A project long in the running, Rumin have unveiled their first EP, releasing the first recordings into the world. We caught up with this band to find out the back story of the EP and what the future holds.
Give us a potted history of the band
RUMIN (roo-min) is the brainchild of Russ Stedman and Andy Ellis, who met on the South Coast cover band circuit as far back as 2010.
2010 – Russ and Andy meet on the South Coast cover band circuit, instantly hitting it off.
2018 – After a short period in alt metal band earthtone9 (2012-2016 – touring and recording on 2013 album – IV), Russ, wanting to move away from metal, began creating riffs of a more funk-based nature. Russ went to Andy (who had often dazzled on stage with his quirky and experimental interpretations of cover songs) with a collection of riffs and ideas on his phone with the view of creating a funky but progressive rock project. The Battle of FunQuirk (working title), which became RUMIN, was born.
From that point on, many nights were spent jamming and creating riffs into the early hours at Andy’s home studio in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.
2019 – Russ joins alt grunge band Just A Ride – a project put on hiatus.
2022 – Russ leaves JAR, and The Battle of FunQuirk project resumes. There are more late nights crafting demos. A temporary singer is recruited to write lyrics and top lines. Mark Woodard (Ex Graces Collide) is recruited as drummer. Regular live jams help secure structures and finalise songs, which would become the HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL EP.
Both singer and Mark leave the project in autumn 2022.
2023 – January – Brighton artist Ricky Gallimore approached and asked to write top line melodies for current demos. Previous melodies/lyrics scrapped. Ricky joins the project full time March 2023. Mark Woodard was persuaded to rejoin the project, and regular live jams/writing sessions resumed. Summer 2023, 4 drum tracks laid for HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL EP. Mark leaves the project again after recording due to career commitments.
November onwards – bass, guitar and vocal tracks laid, all engineered, mixed and mastered by Andy Ellis.
2024 – January – Final vocals laid. Mixing period ensues
2024 – July – HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL EP released
Who inspired you to start making music
Russ – Kurt Cobain. I was around 13 at the height of Nirvana’s fame and MTV culture was all consuming for me. I found Kurt Cobain’s on-stage energy, passion and the fact that he threw himself around on stage just mesmerising. It made the hairs on my neck stand up and I wanted to evoke that sensation in others.
Rick – I am influenced by a lot of 90’s grunge, I.e. Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nirvana, etc, but one band that stands out for me as a songwriter, lyricist, composer and producer is Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails. Their music was like nothing I had ever heard and eventually had the privilege to see on many occasions. Other than that, my Dad is a big influence on me! I grew up watching and listening to him sing and write music from an early age. I wouldn’t do what I do now if it wasn’t for him.
Andy – I think my Dad wanted kids, so there was someone to wire up his portastudio, drum machine and synth and to have excuses for more guitars at Christmas.
And the one or maybe two records that inspired you artistically
Russ – Spin Doctors – Pocket Full of Kryptonite (1991). I remember playing Two Princes to absolute death after I bought the 7 inch single and more so the album Pocket Full Of Kryptonite after I had got my hands on it. Before even considering being a bass player (or musician for that matter) I immediately tuned into Mark White’s bass popping in places I wouldn’t expect and that began my intrigue with how a bass could be played outside of a guitar line.
Rick – Nine Inch Nails ‘The Fragile’ (1999) stands out amongst many albums that I love and cherish. The raw energy in the songs is awe inspiring to me. I’d also say that ‘Grace’ (1994) by Jeff Buckley is an incredible album. Producer Andy Wallace has made this an iconic album for me.
Andy – Extreme ‘Pornograffiti’ (1990) contains all of the many varied guitar influences to keep this answer short, and I’ll add in Red Hot Chili Peppers ‘Blood Sugar Sex Magik’ (1991) for the drums and bass.
If you’re trying to explain who you sound like to someone who’s never heard you, what do you say
There is an obvious Red Hot Chili Peppers comparison with our style – funky, melodic rock – and there is no way of shying away from that. In general, ’90s bands like Jane’s Addiction, Incubus, Blind Melon, Reef and Rage Against The Machine have also helped to sculpt what we’re doing.
However there’s also a progressive element in some of the timings we use and at times we veer into our darker influences such as Tool, NIN, A Perfect Circle and Karnivool. Before we started sculpting the songs to include melodies we were considering being a Cory Wong, Vulfpeck style instrumental band and there are some breaks where this style of playing can be heard.
Rick – I think we’ve created a really interesting blend of influences between myself, Russ and Andy. I was drawn by the attitude that the songs displayed when initially presented to me as instrumental demos. Chili’s do underpin that feeling, but I could hear other influences like Incubus, Tool, Reef and even Jamiroquai. It was a project I wanted the opportunity to be involved with because of this.
Tell us about your new release
HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL is a collection of the first three songs that have been created by RUMIN. It is a totally self-produced recording, done on a zero budget. Drums were captured by Andy in a rehearsal room in Pirate Studios, Hove. Bass, guitar and vocal tracks were all recorded in Andy’s home studio in St Leonards, East Sussex. The final production was collaborative but everything was engineered, mixed and mastered by Andy.
The band name RUMIN, EP name HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL and even the logo are digs at ourselves for overthinking everything about this project and for taking so long to get this project off the ground. The lyrics in CHANGE – ‘Ruminating on the past years, gotta look out the window’ was the inspiration for the name RUMIN, which fitted perfectly with the approach Russ and Andy have taken with the writing – painstaking attention to detail, overthinking and at times fear of progression because the project was so close to their hearts.
The EP name HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL came about due to the way in which different band members view/approach projects. Collectively, we are a combination of both vertical thinking – looking forward, yearning for progression and horizontal thinking – methodical, exploratory and drilling down into fine detail before feeling happy to move forward. Combined with passionate, contemplative lyrical content this has produced rich, multi-layered, intricate music that appeals to both rock and pop fans.
Rick – As Russ alludes to, this project’s birth precedes me by many years. I was delighted to be asked to join this project, which allowed me to convey some of the lyrical concepts in this EP.
Where can we get hold of it
HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL is available everywhere digitally – Spotify, YouTube, Amazon, Apple Music, Deezer etc.
Tell us how you write
It’s quite a convoluted process for us. The original ideas have come about through jams between Russ and Andy. Once we have jammed an idea, a bass or guitar riff will be extracted from a jam and played into a sequencer. A basic drum beat will then be programmed or generated to complement the groove.
We each take turns to play a complimentary guitar or bass line over the original idea. These riffs are then developed and sculpted into basic song structures. We will then take these basic songs to a live jam (when we have a drummer!) to humanise the drum parts and allow Ricky to sing any ideas he has developed after listening to the demos, or improvise over them.
We will then return to the studio to refine and polish the ideas until we are happy and then arrange for the final recordings to be booked in whenever possible, around work and life commitments.
Rick – Russ hits it on the head here, it is really quite convoluted. However, while this collection of songs have been born out of my own life experiences and through self analysis, it is clear that we wish to tap into what everyone in the project wants to say. We think it’s important to get everyone’s heads together to create a wider story. I think Russ and Andy are embracing this having initially concentrated on the bones of the music for so long.
Tell us about your live show What would be your dream gig
Unfortunately, we are yet to play live as we have never had a complete line up but now we have released some music this will be our focus moving forward. Our dream gig would be to play at some of the London venues, such as the Electric Ballroom or the Underworld, where we have seen some of our favourite bands play.
It would also be amazing to play our local big venues Concorde 2 and Chalk in Brighton at some point.
Rick – Gigging would be a big goal for me. I have been involved in some great projects in the past and have enjoyed what I’ve brought to the local music scene. However, from a personal standpoint, there is a feeling of unfinished business. RUMIN has real potential for me to realise that dream.
What can we expect from you in the near future
We have one song that was recorded during the HORIZONTAL/VERTICAL sessions that (such is the nature of our high standards and attention to detail) didn’t make it onto the EP and we are still making some changes to this one. It is likely we will release this as a one off single before the end of the year.
We also have many, many song structures and riff ideas in the pipeline that we are hoping to develop into songs and record as soon as possible, with the aim of releasing a longer form collection in spring 2025, or sooner if possible. We are also currently working hard to recruit the right drummer and get out on the live scene, which we also hope to do later this year.
Tell us your favourite records that are rocking your headphones/tour bus/stereo
Russ – I am a HUGE fan of the Australian metal scene, so I listen to bands such as Karnivool. Mammal and Osaka Punch a lot. Mammal’s latest album – The Penny Drop – is an absolute banger and is getting a lot of listens at the moment. However, I recently saw Karnivool play at Chalk in Brighton and the support band Vower blew me away, so their debut EP Apricity is getting a lot of spins at the moment too.
Andy – In recent weeks I’ve been very jumbled working with skiffle, blues and a Bowie band……so I refocus myself at regular intervals with Extreme’s latest record ‘SIX’, although that album in itself is quite a mixture.
Check out the bands track Change, below:
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