

very truly yours,

Mr & Mrs M




[Video Created by Tor Burrows of Notorious Design]

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Big Announcement Coming!




Dear Friends,

As many of you know who have been following us on Facebook, Mick & I have been keeping a very special secret under wraps and close to our hearts since December of last year when we went home to Knoxville, Tennessee for the holidays. It's been a struggle not to spill the beans and we appreciate you being patient with us. This is to let you know that after many long months, we are finally ready for it to be revealed.

We would like to invite you to join us this Saturday, September 10th as we unearth our news on top of white and snowy ground and share our Southern inspired wintery secret with all of you. Our official announcement will be posted in a new video at the top of our blog for your viewing pleasure.


Remember, good things come to those who wait, so make sure to save the date and tune in this weekend to find out all about our gift for you.

xo
Mrs M



"I prefer winter when you feel the bone structure of the landscape
the loneliness of it, the dead feeling of winter. Something waits beneath it, the whole story doesn't show."