Interview With The Rubens: Music Much Tastier Than A Sandwich

The Rubens are an Australian rock band that have swept up the U.S. with their classic rock sound and lyrical storytelling. Currently touring for their second album, Hoops, keyboardist Elliott Margin took the time to describe the success, family support, and influences that follow the band through stardom. Oh, and he wants you to know that their name is in NO WAY inspired by the sandwich. Besides, their music is way tastier.

Diandra: Now that you are touring for your second album, do you feel like you have “made it” in the music industry?
=Elliott: When we could start to rely on music as our only job, then we started to feel like we were “making” it. When you are pursuing something like music, it is hard to find ways to survive especially, nowadays. So, when we started making music full-time, we knew this was something big for us.

Diandra: Do you think because you did not expect a career in music, it has allowed you to enjoy more of your rise to stardom?
Elliott: Yeah, I think, definitely. We never started the band thinking out about it. We really started it out of boredom. We were just having fun and enjoying what we were doing. When we started to get busy and have people come to our shows, we thought, “Oh, this is an added bonus. We are doing this and people are paying attention.”

Diandra: A lot of your music influences are classic rock like, Led Zeppelin, Van Morrison, and Fleetwood Mac. A lot of classic rock fans say, “Rock is dead!”. How would you say The Rubens revive that genre and bring it back to the present?
Elliott: I don’t think rock will ever die. Everybody has their own take on rock, and we have our own take on our favorite rock musicians. Everybody takes from their own influences and tries to work with it in different ways. I think what we do is not straight up Rock N’ Roll. We draw a lot from R&B influence because it’s the type of music we listen to. Ultimately, I think music is always developing. Rock is always developing and taking on other influences. So, I think that is what we are trying to reflect upon.

Diandra: It’s funny that you mention R&B because in listening to the album, you can definitely see it as an influence, along with it having Hip Hop undertones. Do you think you will ever do a full-on mashup between the two genres in the musical future?
Elliott: Oh, we would love to keep pushing it and seeing where it goes. Something we realized, doing this second record, is that we do not want to be stuck or be put in a pigeon-hole as a Rock & Roll band. We like all these other types of music; so, we shouldn’t be afraid of venturing out into other genres. We would not go as far as to start rapping, but it would be really cool to do collaborations with a rapper. We are open to anything.
Diandra: Maybe do a shared album with Kendrick Lamar?
Elliott: (laughing) OOoOoOoOOO That is a dream. That is THE dream.

Diandra: What advice would you have for a struggling band trying to rise in the New York City music scene?
Elliott: You can’t make music that your heart is not fully in or you are not fully committed to. I think if you are making music that you love and you love making that music then the rest will follow. You have to have fun doing it and get excited. You will get exhausted and have times where it, mentally, can be hard. Especially, being at the studio and listening to a song a dozen times and second- guessing yourself. It can be stressful, but it’s totally worth it. If you love it then you should never stop persevering.

Diandra: I noticed that, so many time when interviewing, you talk about how fast you were lucky, how you guys rose pretty quickly into the music industry. Do you feel it was as quick?
Elliott: It feels like time has flown in the five years since we started the band. For people on the outside, it might look like an instantaneous thing, but, for us, we put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. It’s a lot of travel and mental anguish, but its also a lot of fun and for the band it’s worth it.
Diandra: Does being in a band make it easier?
Elliott: Yeah, if you all are compatible as people and as musicians and share the same goals then it definitely makes the ride easier. You have to support each others’ ideas and make sure that, whatever it is you guys want to do, you all are steering towards it together.

Diandra: I’ve seen that you approach a performance with an “acting method” in that you want to look emotionally attached without actually being it. Do you think that detachment keeps you healthy and motivated when approaching the music industry?
Elliott: Um, I think so. When we write songs they are almost never about us. They are always fictional or about something that happened to a friend or loved one. I don’t know how many artists do that, but it’s the best way for us to work. Especially, if you are playing a song night after night after night and that song is really heavy and dark for you then it would be mentally draining for you. So, I think that the fact that they are not true stories benefits us and keeps us sane.

Diandra: You guys have had fans come up to you saying Hoops or Hallelujah really moved me. How does it feel knowing that you are being heard and inspiring people?
Elliott: It’s such a mental thing. It’s such a cool thing. We never think when we are writing our music that it will be such a special part of people’s lives. When people come up to us, or message us on social media,  about how our music has become apart of their life, it is super special to us.

Diandra: Your family and friends have played such a huge role in pushing forward your success in terms of their support. What do they say to you now that you are touring and have two albums under your belt?
Elliott: They are so stoked. They are so happy for us because they understand that, in this music scene, you have to be very lucky to get whatever big break you can get. When people started buying our shows and music, for them, it was such a nice relief, and they were really proud. It was so special for them to see us in concert.

Diandra: Did they wear t-shirts and buy out all the memorabilia?
Elliott: (laughing) Yeah, for sure! Mum’s got a scrapbook at home of every article that she has found with us in it. It’s really sweet.

Diandra: So, I always end an interview with a funny/fun question. What would be your Real Housewives tagline? For the band and you, personally?
Elliott: The Rubens: Tastier Than The Sandwich.
We laugh.
Elliott: It’s hard because we come to America and everybody is like, “Is your name spelled like the sandwich? Is your name based off the sandwich? It would be good if we could clarify that with our tagline.
Diandra: And your tagline?
Elliott: Keys are instruments, too.

What a cool guy and a great band! Check out their music on their official website and go to see their performance at the Music Hall of Williamsburg on April 4. Every track on their last album, Hoops, was addictively good, which is why you will definitely enjoy their show. Here is their Official Website.