7eight5 Artist Spotlight: Blake Ruder

We’re starting a little spotlight of local and area artists, getting short interviews with local musicians around Kansas.

Today’s musician is Blake Ruder from Hays, KS. You may have heard Blake play around town with his guitar at Wild West Fest a couple years ago, or at Defiance last spring. He’s getting back to playing for audiences and we figured we’d sit down and chat with him.

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7eight5: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Blake:  I’m Blake. Born and raised in Hays, America. I used to play in some bands, Brown Bag Special and The District, and now do some solo work for fun. We’ve played and been all over the place, signed a couple of record deals, opened for some great acts and played with some great other local bands. I am married to the most beautiful woman on earth, and have been for 10 years, and we have 2 little schnauzers.

7eight5: What do you play?

Blake: My main instrument was bass. Now being solo, I play guitar. But I dabble in everything. I’m not really good at any one instrument at all, but I know my way around most of them.

7eight5: How long have you been playing?

Blake: I got my first guitar was I was 13 I believe? My brother was in a band and I thought that was the coolest thing ever so I wanted a guitar too. I bought an acoustic and really just learned from watching my brother play or just by ear once he explained what the parts of the guitar were.

7eight5: How would you describe your sound? What kind of music do you play?

Blake: Oh boy. Uhhh… as far as what I play today, I play all sorts of different music. The majority are covers. Classic country to fast punk and classic love ballads to today’s hits. When I used to write, it was pop-punk for sure. More pop driven towards the end.

7eight5: Who were your influences growing up, and what impact has that made on your music?

Blake: Growing up I was (and still am) a HUGE Elvis fan. I know everything about the dude. More importantly, he was an entertainer above all things. That’s what I always looked up to as a musician. It’s about connecting with your audience and giving them a good time, not the other way around. I also grew up with 90s country, 80s hair bands and then when I became a teenager I discovered bands like Weezer, Green Day and Blink 182. To this day, I’m still very heavily influenced by them.

7eight5: Do you remember your first show? What was that like?

Blake: The first “legit” show I went to was when I was 15. My brother, myself and a group of friends went to KC to watch Blink-182 in 2009 at Buzz Beach Ball. Blink headlined, Weezer opened, Taking Back Sunday opened for them, and then like 20 other groups before that. It was an all day event. Matt and Kim played there, which would have been right after their “Grand” record. I’ve seen Matt and Kim a total of 4 times and they still put on one of the best shows. Super dope. A lot of people. 2 stages. Lots of crowd surfing. Lots of pot. Lots of mosh pits. Just your all around perfect concert really!

7eight5: Haha, that was more about the first show you played. Would you be able to talk about the first show you played?

Blake: Oh shit, my bad! The first show I played would’ve been my brother’s prom at TMP. I think I was 14 at the time? I went to watch my brother’s band practice and he lost his voice. He and I listened to the same shit so I knew all the songs they were playing. I filled in for vocals that night and the guys loved it and asked if I’d join their band and I became the lead vocalist from there.

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“To anyone listening, if you’re in a band or want to start a band just have fun doing it. If you and your band can write great original songs and kick ass doing it, DO THAT! If you just want to play guitar or sing in front of people, DO THAT!”

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7eight5: What’s your social media status as a musician?

Blake: Social media is just my personal profile on Facebook. That’s so about it. Lol. We used to do the whole, Facebook, Instagram, Reverb and believe it or not, MySpace (man, I’m dating myself with that… lol)

7eight5: What do you do outside of your music?

Blake: Outside of playing music, I’m a simple man. I like to drink whiskey, hang out with friends and family, smoke meats and watch football. My job keeps me pretty busy most of the year so, I spend most of my time working.

7eight5: Do you play original songs, or covers?

Blake: I do both covers and original music. Anymore, mostly covers. When I was in a band we would mix covers and originals. It’s always good to throw in some songs that people are familiar with that have never heard you. We gained a great following because people would be like, “oh yeah they play these songs!” Then we’d slip in originals throughout the set and our “fans” started enjoying our original music as well.

7eight5: Where do you get influences from when writing music?

Blake: My influences when writing music come from anywhere. I’m an “emotional” type writer. How I feel at the time of writing is how I would transpose my music. I hate lyrics. I can’t write lyrics for shit lol, unless I found one line I loved and my brain would just focus on that and I would just fill words around it lol. I feel like I can write pretty catchy “music”. Hooks, unique bass lines, stuff behind the guitar and vocals that no one but nerd music people like myself pay attention too lol.

7eight5: What comes first for you, the lyrics or the music? Or is it more 50/50?

Blake: Music always came first when writing. Lyrics were a struggle for me most of the time.

7eight5: Where do you want to be as an artist in 5 year? What’s a goal you are hoping to achieve?

Blake: As far as pursuing this as a career, that ship has sailed lol. I play for fun. Today, I just enjoy getting people together, laughing, singing along, joking around and just having a good time. It’s about the relationships I still have when playing. Even if someone comes to my show that I haven’t seen in years, or even if you’re a complete stranger, I’m going to make sure you’re having as much fun as I am. We’ve done the record labels, the shows, the studios, the press kits, the contests and had a lot of fun doing it and learned a lot, but life changes and we did too.

7eight5: How do you go about setting up shows to play?

Blake: If I’m interested in playing somewhere, I’ll reach out to the event staff, or owners and just tell them to give me a shot! I dont personally go pursue shows as much as I used to. My free time in my schedule anymore is very valuable to me, so I spend my free time wisely.

7eight5: What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned since you started playing live?

Blake: The most important lesson I have learned playing live is having fun with it. To anyone listening, if you’re in a band or want to start a band just have fun doing it. If you and your band can write great original songs and kick ass doing it, DO THAT! If you just want to play guitar or sing in front of people, DO THAT! I sometimes wish the “local scene” wasn’t so intimidating to musicians in most areas. You don’t have to write original music to have a band. Grab your buds, play the songs you like to listen to and go play it for people! Music is a way to escape your mind and live in the moment. Connecting with people in your hometown or at other shows is a great way to build relationships too. Like I said, just have fun. Don’t worry if you can’t write a song. Learn how to play an instrument or some songs and keep up with it. Picking up a guitar for me is the biggest stress reliever I have. Whether I’m just messing around with sounds or strumming to songs I love to listen to, I always have a good time. I encourage anyone who is thinking of starting a cover band to go for it! Thats how most of us started anyway! No one is judging you! We’re all just stoked to go to a live show because we love to watch live music! If the crowd I’m playing to is having a good time, you bet your ass I’m having an even better time!

7eight5: How can people get a hold of you?

Blake: To get a hold of me, just message me. Facebook, text, call, email, love letter, pigeon carrier, at Dillon’s. Just flag me down. I’m pretty easy to get along with. Or if you just want to chat or want any advice on the scene or just even talk about music, hit me up!

Catch Blake playing next at The Paisley Pear in Hays on Saturday, Feb 24th at 8pm