story

here is a story. a fool is born and grows in the usual way, up and out, maybe a bit quieter, maybe a bit more exact. the expected turnstiles, slipped through. the usual track, avoided. clumsily, carefully. the fool learns to use her hands, for bread. to break her heart, for wine. the bread one must have, the wine is a gift. the fool wants to know all things well but knows one thing always. the best thing. and it is here. the chime of the perfect word, the logic of the perfect pulse, the surrender to the perfect alternating current. she fills the vessel, then edits. fills then edits. she is greedy with it: the chime, logic, surrender. she builds cities and blows them down. she makes a few small round things that are perfect for a moment, then stay the same forever, thus imperfect. that is how it is with capture. she too is captured. finally it all burns up, and there is no where to go but water. this time she starts from scratch. first, a hillside, then, a hole, then a tiny castle. then, now, the wine. chime, logic, surrender. the perfect alternating current. she will change the world oh yes, everyday. inside her. a thousand voices speaking perfectly loud.

you might also choose to believe that myshkin has stories to tell and the means to tell them. her writing aiming at a dark and subtle wit, raw honesty, and a painters eye. her compositions reveallig an artist who finds inspiration all over the map, incorporates far flung musical ideas with a passionate ease. who has an ear out for beauty, pays little attention to trends, creating uncommonly timeless modern music.

and while you're at it, trust that myshkin's ruby warblers is an ever-evolving crew of restless gamblers—string, horn, drum, key, and and wave players—whose passions range from tango to electronica, folk-noir to gypsy-swing to modern classical to rocknroll. myshkin mostly plays an 80 year old martin tenor guitar, a vintage gibson hollow bodied electric, and a jumbo lowden acoustic. when warm, she sings like a shiver down your chakras. like a heart breaking all wide open. like one in utter control of uncontrollable things.

"music is my steady date, my magic wand. i was singing long before i can remember, started singing for a living in new orleans in 1993. from then til 2007 i toured tenaciously, traveling anywhere someone offered a few bucks and a room, the further flung the better. i have played with many stunning artists, live and in the studio, have released 7 cd's of my songs, and a few collaborative ones. i moved to oregon in 2002 and now live in the mythical state of jefferson, the road calling my name. i almost always accept invitations to travel somewhere nice and play some tunes. yes i do. i dare ya."

Former and current ruby warblers:
scott magee - drums
john lutz - bass
neti vaan - violin
ben schenck - clarinet
christopher trapani - piano
laura freeman - harmonica
brent martens - bass
nick jaina - guitar
leila chieko - drums
skip vonkuske - cello
enion pelta tiller - violin
nathan langston - violin
edwin severijn - drums
helge slikker - bass
lara michell - guitar
sailor banks - bass, beats, guitar, keys
jesse brooke - drums
paul evans - soprano sax, alto sax, melodica
helen gillet - cello
gwendolyn colman: percussion
sarahmin dunbar - theremin
heather perkins - electric guitar
luke brechtelsbauer - harp

history

rooted in the war torn lowlands of europe, conceived one sweet night in paris, born and raised in the cornfield flatlands of indiana. picked up her sister's guitar and began to write songs. a theater school dropout, made homes in tipis trucks and buses. drove cab. baked cakes. painted houses. roamed through new mexico, new york, texas and tennessee, and landed in new orleans in '93, solo record in hand, ready to start a band.

nine years in that musically rich city, while touring nationally and internationally. writing songs about ordinary, extraordinary people, picking up and playng around with folk, jazz, pop. collaboration with songwriter / multi-instrumentalist mike west resulted in 4 records and countless shows. playing with an electric trio at home, as an acoustic duo on the road, 300 nights a year. an anomaly in the new orleans music scene, but still snuck off with a few of the city's music industry awards. also recording and touring with the mike west band, the ez bake organs, the kirk rundstrom band, the road dog divas, doing session work.

in 2002, cut herself loose to focus on her own music. dubbed the new band myshkin's ruby warblers and made a record. that summer she ran away to portland oregon. began working with multi-instrumentalist / producer sailor banks, aka sugar short wave, their 5 year collaboration introduced electronic elements and a subtler  aesthetic. the band continued to tour nationally and through europe, made 2 records focused on political, humanist themes.

myshkin is a founding member of the gypsy cafe, a permaculture art farm in the mountains of southern oregon. in 2008 she took a break from the business of music to hand build her own earthen-walled studio there. then, made another record. what else is a girl to do?

discography

slate— myshkin — wreckit 1993
dr. plague and other lullabies — myshkin impossible — wreckit 1995
econoline — mike west and myshkin — binky 1996
blue gold —myshkin — binky 1998
why do all the country girls leave? — myshkin — binky 2000
rosebud bullets — myshkin's ruby warblers — doublesalt 2002
everythings in boxes — the road dog divas — 2002
pony — the road dog divas — 2003
corvidae — myshkin's ruby warblers — doublesalt 2004
sigh semaphore — myshkin's ruby warblers — doublesalt 2006
that diamond lust — myshkin's ruby warblers — doublesalt 2012